| Oh! Baby Spring 2009 |
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| Written by Jan Gratz |
 Spring is the time of year when our thoughts most often turn to budding trees, blooming flowers, sunny skies and warmer weather, all signs that Mother Nature is getting ready to decorate the Earth with the brilliant colors of the season. After the darker, more neutral hues of winter, it’s no wonder we feel an uplifting of our moods and spirits. Naturally it is also a time when we think of the newborns, toddlers and children in our lives – sort of the rebirth and new growth on a more personal level. Since we are ready to knit and crochet new spring garments and accessories for ourselves, we are equally enthused about creating precious new outfits for our favorite little ones. But what are the latest trends in baby and children’s knitwear? With so many great new baby & kids’ projects available from our favorite designers and yarn companies, it’s hard to choose just a few to share, but we have noticed two main trends: Several of the high-fashion styles for Spring 2009 are finding their special niche in baby and children’s fashions too, and eco-friendly, organic fibers are in the spotlight even more prominently than ever before. Please see the Spring Fashion Outlook article for a detailed look at the Top 10 trends this season.  First off, to consider the impact of high-fashion trends on children’s clothing styles, one of our favorite new design books is Boho Baby Knits by Kat Coyle (of Greetings from Knit Café fame). Filled with fun, hip, funky projects, this collection weaves in some of the most appropriate fashion trends for out-of-the-ordinary styling yet doesn’t try to make babies and children look like miniature adults. Specifically, we love the lacy, feminine details of the Cotton Classic Girl’s Skirt and the geometrical patterning of the matching Cotton Classic Pinwheel Hat. Then the Wool Cotton Checkered Baby Leggings project is one of the most original designs for toddlers  we’ve seen in ages and is definitely our idea of geometry done right for hip wee ones. Also we recommend the Bohemian styling of the Suede Unisex Fringed Jacket and the matching Suede Baby Moccasins for a one-of-a-kind jacket and booties set.Of course, we are enjoying trendy options from some of our favorite established designers too while planning our baby & children’s projects this spring. Ever-popular Debbie Bliss always incorporates some of the current trends while maintaining her crisp, classic styling. For example, in the latest issue of her magazine, Debbie includes the sweet, geometrically styled Baby Cashmerino Striped Dress for a very modern look.  Even the latest baby and children’s book from traditional Sublime Yarns – Sublime 612: The Third Little Hand Knit Book – is filled with designs showcasing many of the latest trends. The Sublime Little Rose Cardigan featured on the cover is absolutely precious and shows a great way to combine floral motifs with the asymmetrical styling of placing the roses only on the left front edging. Then the Sublime Sailor-Style  Pullover is a marvelous blend of fashionable stripes with functional details such as the overlapped shoulders. Also we just love the Sublime Retro Beret with its clever button accents on the brim because it reminds us of the caps we were all wearing in the 1960s & ‘70s.Even baby blankets can keep up with the latest trends especially when they’re designed by artist and co-founder of Alchemy Yarns Gina Wilde. The Sweet Dreams Baby Blanket is a sensational patterning of interlocking chevrons, and the end result is a superb option to cuddle those precious babies in our lives. Or for an easy, machine washable blanket, we love the Snuggly Kisses Baby Blanket that makes excellent use  of the new auto-striping yarn from Sirdar and is snuggly soft too. As for baby & children’s wear crafted of eco-friendly fibers, Debbie Bliss, Kollage and especially Rowan have enthusiastically embraced this movement and have designed terrific projects for all of us to enjoy. Debbie Bliss starts us off with the quick & easy Eco Cotton Garter Stitch Pullover. Her  modern take on a fisherman’s gansey sweater is adorable and works equally well for girls as for boys. Then the designers at Kollage Yarns have created several adorable projects for their eco-friendly corn yarns. From the splendid geometrical patterning of the Veggie Patch Baby Blanket and the Corntastic Striped Baby Blanket to the whimsical & clever Corntastic Cutie Pie Baby Bibs, Kollage shows us just what outstanding results we can achieve with readily renewable fibers. But yarn powerhouse  Rowan is one of the companies in recent years making a major commitment to the organic fiber movement. By developing the Purelife and Milk Cotton yarn collections, Rowan has dedicated significant resources to the initiative, and many of the spring design efforts of Marie Wallin have been focused on baby & children’s projects. From the innovative use of ruffles and stripes in her Milk Cotton Margo Pullover and the feminine detailing of the Milk  Cotton Beatrice Dress to the easy, classic Milk Cotton Polly Cardi, Marie sensationally demonstrates how beautiful these 100% organic projects can be. Marie Wallin has also created terrific garments and accessories for Rowan’s new Purelife organic yarn collection, and her children’s projects have been complied in the brand-new release The Organic Cotton Kids Collection. We recommend the Crocheted Precious Cardigan for an ultra-feminine lacy option for toddlers along with the adorable Organic Cotton Molly Matinee Coat for infants. Then the Princess Ruffled Pullover is ideal for wee ones up to 18 months. Also  Rowan toy designers Lisa Richardson and Janice Anderson show us how even cuddly companions can go retro and eco-friendly at the same time. Lisa’s Waldo the Wonder Cat is knitted from readily renewable Fine Milk Cotton, yet he has a Boho look all his own with a striped sweater and cool leggings. And Janice’s Organic Cotton Rosie the Pig reminds us of our younger days playing with those ever-popular farm animal sets, yet this little piggy is 100% organic and even has a trendy floral motif on her side!
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