Sweet Sproutlette

I had planned to do an in-progress post of this little knit, but it appears I won't be able to do that, since it's already off the needles and blocked.

This took less than 2 weeks from start to finish, and probably would have been done sooner, but there were probably 5 days or so in that time that I didn't work on it for one reason or another. I will, however, share some in-progress photos.

This sweet little dress is Sproutlette, by Tanis of Tanis Fiber Arts. This is my first time knitting a TFA pattern, but it won't be my last (in fact, I've already started another one!). The pattern was very well written, and the adorableness factor is off the charts.

This yarn has been in my stash for about 6 years (!!!). It's now discontinued, which I guess can happen when you hoard something away for that long. While knitting, I was trying to figure out why it took so long for me to knit it, and I think it was because it kind of stood for a turning point in my knitting. This was the first skein of yarn I purchased from an indie dyer, as opposed to buying from the big box craft store. I guess that made it special to me, although it wasn't exactly intentional. While I love the color, I didn't really love the feel of the yarn while knitting with it. It's 100% superwash wool, but it felt almost acrylic. I've learned recently that the superwash process either coats the wool in a layer of polymer, or uses an acid treatment, to make the wool machine washable. If I had to guess, I'd say this was treated with the polymer method, because it had a plastic-y feel to it. It softened up after blocking, so I don't worry about it being an irritant to the baby's skin, but it wasn't my favorite to knit with. However, when making baby gifts (for non-knitters, especially), machine washable yarn is a huge plus, I think.

I mean, how cute is that? I hope the mother to be loves it, and that the baby gets lots of use. After a lot of contemplating, and lots of advice from you guys, I decided to go with the 0-6 month size for a few reasons. First, I was a little worried one skein wouldn't be enough for the 6-12 month size. I'm pretty sure now I could have made it, but it wasn't something I wanted to chance - especially with the  yarn being discontinued. Second, since the baby is due in June, she'll be able to wear it through this summer, and into the fall with tights and something under it. And, maybe next spring and summer it'll still fit, just as a top rather than a dress. I also didn't want to make something that couldn't be used for a year, with fear that it might get stuck in a drawer somewhere and forgotten about (thanks for the tip, Rachel!). I'm very happy with my decision, and just absolutely love how this turned out. I hope I have a reason to make more in the future!