baby knits | purl soho essentials.

I adore Purl Soho patterns--particularly their baby knits, which I've made a million times over for the impending bundles in my life.I can't tell you how many pairs of baby mocs I've made--and I always gift them with the garter ear flap hat because I think they go nicely together and can be knit up in complimentary colors.This time around, I knew my colleague was having a girl; but knowing she will likely have another child in the future, coupled with the fact I dislike gender expected garments, and that she doesn't appear particularly "girly" to me (whatever that means), I thought she'd appreciate something less than pink. Or purple. Or pale green. A lot of pale green is used for girls these days to feel less gender specific.Instead, I went with off whites, grays, and dark blues. I really like the result.My only mod was on the garter ear flap hat--I did striping in the reverse stockinette at the crown, and instead of a tassel top (which I've made before), I decided to use the remaining six stitches as an i-cord to make a top knot. The i-cord was about 3 inches long and then after BO, I knotted it up. I love the modification.These were knit up using little bits in my stash leftover from other projects (win!), including Juniper Moon Farm Moonshine in flan, and bits of Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in whiskers, flycatcher blue, and composition book gray.Its recipient was quite grateful, which makes all this handmade stuff worth it. To provide unique items and to show your care, in some small way, is invaluable to my making process.