KNITmuch Issue 2 | Page 44

3 baby reasons to knit with yarn Michelle Nguyen I know this is a baby feature and all the articles are supposed to be about babies. If you’re anything like me, and don’t have children or currently know people with small children, then you don’t really understand why everyone is all about knitting baby things. There are several good reasons you should knit baby garments, even if you have no babies to knit for! Reason 1 I strongly encourage skill development. Becoming a better knitter is all about finding and practicing those skills you're afraid to try and most of the time you're able to tackle that really intense project. A baby-sized sweater is much less intimidating when knitting a sweater for the first time, as it has all the challenges as the adult sweaters, just on a smaller scale. If you’re thinking about trying your first sweater, then just knit up a baby one with any leftover yarn from another project. Let’s be honest, we all buy more yarn than we're going to use, usually by one or two balls. That's all it takes to make an infant sweater! If you're the kind of person who buys the exact amount of yarn they need per project, Red Heart’s Comfort Sport is an excellent all-purpose yarn that can be shaped into just about any project; socks, hats, afghans, leg warmers, etc. I'm a huge fan of wantonly throwing myself into a project, but I know that's not everyone’s cup of tea. If you’re a little more cautious, check out the children’s sizes. Once you've mastered baby sweaters, Comfort Sport and Soft Baby Steps can be ideal for making a lightweight cardi in an array of pastel colors for the spring and summer seasons for girls and women. The Binky Print itself with a whole array of colors! Photos by Michelle Nguyen 44 KNITmuch | issue 2