handmades in shades of blue…

A little while back Kate posted an absolutely gorgeous baby cardigan. Lately I’ve been obsessed with cute little items that are knit and/or crocheted for babies – there’s something so sweet about babies in handmade sweaters. I know how to knit, though my skills are lacking, but for some reason I’ve never learned how to crochet. But now Kate, and all her gorgeous crocheted things, has me wanting to learn. Lessons from YouTube, perhaps…

Anyway, not too long after leaving a comment on Kate’s post, she generously offered to make up one of these wonderful little cardigans for the new baby. It arrived recently, and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this one – it’s made of the most gorgeously soft yarn in this perfect blue color with fabulous little buttons. I just can’t wait to see the new baby in this sweater!! Thank you so much Kate! This one will be treasured forever.

In return, I made up a few household goods for Kate. I spent some time browsing her flickr photostream and favorites and noticed lots of projects in shades of blues, which I’m hoping means it’s a favorite color. I pulled out a few of my favorites and chopped them up into tiny squares. I noticed Kate had favorited several plus quilts, so I went with a tiny plus design on a couple potholders.

I used the remaining printed squares to make up a few coordinating napkins. These are loosely based on the napkin tutorial I wrote up for Sew Mama Sew a while back. I hope these will make a nice addition to Kate’s home!