Stressed out over knitting! ( a wee rant)

I can't express how super stressed I felt trying to knit a layette !
Knitting just isn't my forte .
My children are not impressed with my efforts .
I'd rather pay someone to knit for me .

I gave up even trying to knit earlier this year, we all have our strengths and weaknesses.
When my grandchildren were younger I asked their Mum what I could buy instead, so she got what was needed, but from us.

Persevere Lallykins. Blankets are easier ( no shaping) - small mittens and hats are a fiddle.
I'm slowly returning to knitting after years away and the baby blanket was a good starting point for me. Good luck!

Honestly I really don’t think the effort it takes is appreciated nowadays. Do people even use mittens? They’d rather have shop bought than hand made. I’ve knitted for most of my GC but slowly realised they didn’t often use my painstakingly made hand knitted items so I stopped. It’s lovely to make them but certainly unappreciated.

tanith

Honestly I really don’t think the effort it takes is appreciated nowadays. Do people even use mittens? They’d rather have shop bought than hand made. I’ve knitted for most of my GC but slowly realised they didn’t often use my painstakingly made hand knitted items so I stopped. It’s lovely to make them but certainly unappreciated.

You are so wrong. Shops are even selling machine made garments for babies designed to look handmade.

The trick is to pick lovely patterns and use lovely yarn in modern colours - not peach, turquoise, lemon etc.

I made my Avon lady a little blanket for her new baby and she was thrilled with it. It is small, but perfect for a car seat. Big blankets can be too much.

Blankets, bonnets, cardigans are all easy enough to knit or crochet.Bootees and mittens can be a fiddle.

Just enjoy browsing baby shops, perhaps your GD could go with you? Let her chose for her baby then find somewhere nice for lunch or coffee and cake. Hope she lives close enough for you to do this
Enjoy!

A rectangular blanket is a lot easier than a cardigan, mitts etc. And if the sides wobble a bit, put an edging on it.

As previously suggested, a small car blanket is a super idea. Do persevere, it’s an enormous achievement. Even if your granddaughter doesn’t wish to have home made knits, plenty of charities will love to have your creations. I have one DDIL who doesn’t want my knits for one of my granddaughters, whilst my other DDIL frequently requests them for our other granddaughter! I often buy the odd outfit for her and make a colour coordinated cardigan to match. I now get requests from DDIL’s sister for her son, and her friend’s baby too! I’m loving being able to knit, but I’m hopeless at crocheting…

I love knitting and find it my Prozac. I particularly need it today as my dear brother died yesterday. Need to do something instead of tears.

I used to make the odd thing for very little Gdcs, but would be in despair at the (to me) old fashioned fussiness of so many baby patterns - so many fancy, lacy patterns. I still won’t tackle any such pattern.

A pram blanket I made for Gdc1 was probably the most successful - still used for Gdc3 several years later. IIRC moss stitch squares, with a border. We didn’t know the baby’s sex in advance so I made it all in soft blue, green, yellow and cream. A Debbie Bliss pattern IIRC.

I buy wool from the charity shop to knit with, when I have finished I hand the garment or mittens back to the charity shop. Like Harris27 it’s therapy! My granddaughter would not appreciate a baby jumper…it might be a bit small, she is eighteen.

I gave up knitting baby clothes - even though I tried to find modern patterns, I think they were worn once if I was lucky. I then turned to knitting toys and I really enjoyed it. The grandchildren loved them, and I could find patterns that I know they would enjoy - such as Peppa Pig and Dougie. They are interesting to knit too. There are loads of pattern books on Amazon to knit little animals and toys.

I can knit but don't enjoy it as much as crocheting which grows more quickly, I find. I usually crochet a blanket for any due new babies but buy clothing items to give.

I still knit a lot of things for my younger grandchildren, and they are very much appreciated by their parents (in fact quite a few items have been specifically requested by their mums, so I am sure they have not just been pretending to be pleased when I have handed over what I have made.

Honestly though, I don't think it is worth forcing yourself to keep trying if you are finding it hard and not enjoying it. Life is too short for that and it's not like the days when hand-making things saved money.

If you can afford it, perhaps you could go on a little shopping spree instead and buy some lovely little handmade (by someone else) things that you think your daughter will like?
I am sure she will understand and not think any less of you. ☺

Soery, I meant granddaughter, not daughter.

tanith

Honestly I really don’t think the effort it takes is appreciated nowadays. Do people even use mittens? They’d rather have shop bought than hand made. I’ve knitted for most of my GC but slowly realised they didn’t often use my painstakingly made hand knitted items so I stopped. It’s lovely to make them but certainly unappreciated.

You are very wrong....home made knits are very 'in' with young mums these days .....I work with young families and often admire hand knitted items...the mums tell me either a family member has done it...or, more often, they have bought on the like of Etsy

I would go for a blanket. I think a patchwork blanket, like the ones we used to knit for Oxfam years ago, but with smaller squares, perhaps only 3 or 4 inches square. And use nice bright colours so it looks really striking. If it turns out well you might feel encouraged to ave another go at the baby clothes.

Talking of intricate or lacy baby patterns, the MiL of a nephew knitted an entire - lacy! - christening outfit for his first child - a long gown, a shawl type robe, a hat, mittens, bootees, you name it (both christenings were in winter).

I was utterly in awe of her skill, and the time it must have taken. The poor lady wasn’t very well and sadly died before they were all used for the 2nd time.🙁

I agree with a baby blanket. I find stockinette stitch relaxing, so look for fairly simple patterns. The last one I did for GC#5 was this one:
www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/simple-blocks-baby-blanket

Photo is not mine, but mine was a forest green colour.

My absolute favourite knit these days is a corner to corner blanket in garter stitch. With or without the eyelet stitch. I have used that pattern for blankets for doll cots and prams too. Maybe a simple hat to match but forget the mittens - they never stay on! I’m sure she will love whatever you make.

I knitted each GC a blanket and I knitted lots of toys. As they got older they liked small knitted dinosaurs. Cardigans never got worn.

I've been knitting - on and off - for 80 years but still get bored with it from time to time. I still have an unfinished blanket intended for my first great-grandchild who has just turned 3. Mind you, in the meantime I have made her two cardigans which she has now outgrown. If she has a sibling, perhaps the blanket might be finished. In a couple of years I could teach her to knit...

Lallykins - why not walk away from it for a few days and go back with a clear head. Right now you are stressing about it and knitting should be fun.
Wish I lived near to you as I would pop along and help you. PM me if you want anything knitted and I will certainly do it for you for the price of postage. The offer is there but I hope you manage to do it and please do enjoy making these lovely little items.
I knit for charity and have knitted since I was 9 years old with a big gap inbetween. Now I am in my 70s.
Take care x

Also - can you crochet? The C2C baby blankets are really easy and turn out beautifully. X