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Enter for a Chance to Win a Royal Baby Kit from Toft Alpaca

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royal baby collection toft alpacaBritish knitwear and fiber company Toft Alpaca has an adorable new line of knitting patterns celebrating the upcoming royal baby. The line includes knit and crocheted crowns and a jump suit, jumper and tank all featuring crowns on the front. They’re the perfect thing for any baby you’d like to treat like royalty.

Toft is celebrating the royal baby with us by giving away two of the jumper kits to Craft Gossip readers who subscribe to their newsletter.

You must click on that link and go subscribe to the newsletter to be entered, but I’d love it if you also commented here to let us know that you entered. Maybe you could share your favorite baby name that you never got to use on a person (mine’s Owen, but that doesn’t sound very royal, does it?). Edited to add: This is for UK residents only; sorry for any confusion!

The contest runs through the end of the month, and winners will be chosen July 1. Good luck!

[Photo via Toft Alpaca.]

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Looking for more Baby Knitting patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

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Comments

  1. I subscribed. My favorite has always been William with Liam as a nickname but BOTH have been in the top 10 boy names the last couple years. These days I’ve been leaning towards Arthur or Geoffrey.

  2. Hello,

    What lovely knitted baby items. I have subscribed to the newsletter. The name we never got to use was Andrew.

    Happy days.
    Bev.

  4. These are sooooo cute! I signed up for their newsletter. I wanted to name my son Ian, but it wasn’t my DH’s favorite name. We compromised on another name, Jesse, perhaps my second favorite. He did let me use Ian as his middle name, happily. Alas, my son doesn’t like his name. Sigh.

  7. Subscribed-I absolutely love what Toft do. As an alpaca lover, I hope to do what they do one day! Love the names Maisie (my daughter’s name), Penny and Toby

  8. Love all your patterns and wool. Have subscribed. My favourite name is William, maybe I’ll get to use it one day.

Have you read?

Knit a Spiky Balaclava

Not too long ago my daughter and I had a discussion about what a chestnut really looks like. The nut itself is small and brown, of course, but on the tree they’re covered with this weird kind of spiky, kind of fuzzy shell. It’s a wonder anyone ever figured out they were edible.

If you didn’t know that, you might wonder why this project is call Chestnut balaclava, but now you know.

This fun design from Yevheniia Pyroh is covered with spikes just like a chestnut shell, and is even the same color, though of course you can make yours whatever color you like. It uses two strands of fingering weight yarn held together (which it says is fingering weight but you could try a light/DK yarn and see if you get gauge with it if you’d rather).

There are two different design options in the pattern. One is a more fitted balaclava style hat (it doesn’t cover the face but does go around the neck) and a looser fit hood.

It’s worked primarily in garter stitch, with shaping done by knitting and purling in the same stitch and through various decreases (including a knit 3 together).

The pattern is charted but also explained in words. It’s worked flat to the size you want, and then joined into a hood shape with ribbing at the neck. The opening for the face is finished with I-cord.

This hood/balaclava would definitely be a conversation starter and in different colors it might read more dinosaur than chestnut, which could also be fun. The sizing is totally custom so you can make it fit whatever head you’re stitching for.

If you want to try it for yourself (and I’d love to hear about it if you do!) you can download the free pattern from Ravelry.

[Photo: Yevheniia Pyroh]

Balaclava Knitting Patterns

Colorwork Balaclava Knitting Pattern [Knitting]