The last of the baby knits!

I knit these two items for my new little niece, Matilda. She was born just a couple weeks ago to my brother- and sister-in-law. I'm glad that I was able to give these in person when I went to Seattle back in August!

The dress is the third one I've made. The pattern comes from Cascade Yarns and is entitled "Frilly Dress" by Ann Smith. I used some cheapo acrylic yarn, easily accessible at our neighborhood Walmart. After the first dress, I omitted the cap sleeves because 1) I hate sewing and finishing, 2) they were a pain in the butt to sew on, and 3) I was in a bit of a time crunch. The pattern calls for the dress to be made in two pieces: the front and the back, and then sewn together. But, like I just said, I just loathe sewing my pieces together...I probably do it all wrong because my way of doing it doesn't feel right to me (probably should take a class on finishing). So for this last dress, I just knit it in the round. I guess it was simple enough to do. Once I figured out how many stitches were in each scallop repeat and remembered to reverse the instructions for all the wrong side rows, I was on a roll. Tada! No sewing! Well, until I got to the shoulder seams....can't have it all (shrug). I also added the contrasting ribbon rather than knitting a cord to go around the dress.

The blankie was just an impromptu project thrown together after the dress was done. I just picked four stitches and threw them all together. Turned out kinda pretty. And I love the sparkly white yarn (wool/acrylic blend from Joanne's). I have a scarf made from the same stuff. Reminds me of snow and Christmas.