Heidi Boyd - Soft + Simple Knits For Little Ones

My husband laughed to see me with my needles carefully poised above baby Celia, sleeping in my lap. And I had to giggle at myself stealing a few frantic minutes of knitting when Celia conked out in the car seat as we waited for Elliot or Jasper to come out of lessons or practice. Although motherhood was the greatest hurdle in getting the work done for this book, my experiences with our children were the best assets in designing projects. I have years of firsthand experience clothing children. I've lived through trying to get them dressed up for special occasions when they want to stay in shorts and a T-shirt (thankfully, casual life in Maine makes this an infrequent ordeal). I've stayed up washing favorite outfits while they sleep so they can wear them again the next morning (when there's a dresser full of perfectly fine clothes ready and waiting).

I've also tried without much success to make them put on extra layers before they go out in the cold. The wonderful thing about comfortable, fun clothes and accessories is that not only do they make the kids look great, they make a parent's job easy. Putting a bear hat on a toddler while teaching him how to growl works like a gem. Pulling on a fleecy-soft shark sweater that's chasing a small fish on the back starts a fun game of running in circles that distracts them from complaining. Girls who might refuse to wear a scarf will think it's fun to wear a Foxy Stole, and they'll get a kick out of wearing shaggy leg warmers, too. Wearing a matching felted crown with your slippers elevates simply keeping your feet warm around the house into a fun dress-up game.

As much as I adored dressing my two boys, it's awfully fun to have the chance to dress a little girl. At one and a half, Celia is already passionate about shoes, jewelry, hair pretties and fancy trims on her clothes. She was the inspiration for many of the clothes and accessories in this book. We can't wait to get the originals back and put them to use. She was especially interested in the butterfly purse and squirrel tote. They are the perfect size for stowing away little books and treasures.