My sister had a baby boy last week! I’m blessed to have five nephews now. I sent this little vest out to her last month. I love baby knits, don’t you? This is the second time I’ve knit the Pebble Vest pattern (the pattern is available for free on Ravelry), and I think it’s so adorable. I knit it up with Verdant yarn by Abundant Earth Fiber. It was really lovely yarn to knit with and I’m so fond of the natural grey color. (That particular colorway doesn’t look to be currently available on their website, but they have a ton of other options.)
I finished up the vest with some WoolyMossRoots buttons that Jeff made in black walnut wood. As always, they were the perfect finishing touch. I’m so grateful for the buttons that Jeff makes- they are so smooth, so beautiful, and really feel like they add a soulful magic to everything they touch. And I’m a fan of the deep hue of the black walnut wood. I’ve used black walnut wood buttons with grey knits before and also with yellow knits and those are two combinations I really like.
The size of the buttons were perfect for the buttonholes and I liked the way the size looked with the knit, but if I were to knit it again I would have made one alteration- and that would be to change the amount of buttons on the vest. I would have one button at the top of the shoulder strap (rather than the two the pattern calls for, they were really scrunched together) and four buttons along the side of the vest (rather than the five), and make them evenly spaced. Though I also think it looks cute as can be just the way it is.
I know my new nephew will get some hand-me-down handknits from his older brother, but I wanted to start him off with one of his own too… a little something made specially for him.
P.S. Looks like I need to get a small size hanger to take pictures of my baby knits on, I barely fit the vest on the one pictured. Also it kind of took me by surprise when I was sorting through these pictures because B is holding the vest in the top photo and I couldn’t believe those were his hands! I thought- those are not a child’s hands, they look so grown up. Little things like that remind us how quickly they grow, don’t they?
I love this sweater – it is perfect for a newborn – so easy to put on! I remember knitting this pattern for a friends baby 9 years ago using your beautiful buttons. It was so gorgeous, and my friend now still remembers receiving that gift and loving it on her little boy.
I love,love, love this sweater and the buttons. And, that said, I have a question…..do you ever worry that a baby will chew on a button and it will fall off and choke? Am I a worry wort?
Hi Bianca, that is a good question. Yes, buttons can be a choking hazard. They should be secured to the garment very well (I sew my buttons on to a crazy degree, way beyond necessary.) The little vest in this post is for a newborn so he shouldn’t be at the age where he would really be able to move around enough to get at them or get the buttons in this mouth. That’s certainly something to be mindful of as they grow, though, and if a baby is at a stage where they are putting everything in their mouth you could always skip the handknits with buttons for a time. I did some first aid training, with a section on choking, so I don’t think it makes you a worry wort- it’s good to be mindful!