Monday, April 06, 2015

typically red | a hand-knitted giveaway

As far as I'm concerned, every child needs a knitted pixie bonnet to keep them cosy in the cold.

Greer, Head Knitter at Typically Red, creates beautiful hand-knits for little heads. She recalls her mother, a midwife, having conniptions at the sight of a baby without a hat in winter. "I can still hear her voice telling me how much body heat is lost through the head," she says. "I suppose it's apt that I now make and sell hats for babies."

She lives in the Southern Highlands with her three girls, Lola (8) and twins Pearl and Stella (5), three chooks and a Burmese cat called Lenny. Their little cottage is ramshackle and absolutely delightful. "It's not as tidy or organised as I'd like; there are balls of yarn everywhere and the kitchen table is also the sewing table, homework table, kid's craft table, packaging hats table...My office space (I have a work-from-home day job) is in my bedroom and the vacuum cleaner is a permanent fixture in the hallway. But it's ours and it's home," she says.

Greer is known in her local village as "the woman who knits" and, if you asked her dedicated following of online friends, they'd probably say the same thing. She creates bonnets and pixie hats from 100% wool and wool/alpaca blend that she sources from the US. It's a yarn that she's been using for years so she knew before she started selling her wares that it would stand up to regular wear. The colour palette is gorgeous too but as Greer admits, it's just missing a lovely dusty rose.

"I love creating something practical and beautiful with my hands. I love that out of two basic stitches you can create so many textures and patterns. And I just love kids in hand-knits."

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Greer is giving away two hats - each winner will choose style and colour. To enter, simple tell us what you love about dressing your children in hand-knits. The comments that resonate most will win.

This giveaway is open to international readers. Comments close on Monday 13th April at 10am and winners will be announced in this post shortly afterward. 

Best of luck!

Comments closed. The winners are Dee and Bella Mills. Congratulations! I'll be in touch x


65 COMMENTS

  1. I love that it is soft to the touch on their tender skin, that it has been thoughtfully made by the hard work of someone's hands and that there is nothing quite as cute as your child in something hand-knit.

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  2. Hand-knits have lovely aesthetics, are practical, come with a story, and are good for adventuring. At least this is what I have found with all hand-knits I fall in love with.

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  3. It's in the name - they're made by hand - with love and thought and care. Simple, really.

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  4. With a toddler and a little one due at the end of winter I definitely need to try my hand at winning one of these beautiful hats (first giveaway I've ever entered actually)!
    Hand knits always feel like your getting a huge hug from your grandmother. They're warm, comforting and become such personal items. These hats are just beautiful :).

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  5. After waiting 5 years and then last year facing my fears and doing ivf, nothings too special for this little one iv'e waited so long for. I love natural fibres for myself so will naturally be choosing the same for him and love the idea of him being bundled up in soft handmade love

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  6. In the years between my two miscarriages and finally having my now 5 month old daughter it wasn't only my heart that felt empty but my hands too- I was surprised that I had such a physical reaction to the losses. I used to imagine the warm weight of a baby, and in my mind they were always wrapped in wool. And so whenever it's been remotely cool enough I've put my girl straight in to the wooly knits I have collected for her and it is just one more reminder of how complete I now feel. I especially love the time and effort that goes in to hand knitted items, it feels like I'm wrapping my daughter in an extra layer of care. I've been searching for the perfect winter bonnet for our collection and have a feeling one of these might find its way onto my little pixie's head, winner or not.

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  7. My mum's a knitter, and she tells me as she knits a garment she thinks of the wearer - most often one of us, her children, who no longer live at home. She sends us squishy parcels at the beginning of winter and each time I wear something Mum's made I think of her and I can feel all the love she's woven into it, sitting around my shoulders. Now we are all knitting booties and vests for the first grandchild of a new generation, who will be born at the beginning of winter. I'd love to add a beautiful pixie hat! Thank you for the opportunity! Xx

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  8. My mum's a knitter, and she tells me as she knits a garment she thinks of the wearer - most often one of us, her children, who no longer live at home. She sends us squishy parcels at the beginning of winter and each time I wear something Mum's made I think of her and I can feel all the love she's woven into it, sitting around my shoulders. Now we are all knitting booties and vests for the first grandchild of a new generation, who will be born at the beginning of winter. I'd love to add a beautiful pixie hat! Thank you for the opportunity! Xx

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  9. Anything hand knitted reminds me of my Nan, warm, comforting and homely. My Nellie needs a cosy head this winter and I can't think of anything more delightful than one of these xx

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  10. I adore that whenever we have a clean out I get to hold up an itty-bitty cardie & exclaim to my son, "Granny knitted this for your cousin Knox...she lives in New Zealand!". Then put it in the 'keep forever' pile. At the rate Evelyn is growing, I'll be out purchasing a winter beanie next week so her wee ears don't get cold walking her brother to kindy this winter. Thank you for such a lovely giveaway xox

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  11. My Nan knitted jumpers for us that are now being worn by my own children! That's the thing with good quality hand-knits, if cared for and worn with love, they stand the test of time!! I treasure those old jumpers, especially as my Nan is no longer with us. Just touching them reminds me of her. I adore Greer's hats, and if my daughter had one, I'm certain it would be worn, loved and passed down to the next generation just like my Nan's woolly jumpers!

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  12. I love how when your children are wearing hand-knits everyone knows each piece has a story. "Ooh did someone make that for her?!" they'll say. And you can say, "Yes my favourite aunt made this for my eldest, and now here's my youngest in it." In this case I'd be able to say, "A delightful woman from Australia made this with the nicest wool/Alpaca blend she sources from the States." :)

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  13. I love that they are warm for Canberra winters, amazingly created from a ball of string, are made with care by hand and not manufactured and each one is unique just like us :)

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  14. I love hand-knits (and hand made in general) as I think its a way of linking people and experiences. Every time it's worn there is a moment of appreciation for the time and effort of a individual who put a piece of themselves into its creation.
    For me they are extra special as since my mum passed away hand knitted goods are few and far between. So extra special.

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  15. My dad always knitted us ridiculous hats when we were little so having a variety of handknit is something that I love passing onto my son

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  16. My favorite thing about kids in handknits is their durability and their ability to weave generations together. My children both wore a baby sweater knitted by my husband's grandmother for him and worn by him as a baby. Now it is safely tucked away for their babies to wear one day. They never knew that grandmother, but felt her love all the same as they were warmed by the work of her hands.

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  17. I love dressing my children in hand made pieces of clothing simply because they feel so much more special than something that is mass produced in a factory. We have a blanket that my husband's grandmother knit for him when he was born. We used it to swaddle our daughter when she was born and we will also use it to swaddle our son who is due to be born this summer. Dressing my children in hand made pieces also comes with the added bonus of supporting small businesses and the people that run them, which is something my family and I try to do as much as possible.

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  18. I'm a true sucker for babies in knits! Not only are knitted bonnets practical, they also capture a very innocent, carefree look of childhood. The only great thing about Winter if you ask me! And they are almost always family heirlooms...I still have the very first bonnet my mother knitted for me as a new born. Can't wait to dress my new baby in it this winter!

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  19. I love dressing my son in hand knitted pieces because they remind me of my family: my granny knitted most of the wool jumpers he has worn, jumpers that were worn by me, my brother, possibly my sister, and our cousins; my mum taught me to knit and every time I knit I think of her and my granny; and every piece I make for my son is not just for him, but for his future sibling(s) and cousins alike. I'm not beyond buying hand knitted items, because they have been made with as much thought and love as my own work, and are just as special.

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  20. I love how hand-knits lend a 'days of yore' feeling to any outfit and as someone who adores pieces passed onto me from previous generations I really treasure that. Handmade pieces stand the test of time - classic and sturdy - and are heirlooms in our family. Folded lovingly when outgrown and stored carefully for a younger sibling or a new cousin or the next generation. I have been eyeing the typically red pixie hats for awhile now in hopes of finding one for next fall for my daughter, what a delightful giveaway!

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  21. Hand knits are the best,I have many vintage ones for my girls and love the look of typically red bonnets to go with it :)Thank you V.

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  22. I love it most when other people hand knit for my babies - my knitting is terrible but I persist amongst all the objections!

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  23. hand knit hats are so special. I not only love the look of them, but I love the fact that the hat was knit by someone with love. each piece is unique and is it's own. I have purchased a few hand knit items. A hat knit by a woman in Africa and a sweater from a woman when I was visiting Scotland. I love supporting the people who knit these items. The hats above are so adorable and would love to get one for my daughter.

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  24. What a lovely giveaway! Someday my husband and I hope to have children, but not yet. In the meantime, I've collected a few hand-knits. A tiny sweater with wooden buttons from our Iceland honeymoon, a small pair of mittens from a recent trip to England. Folding and saving these small things helps me wait to be a mama, to be patient. Someday, when the time is right, I will dress my children in these hand-knit treasures. I would love to add a sweet little bonnet!

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  25. this is great! i knit as well, there is nothing like something made just for you, by hand :)

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  26. My earliest memories are of my great grandmother (Nannie Fluff - so called because she always had bits of fluff hanging onto her from her non-stop knitting!) sitting in her chair and knitting sweaters from all of us great-grandchildren - and absolutely loving wrapping myself in her warmth, with the sweetest little buttons. She taught me to knit when I was pregnant with my first child, and that sweater is such a treasured piece now that she has passed away - so full of stories and her stitches and my stitches working together to create a piece filled with love for the next generation. My collection of hand made knits represents a long line of knitting women in my family, stories intertwined and stitches full of laughter, stories, hopes, dreams, wishes and so much love. How could you ever buy anything like this?

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  27. I like to see my children in handknitted clothes, and to think that I have made every single stitches they wear. A lot of patience was needed, and if Ilook at the entire clothe, I'd rather say that seems impossible. But there it is, a regular stitches repetition, a magical way to surround my children with love. And I love also to see other's people knitted clothes on them, of course! (and my knits on other babies...)

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  28. Jodi, this is so timely - thank you for sharing this.
    Even though this is my 6th pregnancy, it's my first ever winter baby and I feel just as nervous a first-time mum. I really have no idea how caring for a newborn works in winter! (How do you take a baby outside in winter when it's gusty and rainy? How do you bear to expose skin to change a soiled nappy at 3am? What about siblings with colds? Are there hats that will stay on a baby while they sleep? Socks that don't leave marks but still stay up?) It's all so new to me and I'm not quite sure what we will REALLY need and what is superfluous - or, more importantly, where to find the tried and true products without wasting time and money.
    So, truly, thanks for sharing - and please feel free to share any other winter baby tips. This nervous 6th-time mama will be grateful xxx

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  29. I thought about this all day and then, just when we were about to put our son Samuel to bed it made *click* and I realized excactly why dressing my baby in knits is so special to me: connection. It starts with the animal which wears a soft coat until winter ends and it leaves it behind because it is no longer needed. In a sense nature provides the animal with wooly goodness and then passes it along to the human. Connection also to the plant whose fluffy commodity will be dyed and spun into yarn. Lastly, connection to the maker, who puts in time, love and devotion. I see her (him) sitting next to the window, casting on stich after stich and smiling over the finished product. I imagine her wondering about the small body that will be wrapped in her finished product. In the end, it is me who cautiously covers a child in a fabric made from stories: connection.

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  30. Hand-made clothes are imbued with memory. They tell a story and stories are what make us human. When I dress my son in well-loved clothes his Uncle (my big brother) wore as a child my heart feels full. Life has come full circle and I look forward to the day my children dress their young ones in old familiar favourites.

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  31. My children lives in handmade knits. Each tells a story. Of treasured outings, slow mornings, misadventures in the pouring rain. It nurtures and warms them and reminds them they are loved. My two wore beanie knitted by nanas when they were born and I've kept each one as a reminder of how much they have grown. At 2 and 5, the beanies and cardi's are a regular in the morning no matter what we are doing.

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  32. Hand knits remind me of home in the Pacific Northwest where chilly, grey days abound, and nothing feels better than cozy layers on a crisp afternoon outing. We currently live in Los Angeles but are moving to Seattle this summer, and I cannot wait to bundle my children up once again. I love hand knits because I have a deeply rooted desire to only buy things that are created in a way that is good for our world and good for my children. It feels so much nicer to know the hands that made a little hat or sweater my child is wearing, and to know she is a mother too, well that's just extra special.

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  33. Snuggling her up in a warm knit on a cold day feels like the cosy comfort of cuddles I wish I could give my baby all day long.

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  34. Hand-knits are treasures of someone's time, talent, and artistic skills. Whether it's one you create or a gift from someone else, a hand-knit is something you hold on to. It's something you pass down through your children, and then envision your child passing down to their own child someday. When it comes to dressing my little, less is more, and always quality over quantity. Hand-knits are simple and beautiful. They are timeless.

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  35. Although I don't knit or crochet, I totally appreciate hand knits for our girls. We have been gifted the most gorgeous hats, blankets and jumpers/cardis, but these gorgeous pixie hats would look adorable on the girls. Maggie in particular likes to select a hat to wear when she walks outside from a box in our breezeway, I think she would approve of a pixie hat!

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  36. There is something about handmade items that resonate with me. They are special. Then add on top of handmade, knit, the warmth reminds me of the love put into making it. The softness makes me want to cozy up with my little one wearing it.

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  37. I love to connect my children to the earth. Wearing natural fabrics is one way to do this... and in the winter nothing is cosier than wool. I love to gift my children clothing, toys, anything I can really which has been handmade. For me it is one of the great joys of being a mother. Thank you for the chance to win this. xx
    www.samindalouise.com

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  38. I love to pick up knits from the op shop- I always wish there was a little note tucked in the jumper pocket to say who knitted it as an acknowledgement. Gorgeous hats are few and far between and these are a winner. We live out west and I would love to adorn my little girls head with one for her first winter.

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  39. M
    Hand-crafted wares made with love. Reminds me of a favourite scripture & truth I pray my sweet girl will know. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." Psalm 139:13-14

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  40. Dressing my bebe in hand knits feels like wrapping him up in love. Like a warm woolly mamma cuddle all day long x

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  41. In today's world of mass production and licensed clothing, it's important to teach our youth about handmade products. Each piece has a story. Someone put their time and love into creating that article of clothing. I Want my children to understand and appreciate that fact.

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  42. My choice is definitely influenced by my childhood when I was next my grandmother and I was watching her making us clothes like this. She made me like and in the same time enjoy what comes from the nature or it is handmade,

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  43. When I was a baby, my grandmother knitted me lots of lovely things (I still have one cardigan), but she is getting old and finds knitting too difficult these days, so no lovely hand-knitted items for my little ones. I did try to teach myself to knit a little while ago but, after a terribly unsuccessful attempt at a Beanie for my son, admitted defeat!

    The pixie bonnet is just gorgeous! It reminds me of the gumnut hats the Snugglepot and Cuddlepie characters wore in the books I read as a child.

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  44. I have a little elf hat my aunt knitted for my son, and I love seeing him in it. I know that my children are warm in woolen hats and when I look at them, I see hours of handiwork, and the love and tradition that reflects.

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  45. I love them for their warmth and beauty. And even though I still can't seem to get the hang of knitting, I seek out hand knit things for my children and will keep them for my grandchildren.

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  46. First - Your sweet children look adorable in the hats. I am blessed that my grandmother was a beautiful knitter. My mother has carefully stored away my sweaters that she has made for me growing up. When my son was born she was able to make him a beautiful little vest that I love putting him in. As she has begun to age more it is hard for her eyes to follow patterns and directions. The vest will be my last hand-knit piece from her. I look at each hand-knit piece with love. It breaks my heart (and makes me feel so lucky) when I find a a thrifted hand-knit item. Such love and memories can come from yarn.

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  47. As in the name, it's hand-made, somebody made it, not a machine, but a real person. It needs time, love, many failures to have the perfect result, the one that you have in mind. In an era that awards homologation, it's nice to have a unique piece, something that nobody has.You can build your own memory in it...

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  48. The longevity and timeless quality of hand knits and how they become something to be used, loved,admired and handed on to begin again with another person. Of course the natural fibres that have been lovingly tended, chosen and used to creat something with that I ultimately feel comfortable putting such special wee souls in.

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  49. I'm fairly new to 'craft' and crochet has become a real love. I made a lovely blanket for my daughters 8th birthday but haven't yet had the courage to knit her anything. I just love the idea of love and thoughts being knitted into handcrafted items just makes them all the more special.
    Thanks for the opportunity, these hats are just adorable.
    Warm regards, Jan x

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  50. For me, hand knits have a poetry that’s inseparable from their origins. Of course, stuff made by family has that labor-of-love feel, the visceral connection with another person close to me, the fact that their fingers touched every inch of all of that yarn that’s now protecting my baby against the cold. But hand knit items purchased from a craftsperson also have a connectedness that makes me feel good about putting them on my baby. If I think about the garment’s origin, I see a person doing what they love, someone I might enjoy a coffee with, not a factory. There is love in the process, woven right into the thing. What could be more appropriate for dressing a child?

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  51. I love the warmth that a tiny knitted cardigan, a pair of mittens or pixie bonnet can provide to a sleeping infant... This time of year always makes me feel a kind of excitement as leaves turn from vivid green to hues of splendid gold and brilliant red and with the seasonal change come the inevitable cooler mornings. Autumn evokes images of dancing fingers carefully weaving yarn to create a timeless garment that will be handed down from one generation to the next. I love the idea of wrapping my sweet daughter in layers of carefully woven wool so that we may brave the biting chilly air to enjoy long afternoon walks amongst giant elms, don't you? x

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  52. I love my kids wearing home made knits. The warmth, the comfort, the care of something made with love.
    So much gorgeousness in these.
    Thank you both for the opportunity x

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  53. I love hand knits. There is something incredibly special about the process and I think children really enjoy it. I can give my children the warmth they need and a reminder of me that will last forever when I knit something for them or when someone else makes knowing that it came from a special place.
    Being a part of this community of makers has given me much joy.
    I love knowing and thinking about all those stitches that went into each piece.

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  54. When I surround myself (and by extension, my children) in something made with one's hand's, I'm more aware of the texture and nuance of daily, ordinary life; like in fairytales, when every tiny object has profound meaning: a thimble, a spinning wheel, a shoe...

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  55. When I knit, I knit with thoughts and blessings for the person who will wear my knitting. I think of this when I see a child in hand knits. I especially love to see what amount to heirloom knits, lovingly made, worn and cared for, they have been passed down to others. I remember making socks for my then three year old granddaughter when she was three.. She told me they were, "combubble," which was her word for comfortable. That same little girl, then nine was last year diagnosed with Acute Lymphatic Leukaemia. She lost all hair in the middle of winter and I made her many hats, I also made dozens, all sizes, styles and colours for the hospital for those who had none. All knit with love. My son reported that the nurse cried when he took in a big bag.

    She appears to be recovering but I will continue with hats for the hospital.

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  56. Hand made clothe is the most beautiful thing for Baby, white love.

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  57. I remember wearing hand-knitted bonnets, scarfs and coats when we were little and I remember my Mom making a few: we could pick the colours we wanted from wool balls she had in a spare room. One year, I asked her to make me a scarf just like hers, I picked the same colours and the same shape and when it was done (early in the Fall), I'd wear it constantly, because it was "just like Mom's".

    For me, hand-knitted items like bonnets, cardigans or tiny boots are just treasures to keep forever and pass along when our children grow older, it's a reminder of the love we have for them from when they were just these tiny newborns/babies/toddlers... And when your child wants to match your style, isn't it the cutest thing?

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  58. I love how snuggly the little ones are in their chunky handmade knits! Even skinny babies become squishy and more squeezable when they wear cozy knit. OK, and I'll admit, the fact that everyone we see oogles and compliments my little ones when they are wearing handmade knits is definitely something I enjoy! :)

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  59. I love that the time spent making something that will be grown out soon shows the love and care for the little one. And also that I don't need to waste time looking for something made from organic yarns and dyes in the colors and patterns would I like, but instead I can simply make something unique.

    Thank you for the chance!

    spamscape [at] gmail [dot] com

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  60. As a knitter I love that each garment has a story of love knitted into each stitch. A letter to my child of love and care. I knitted through labour with my third child and that vest is one of my most treasured keepsakes. I adore Greer's work. I have a bogey on the needles for my daughter's second birthday this weekend but finishing it in time is not looking promising. One of Hers beautiful bonnets would be the next best thing!

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  61. Bonnet, not bogey! We are on the road. x

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  62. ohh, was a winner chosen yet?
    xx

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