I'm so excited to finally share my designs from Kat Coyle's adorable book, Boho Baby Knits.  Kat asked me to design five patterns for the book, and I had such a fun time working with her.  Kat is a good friend and a truly talented artist, and I really value all the feedback and encouragement she gave me.  I am a sappy person, and could gush and gush (I have already), but I know that it embarrasses Kat and I have some seriously cute baby pictures to post!

Sigh. That little girl makes me so happy. That's the Honky-Tonk Jacket, and it's a fun little cardigan with toggle buttons and fringe, knit out of Berroco Suede. In the book, it is also modeled by a boy, and I love that it's a nice unisex knit.

The Roadie Moccasins, also in Berroco Suede. Originally, I had thought of these with the cuffs rolled down, but when I brought the finished booties over to Kat's, the cuffs had unrolled in my bag. I remember we set the booties up on her kitchen counter and both said, "wait, I like them UP!"

The cuteness level of the kids modeling the knits in the book is very, very high. I mean, through the roof! The drummer is wearing the Garage Band Tee, knit at a very fine, soft gauge (size 2 needles) out of Brown Sheep Cotton Fine. I hadn't worked with this yarn before, and the finished fabric is very nice and soft - and I just love the colors. 

Oh, the sweetness. The Modernist Stripe Sleep Sacque - this was so fun to knit up! It is knit mostly in the round, so it goes very quickly, even though the body is pretty long. And I just love the look of a baby in bunting. So cozy. You can even see, in the picture above, a hint of my final design:

The Mobile Menagerie. I knew, when Kat and I first discussed this pattern, that it would be the most challenging design, and I was right! For that reason, I'm so proud of it. I think that the result was worth the struggles, and I'm pleased not only with the little stuffed hanging creatures (they're detachable, so that little ones can play with them!), but also of the construction - the mobile hangs and moves well from the crocheted ties, and the ties don't pull on the knitted cover for the hoop, so the mobile will look good for a long time.  It felt great when I brought it over to Kat's house - her son (and my little buddy) Felix zoned in on the bee sticking out of the bag as soon as I stepped in the door, and wanted to pull out play with the mobile creatures.  And I didn't even bribe him or beg or anything! 

The other designers in the book are Kat Coyle (of course!), Julia Trice, Marnie Maclean, Edna Hart, and Beth Abaravich.  They all created such wonderful projects, and I am flattered to be in their company.  Also - many thanks to Mandy, who was the tech editor for Boho Baby.  Her comments and changes in the flow of some of the pattern instructions were eye-opening - saying the same things, just in a different way - and I learned a lot. 

It really is a beautiful book.  Congratulations, Kat! 

This snuck up on me - but I am so happy to share:

First of all - what cute little ones on the cover!  Oh my goodness.  In Kat's bobble soakers... the sweetness is killing me!

Boho Baby Knits is an upcoming book which will be released in November, and it has some truly adorable patterns; I'm really honored to be one of the contributors.  Kat Coyle, my friend, is the author of the book - her first - and she did such an amazing job!  Kat, to me, has always been a huge inspiration as a designer.  (And yup, I'm going to gush for a second Kat... divert your eyes if you must.) When her first skirt came out in Knitty I loved it so much, and to this day I still have big plans to photograph something I knit standing in front of a crazy mural.  Her handknits are always stunning and right up my alley - lovely kidsilk lace, fun skirts, funky socks.  Kat is a true artist; talented, funny, and very encouraging.  When she asked me to be a part of this, her first book, I was so excited and flattered.  When the project ideas piled up until I was contributing five patterns (seriously - we couldn't stop brainstorming), I was surprised, flattered, and a wee bit scared.  The process of working with Kat was anything but scary - a great mixture of freedom, encouragement, and collaborative ideas with a designer that I truly admire - I couldn't have asked for a better experience!  Thank you so much, Kat!

Contributors to Boho Baby include Julia Trice, Marnie Maclean, Edna Hart, and Beth Abaravich (formerly of The Knitting Freak blog).  Their projects are so, so cute: fresh, fun, and original, and Kat's creative eye is evident throughout.  I can't wait until the release date gets closer, so everyone can see this book!