good presents for newborn?

[salty]

my sister is expecting her first LO in november. this is the first baby in our family, so we're all super excited!

my sister isn't a knitter or crocheter (is there one word that encompasses both of those things? yarn-crafter?) but i think she'll appreciate anything i make for her and the newcomer. my question for y'all: what should i make? what do you think would be most appreciated / useful / good gift?

i'm interested in general ideas (like, blankets, or caps, or ...?) as well as specific patterns. i'm pretty good with crochet and pretty new to knitting.

also, i have a few questions, which i may have asked a long time ago but the answer obviously didn't stick in my thick skull! what exactly are "soakers" "shorties" and "longies?" do some of those only apply to cloth diapered babies? i'm not sure what my sister is planning, but i guess probably not CD.

thanks for any advice and ideas!

[Samhain Hunter]

A baby cocoon!

[sonuptosondown]

That baby cocoon is so cute! It would get used a lot, I bet.

I really appreciate the hand-made blankets I've received--each kid has 1 or 2 of their own and they got used a lot, too. I especially appreciate them because so far I haven't wanted to commit to anything as big as a blanket They weren't fancy, but they're just so special.

I just made thishttp://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bombay-love for our baby on the way using organic cotton.

[salty]

wow, that baby cocoon *is* cute! for some reason the way it opens near the face makes me think of vampires.

i can definitely do a blanket. i made her and her husband a tunisian crochet afghan as a wedding present, which i think they like. how big should a baby blanket be, and what do y'all think are good and bad choices as far as material goes?

[zech13_9_goforgold]

My opinion is cotton that is soft but easy to wash.

[JamieCatheryn]

Originally Posted by salty

also, i have a few questions, which i may have asked a long time ago but the answer obviously didn't stick in my thick skull! what exactly are "soakers" "shorties" and "longies?" do some of those only apply to cloth diapered babies? i'm not sure what my sister is planning, but i guess probably not CD.

thanks for any advice and ideas!

Those are diaper cover things, though I suppose you could make knit pants or shorts to go over a sposie too, would still be cute.

[bandyr]

What about a sleep sack like the Kicking Bag for Babies?
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/libr...bag-for-babies (ravelry link)
Love this pattern!!


SAHM to 2 nurslings

[notjustmamie]

My standard winter baby gift is a warm hat and thumbless mittens (and if I'm feeling generous, a pair of booties, too).

Blankets are always nice--I would make it about 4-5 feet on each side so that it will last longer than those tiny receiving blankets.

A little tiny sweater would be cute (but wouldn't last very long).

[crazycandigirl]

A set of knit balls in different yarns is always a fun gift for a little baby.

I knit them a lot. I like that it can use up stash yarns and it is such a quick knit. They can be made as big as needed by just continuing the increase pattern up to the size needed. You can even knit them around a little bell (I use a cheap cat toy bell ball) or a shaker of some sort. I have made fuzzy novelty yarn ones, wool ones, cotton ones, handspun ones, ones with stripes, I even made one that looked like an eyeball (for my husbands friend). Talking about them makes me want to start a new one now-

[salty]

thanks for these idea. keep bringing them! anyone have a favorite newborn hat pattern? what do people think of the baby blanket pattern in the s'n'b knitting book?

what age range are soakers, etc intended for? pardon my ignorance, but like i said, this is the first little one entering my life. i really appreciate all of the suggestions.