Knit Gifts for Kids

I am lucky enough to have grown up with a mother who is a knitter. Not just an occasional craft knitter, the real deal hand knit sweaters and afghans every winter kind of knitter. She is the kind of person who can knit in front of the television without ever looking down at what she is doing – that is how good she is. Not only does she knit for herself and her kids, she also knits at quite an astonishing pace for her grandchildren. My kids have multiple baby blankets, not a mention an amazing collection of handmade hats, sweaters, ponchos, and more. When she was visiting earlier this month she even measured my daughter’s stuffed dogs to make them each hand knit coats (!) One of my favorite things she has made my children are these adorable knit animals. She makes one for my daughter every year and now she has started making them for my son.

My daughter happens to be a a real fan of stuffed animals so she always gets a huge kick out of these. She constantly totes them around the house and includes them in all of her imaginary play scenarios. My mother has found the patterns in her various knitting books and said she’d be happy to point people in the direction of them if you want to make them yourself. So far this is what she has made:

A pair of mice for her first birthday to commemorate her first Halloween costume (she was a mouse!)

A pretty kitty cat to compensate for the phase when she wanted a cat of her own. But we wouldn’t get her one.

Two bunnies that were perched in her Easter basket each holding chocolate eggs one bright April morning. (We have a particularly fun time dressing these up with ribbons depending on the holiday!)

A cupcake (pictured at top) for the year her obsession with pink cupcakes was beyond anything we had ever imagined. It seemed more fitting than an animal at that particular moment in time!

This duck hat is my son’s first knit animal. The bonus that he can actually wear it!

Naturally, all this knitting has gotten my daughter interested in the craft herself and we hope to teach her soon. In the mean time, to introduce her to the idea of children knitting we got her this fantastic book which I highly recommend.  Do you know how to knit? Would you like to learn? I know how to but have trouble finding the time to sit down and do it!