Baby cocoon

There's so much that you can knit/crochet for a baby... and there's always new stuff coming out adding to the "to do list" or should I say the "wanna do! list".

I had been knitting and crocheting blankets for babies, but I recently read an article saying that the less stuff there is on top of a baby (such as heavy blankets), the more chance there is that they can breath freely, sothe big old heavy blankets might be better for older babies.

Without blankets then, what to knit for a newborn, other than a sweater or a cap? Of course, there's always socks or shoes or hats that you can make, but for me it's not a good enough present for a friend who's had her baby recently... I kind of feel the commitment to make it a bigger deal.

So I started to think of something that I could finish quickly, and that would also be a nice present. And thus I found the cocoon. It seems to be the newest and most "in" thing to give away for babies. They are like a big sock that holds your baby snugly and makes her feel warm, cuddly and safe, without a whole lot of loose cloths around him to put him in danger. I saw some pictures and some of them looked really snuggle, and I think that although a lot of people like to have their babies as snug as a bug, maybe the little one will be more comfortable with a bit of wiggle room.

With the idea in my mind, I ventured...and using some double strand baby yarn and without a pattern, I thought of making a big sock, all made in a very stretchy double rib stitch, so that the baby can move inside with freedom, yet still be cuddled. It was a problem thinking how big I could make it... so I made it pretty long, thinking that it can be made shorter if the top is bent down (like a cuff in a sock) and it can go longer too. I made it colorless and very simple, because it's just a first run.

So here's the result... I am going to test it as soon as we go visit Megan, my sister in law; her baby, Coraline will be the tester. My main concern is how to put the baby inside the cocoon. I read that you bundle it all like a sock, and then start at the feet, and pulling the cocoon over the baby little by little. Anyway. if we pass the test, and the cocoon is suitable for babies, then I might start making them in different colors. I've seen some good ideas, like making it brown and then embroidering the front so that it looks like a football, or a green one that makes the baby look like a pea in a pod... I've got my own idea about the "bug" I want to make. But first things first. Let's put the cocoon to work and see Coraline's opinion, then make the necessary changes.

Here are some pictures of my cocoon. Oh, and by the time I'm posting this, I received the cocoon pattern I had purchased. I want to make it clear that the one shown here is not a pattern I received from anyone, just my own idea translated into yarn.

This first picture shows the "cuff" really going down , so that the cocoon is smaller.

This one shows a shorter cuff to make the cocoon larger.

I hope this pattern I made works, so I can start giving cocoons to all my friends with little ones!