We adore how this leaf envelops a wee little person.

The Leaf Blanket, designed by Susie Anderson has put the cuteness quotient through the roof! Knit in Spud & Chloë Outer on size 15 needles with just four hanks, this project is sure to be a quick-knit. Quick and adorable; pleasing to new Moms and Dads while enchanting Grandmas and Grandpas.

This is certainly a playful twist, not just another baby blanket. A homemade gift that will be treasured.

The perfect baby shower gift, I would bring a Hedge (7210) Leaf Blanket for spring time, Cedar (7209) for autumn and Snow Day (7216) for winter babies.

Time to start one today! It would be so great to be all ready the next time a friend or family member is expecting. Now, which color to choose…

CHLOË: Wow Auntie Sarah! These Baby Pants are adorable! How did you think of such a clever idea?

AUNTIE SARAH Well Chloë, sometimes you just want to cover a diaper up. I like to make everything cute. I’d love to see all the fun ways people customize the Baby Pants: stripes, ruffles, bright colors. Babies are so much fun to design for!”

This is simple, straightforward knitting.

Next, you simply fold the pants and make three short seams.

And then your little person is rip-raring and ready to go.

I think this free pattern is perfect for babies on the go!

Download the free Super Soakers pattern here!

My name is Cousin Katie.

I’m here to keep you up-to-date on my wee cousin Chloë and her pal Spud. As a bit of a social butterfly I’ll have lots of interesting guest bloggers, free patterns and just plain fun from our whole gang!

I also like to hang out here, here, and here too!

I’ll be sure to share all the things the gang is cookin’ up, it’s what I do! Just wait until you see…

What are they? How did they come to be?

AUNTIE SARAH: Look Chloë, I designed knit baby pants!

CHLOE: Check these out Spud!

SPUD: Hmm?

SPUD:  Baa Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!

SPUD: Wait a minute, quality wool on a baby’s butt?!!

AUNTIE SARAH: Well, the baby will have a diaper on, of course.

CHLOE: Of course

SPUD: Still

Super Soakers for Super Chubby Legs! Pattern coming soon…

The Color of the Year (and this Tangerine Tango image) are brought to you by Pantone. Pantone is an amazing color company, so to speak. Sort of in a nutshell, Pantone has created the Pantone Matching System. This phenomenal tool allows precision color matching of a specific color no matter the equipment used, the country of origin and production, or language spoken.

Did you know that Spud already has some pretty rockin’ oranges? In Sweater there is Firecracker 7509. This orange is the color of my dear cousin Chloë’s hair. Very saturated and rusty. Cider 7515 is an extremely wearable orange. It looks great with both Firecracker and Pollen 7508. When you are looking for a playful and zingy orange Pollen is the one for you. Be sure to peek at Lovey Dovey. I love little girls in nontraditional, sweet, bright colors.

Then there is the autumnal Cedar 7209 in Outer. This color is very rich, and not such an overwhelming orange; lots of our pals like this color. Now, I am going to include another color from the Outer collection that some of you may want to debate me on…Sunkissed 7206. I am including this shade of pink because it looks lovely when placed with oranges, like it has a coral influence. The next time you see Sunkissed in person be sure to compare it with oranges, I bet this color will surprise you. I wonder if people will make the Double Garter Cowl in 2012′s Color of the Year?

Last, but not least is our outrageous oranges in Fine. Fine is my favorite and these oranges are the best. Clementine 7802 is a solid medium orange; wearable and fun. For an orange with punch Goldfish 7817 cannot be beat. It is a light, bright color! The last color I would like to talk about is Orangutan 7819; if you are hesitant to wear orange you could start here and not feel overwhelmed by such a powerful color. I’m actually quite fond of Goldfish and Orangutan together. Wouldn’t that be a buoyant striping combo? Don’t forget our brand new Easy Tee from the Spring 2012 Collection in Fine.

So, back to the geniuses at Pantone. They also promote a color the year. The idea is that this color will fit the spirit of the year. I love what Pantone’s website tells us about Tangerine Tango “…a spirited reddish orange, continues to provide the energy boost we need to recharge and move forward.” So, what do you think of Tangerine Tango? Would you like or wear a Tangerine Tango? What color would you have picked for 2012?

CHLOE:  Hey Spud, check out our new Spring Collection! Our stuff starts on page 15.

SPUD:  What are we, second best?

CHLOE:  Second to none!!

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

I want to take this opportunity to tell you all that I am moving on from being the curator on the Spud & Chloë blog. I want to send my greatest appreciation to everyone who has jumped in wholeheartedly on this adventure. To be involved in the start of something new and fresh has been exciting, fun, and a lot of good old-fashioned hard work, to say the least.

Again, thank you for the support. I will always look back on these last few years with fond memories and I hope that you will, too.

xoxo,  Susan

Happy Holidays! from the gang at Spud & Chloë.

A free downloadable holiday gift tag for your personal use!

Download this Spud gift tag PDF, print the page on card stock and cut them out. Then punch a hole and attach with your favorite yarn. We used Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky in the photo below.

See you next year!

Hi Spud & Chloë  Friends,

Laura Nelkin has a new design featuring Spud & Chloë Fine in the new winter issue of Knitty. It is a pattern for a pair of gorgeous gloves, called Teknika, knit in Spud & Chloë Fine in the Hippo colorway. Laura paired up the Fine with a striping sock yarn but you could also use different colors of Fine combined with the Hippo which is what I plan on doing.

The reason the gloves are called Teknika is because Laura knitted in conductive thread so you can use your phone without having to peel your gloves off. I know I could use this in the dead of winter!

Check out Laura’s blog post about the Teknika gloves (and her love of Spud & Chloë)!

Check out the pattern on Knitty!

Laura also knit up that adorable baby set I shared here on Spud says! awhile back. It is called Lolly Pod and it is knit in Spud & Chloë Sweater and Fine. Click here to see that one!

Happy Wednesday.

(photo by  PiPiBird)

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

I love seeing new patterns using Spud & Chloë yarns, especially when I just happen upon them spontaneously. Today I want to share two new patterns I spotted recently. First is the Shellseeker pattern by Heidi Kirrmaier. Heidi is a fantastic designer and a good one to watch. I heard about the Shellseeker on a podcast (can’t remember which one) while I was out running the other day. I don’t think they said that the pattern called for Spud & Chloë on the podcast so when I looked it up when I got home I was excited to see that the Shellseeker is made using Sweater.

Click here to see the Ravelry page for the Shellseeker.

(photo by  PiPiBird)

Here is what I love about this pattern. I love the stripes and thinking about all of the striping options you could come up with in Spud & Chloë Sweater. The colors in our Sweater line include so many compatible and contrasting options, the sky is the limit. I love the interesting and flattering increases along the front and that the back flap is a tiny bit longer than the front. Most of all I love the giant pocket in the front. My hands would always be in that pocket if I had this sweater.

(photo by  PiPiBird)

The design is knit in one piece from the top-down and has sizing options for a 30 to 50 inch bust. That’s a generous sizing range. Don’t forget that this would be the perfect older child or teen sweater and it would be a quick knit, too. Those are all good things.

If you click on the Ravelry project page you will see a special discount code you can use at Knit Culture to save 10%! Don’t miss out on this special deal. Knit Culture is selling kits of Spud & Chloë Sweater for you to make this gorgeous and comfy sweater. Knit Culture has put together lots of color combinations to help you easily envision and choose your stripe colors in Sweater. The Shellseeker would also look fantastic in a solid if you aren’t into the stripes so much.

You can purchase the pattern individually on the Shellseeker Ravelry project page if you aren’t interested in the kit.

Click here for Knit Culture!

Click here for the Ravelry project page for Shellseeker (in case you missed it earlier).

(photo by Interweave)

And just look at these wonderful colorwork socks by Katya Frankel. They are called the Elusive Bias Socks. The socks use Spud & Chloë Fine in the Green Bean and Shitake colorways. What a great color combination. That Shitake colorway has been one of my favorites since the first time I saw it. The pattern for the Elusive Bias Socks can be found in the new Interweave Accessories issue (click here). For more photos of these stunning socks click here.

Well, there you have it. That Spud is a busy guy.

Happy December to you. I’ll be back soon with more…