Where it all began...

the first smitten blanket!

As I mentioned in my last post it all began when I was pregnant with my eldest daughter, Ruby. I wanted to knit 'Moomin' (as she/he was lovingly referred to for 9 months) a patchwork blanket that would be totally unique. So I picked up my knitting needles and started click-clacking away! As we were leaving the flavour of our baby a surprise I was careful to use colours that neither sex would find offensive! Wanting to steer clear of conventional baby colourways, I chose white, stone, duck egg and red yarns to knit the 24 patchwork squares.

To make the blanket more contemporary I decided to back the knitted patchwork in a printed woven fabric. I felt this would add to its individuality as well as enabling the knitted front to keep its shape through the endless washes it would inevitably go through. Having always been a fan of Cath Kidston, she was my first port of call. Despite cowboys not being the most unisex motif, the mini cowboy print has always been a favourite of mine so seemed the obvious choice, especially as it complimented the yarn colours so well. 

After many hours of knitting, pressing, sewing, backing tacking and more pressing, Moomin's gift from her mummy was ready, all we needed now was our little bundle to snuggle in it. So we waited, and waited, and waited...

Welcome to my blog...

I, Rosie, mother of 2 gorgeous little tinkers, Ruby and Florence, am finally realising my dream of designing and making lovely knits for babies and children that people will want to treasure.

In 2009, in anticipation of the arrival of my eldest daughter, Ruby, I hand knitted her a patchwork blanket and backed it with Cath Kidston's 'Mini Cowboy' print (possibly my favourite print ever) To my delight, it received much admiration. This, combined with the enjoyment I got out of creating such a personal gift inspired me to make similar blankets on a more commercial basis. Armed with 7 years experience as a knitwear designer and my "degree in knitting" (something I am often teased about, although officially it was a BA(hons) in Knitted Textiles, but hey!) I founded 'smitten' where I create handmade, contemporary knits for babies and children that are fun, colourful and knitted with love!

Since then, smitten has developed, the range now includes comfort blankets and I have many ideas for new products to broaden the smitten collection (but more on that in later posts!) The aim of my blog is to not only share this evolving journey and give an insight into the way I work, but also to tell you about the things that inspire me and the things that I love.

I would love to hear your thoughts on my posts, please feel free to contact me or comment on anything that tickles you.