Second Year of Projects Week 11

I have to start by apologising to everybody that I didn't get any posts read last week. I've been working hard for my exams on Monday and Thursday, and haven't had any spare time really. In my breaks, I've been doing a bit of knitting so I don't go insane, and I've finished a couple more preemie baby things:

The blanket is Katie's blanket, by Wye Needlecraft, which is from a series of 11 blankets specifically designed for preemie babies. NICUs do not like lacy blankets or crochet, as teeny tiny baby hands and feet get stuck in them, so that rules out a lot of the blankets available on Rav. The blanket used exactly 100g of yarn, and came out at 15 x 19 inches, which is possibly a little bit small, but can still be used for the really tiny babies. I also used my leftover scraps, along with some white, to make some little preemie beanies to match, again from a Wye Needlecraft pattern. I knitted them in the round rather than flat, so only cast on 48 stitches, but that was the only modifications I made.

A close up of the blanket pattern. I actually had the privilege to join the NICU doctors on their ward round this week, to see how they care for the babies, and I was able to examine (and cuddle) some of  the babies that are still on the ward but are no longer in incubators. It was an amazing morning, and I am definitely leaning towards trying to get a foundation post in the NICU so that I can see if I want to work there after I qualify. They do some amazing work, and it's a constantly evolving and improving field of medicine.

Last night, I cast on my Staked socks, using Solstice Yarns Starborn in the colourway Vampire Kisses, which I thought was very appropriate!

It's got a lovely sparkle to the yarn, but because it's a very dark black and red, I'm not entirely sure how well the pattern will show up. I guess I'll just have to knit it and see!