Umbilical bands and tattoos

3 little kokeshi dolls

not a very nice title - so we just call them obi's! when my kids were little, I had piles of vintage knitting patterns, including the intriguing "umbilical band" a strip of knitting which wrapped around the tummy - I suppose to give some support to the umbilical region, I just liked them for the idea that the wrap covered that draughty area where the pants and top came adrift. I made a couple in soft wool for Blaise who wore them happily under her clothes and stayed warm and draught free.

years later when I designed my little Judo suit (in homage to my Step-dad, who is well known in international judo circles) I made a simple ribbed belt which buttoned at the back, the obi pulled the wrap top in, once again eliminating the draught, and gave an elegance to the simple top and pants.

This past fortnight I have been knitting every spare minute, trying to keep up with the actual queue of testing, and the virtual queue lining up, both in my head and on paper - trying to be diciplined, to finish one thing before I start the next, but still day-dreaming while knitting "I wonder what would happen if..." The day-dreaming has led this week to a couple of fairisle and intarisa obi patterns, a plain panel in front and button up ribbing at the back to ensure a snug fit.The judo suit pattern (with wrap cardigan or sweater options) will be available soon, with bonus charts for the obis you see here, and maybe a couple more...once some more of the queue has been tamed.

fairisle circles in self-striping yarn fans in self-striping yarns cherry blossoms

From the testing queue I bring you the Horatio vest - a sleeveless v-neck version of the Horatio sweater. I loved knitting this - very simple and quick, and the intarsia goes quickly as the outlines are added later, this time I embroidered "Teddy" on the front - I'm so pleased with the result. This pattern is free when you buy the Horatio sweater pattern (or the sweater pattern is free when you buy the vest pattern!) and comes in 8 sizes from birth to 5 years. The pattern can be purchased from the website for $5.00 US.