Did I mention that this new baby, besides just being huge, is going to be a boy?
I will admit that a few tears have been shed over the fact that no child of mine will ever again wear anything in this stack of handmades. 
This isn’t the whole haul, but I counted 68 items in this pile – exactly zero of which (given current social norms) could be worn by a boy. I already weeded those out, and there were three.
And while I know there’s plenty of great boy-sewing inspiration out there, I’m having trouble convincing myself that sewing for boys could ever be as much fun as sewing for girls…and so far I haven’t encountered a lot of people trying to prove me wrong on this point (though I’m absolutely up for hearing your argument if you have one!). Every time I go to start a project I get caught up in the fact I’d rather be choosing “girl” fabrics – this coming from someone who has absolutely no affinity for anything overtly “girly” and has rarely (if ever) sewn a pink or purple garment for my daughter. I love blues and greens and grays – but even so, the fabric options when sewing for girls are just more plentiful, because no color or print is off limits. It seems to me that even if you avoid ruffles and flowers and bows and all shades of pink, you’re still left with more choices in terms of clothing patterns and fabric and inspiration when it comes to sewing for girls.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled to be having this little boy, and I do realize that babies were not put on this earth solely to inspire us to sew. But man, the girl variety sure does have a knack for it.
So while I haven’t been terribly boy-inspired these days, I did manage to get pretty excited last week when Ruby of Zaaberry posted a free pattern and tutorial for newborn knit hats. I figured our little November baby could surely use a few of these. And because the selection of knit fabric out there is pretty limited anyway, I had no problem choosing some boy appropriate knits from my stash.
These little hats were so easy to make, and only took about 20 minutes apiece. I tried all the variations – knot, rounded, and ears.
The solid green and the blue polka dots are Patty Young knits, the stripes were an Old Navy dress, and the bear hat is made from Michael Miller organic sherpa.
I also made this hat (from a Carter’s receiving blanket), but it’ll be going to a friend having a girl…you know, due to those pesky pink and purple polka dots.
They’re all newborn size, but stretchy enough to humor a three year old:
And in conclusion, one last photo of Lila that I’ve already plastered all over every social media site, so I figure I’ll post it here too. Plus, it proves I have nothing against the color pink.
