1 Today!

Today Coco Kids celebrates it's first birthday! Happy Birthday to us!

Exactly 1 year ago today on the 1st of November 2009, our blog was launched and Kate, Ali and myself were all ready to take on custom knitting orders.

The past year has seen our needles busy keeping our customers happy. We've added a lot more items to our list of items we can knit (and there's still more we need to update as well) and we've met a lot of wonderful knitters and customers.

As a thank you to our friends and followers, we're going to be having a first birthday sale very soon. We'll be adding a new tab to the blog and we'll be loading some one off specials at 8pm on the Thursday the 4th of November- maybe just what you're after for a Christmas, birthday or new baby pressie.

If you're not already one of our Facebook friends but you want to be kept up to date with when the stocking will go up - why not 'like' our business page, and you'll be kept in the loop (just click on our Facebook Badge top lefthand column on our blog)

The Big Day

Well Saturday was the Big Day we've been working towards for several weeks now. It was very exciting getting prepared and setting up the table with all of our lovely items in one place. Julia and I missed Kate on the day, but hopefully she'll be able to join us for the next one. Besides, she was busy celebrating her daughter's 5th birthday - a major milestone!

Julia and I had a wonderful time at Craft 2.0 and met so many lovely people. The feedback was fabulous, with many wonderful compliments coming our way. We've had great support from all our friends and family leading up to this, so a huge thank you to everyone :)

Julia's wonderful swifts, dishcloths and Ali's stitchmarkers

The view from the ground floor looking up

The view as people came up the stairs

Despite the very warm weather, we managed to make some good sales, and are very happy overall with our first ever Craft 2.0! Craft 2.0 is such a wonderful craft market to be involved in and we are in awe of the amazing organisational skills involved in managing such a large and popular event.

Gearing Up For Craft 2.0 Tomorrow!

Tomorrow's the day that Coco Kids will have our first stall at Craft 2.0!

We've got a huge range of items - each of our blogs show what we've been up to lately.

Here's a wee sneak peek from them (click on the name at the top to go to the blog entry as well)

Ali's

 

      

Kate's

Julia's

Hope to see you tomorrow, 10-3pm at TheNew Dowse in Lower Hutt!

11 Sleeps to go!

Well it's not long now! 11 sleeps according to the calendar till Craft 2.0! And this year it sounds like it's going to be even bigger and better than previous ones (if that's even possible!)

In fact, it's so big and there are going to be so many stalls that Craft 2.0 is spilling up into the next floor of The Dowse in Lower Hutt. That's where you'll find the Coco Kids stall - upstairs (according to the draft layout, if there are any changes we'll let you know).

Never fear if you plan to bring kids in a stroller, there is a lift up to the next floor, and we imagine that there'll be a bit more space up there for breathing, than the crush you sometimes feeling trying to walk through the Lounge section of Craft 2.0. We'd love to see you! Come and say hello!

 

Handmade Wooden Swifts - see the link below for more information

One thing that hasn't been mentioned on here (due to it not exactly being a custom knitting item) is that our stall should also have items FOR knitters, rather than solely knitted items. If you are on the lookout for a swift (to help wind your newly purchased Knitsch yarn), or sock blockers and stitch markers - then we can help you with that too! All wooden items (swifts and sock blockers) are made by Julia's hubby, and the stitch markers are carefully crafted by any of the Coco Kids team.

 

Sock blockers - small, medium, large and toddler sized

So mark your calendars - the 30th of October and we'll see you there!

October update

Well, it's been a few weeks since one of us last posted, so I thought I'd do a quick update. We're all very busy knitting for our upcoming Craft 2.0 stall here in Wellington at the New Dowse in Lower Hutt on the 30th of October. This will be a fabulous craft fair - and perfect timing for shopping for Christmas presents, or just acquiring some beautiful unique clothing items for the little people in your life. We will have a range of clothing ideal for the summer months, and also some items that can be worn all year round - all knit in either wool or cotton.

We've also recently been spotlighted on the Craft 2.0 website, here. So come along and check us out - we're really looking forward to it!

Here's just a small sample of what we will have to offer on the day:

some of Kate's work ...

some of Julia's work ...

and some of Ali's work ...



For all those who can't make it on the day, anything that doesn't sell at Craft 2.0 will be available for sale on here, so if you see anything you like (and remembering there are a lot of items that I haven't showcased on here) check back after the 30th of October and we will have a number of items under our For Sale tab.

~ Benji Hat ~

Benji is a neat hat designed by Sheryl Greenfield (NZ) who is a busy working Mum who blogs at Shortly Stitches. Benji hat features a contrast colour through the main body of that hat plus a feature button at the side. The crown pattern is a gorgeous spiral too.

These photos show a toddler sized hat I made for my youngest daughter aged 2. However the hat also fits my small headed almost 5 year old as well.

The hat comes in a variety of sizes from New Born to an adult.
Sizes:
Newborn: (13 inch/33cm)
Baby (14 inch/35.5)
Toddler (16 inch/40.5cm)
Child (18 inch/45.5cm)
Woman (20 inch/50.5cm)
Man (22 inch/56cm)
XL Man (24 inch/ 61cm)

Prices start from $15 plus postage

Please contact Kate at chevgirlknitting@gmail.com or check her ChevGirl Blog for more information.

Versa

The Versa designed by Shannon Passmore can be knit as a vest, tunic, dress or babydoll and is shaped to fit nicely around the torso.


The tunic:

The pattern doesn't include the eyelet holes for the ribbon around the chest, but it's definitely an option if you'd like

The vest...

This of course can also be knit in girly colours and really suits girls beautifully

Pictures for the babydoll option will follow shortly

The Versa can be knit from NB up to a size 10 and is a very versatile piece of clothing - being able to worn on it's own or over a long or short sleeved top.

Any of the Coco Kids team are able to knit these for sale. Contact Julia, Ali or Kate to make an enquiry about getting a Versa of your choice custom knit for you.

Teacher's Pet

Coco Kids currently have the exclusive rights to knit the Teacher's Pet pattern designed by one of the Coco Kids team - Julia Stanfield

Petal pleat versions

Teacher’s Pet is a simple and seamless (top-down) pattern for a gorgeous yet practical wee dress.

The Teacher’s Pet pattern contains a number of options that you can choose from:
* 3 different skirt options - a full skirt, a box pleat and a petal style pleat
* The option of a hood
* Belt and belt loops or eyelet holes for a ribbon or i-cord
* A variety of hem options
* Garter or moss stitch edges
* Contrast edge

 Full skirt and box pleat options

Sizings range from a 17” chest (3-6 months) up to a 23” chest (4 years) with instructions for a 25” chest (size 6) and 27” chest (size 8) to follow

  

Petal pleat with ruffle hem and box pleat version

Contact Ali, Kate or Julia to enquire about getting your own unique Teacher's Pet knitted.

Alternatively if you wish to purchase this pattern rather than have one of the Coco Kids team knit it for you, visit this link to Julia's blog for more information

There's Good News!

For those people in the Wellington region that would love to see some Coco Kids items in the flesh, we have some fabulous news

Have a look at this

That's right - Coco Kids are lucky enough to have a stall at the next Craft 2.0, and boy are we excited! We're planning to get together and talk about what we can knit up that will mix, match and compliment each other.

And as it will be our first ever stall, we sure hope to impress!

Feel free to let us know what you think would be great items for us to knit up for October, remembering that it will be starting to warm by then. I'm thinking a selection of gorgeous Eden's (both dresses and tops), hooded Hotshots, Kaia Babydolls, Leafy Shrugs, a Milo or two, perhaps some March Sisters Pinafores (and matching pinnies for dollies?), some skirties and Kimono Jerseys - and perhaps even a Teacher's Pet dress or two (that's a pattern Julia will be releasing shortly) might be a good place to start.

What do you think would be good on a stall? What would you like to see in person?

The Little Rascals Patterns

On Friday June 18th Julia released The Little Rascals! The Little Rascals e-book is a collection of 3 unisex, easy to knit, seamless (topdown) and versatile patterns. They’re great for wearing out and about and for mucking around in the backyard.

  

The Little Rascals are all v-necked garments (which makes popping on a bib easy if necessary)       

  

Little Hoodlum (jersey)

 There are a variety of options included in the pattern:

 - knitting a hood or collar

 - moss/seed or garter stitch edge

 - how to knit a contrast band around the edge

 - wide sleeves or tapered

 

Sizings range from newborn up to 10 years (15-28 inch chest) and the patterns can be knit in either 8ply/DK or 10ply/worsted weight yarn.

Hotshot (vestee)

 The pattern also includes a printer friendly version at the end - so it’s possible to download the full pdf with all the info and pretty pictures, but if you prefer to save paper and ink simply print the last few pages of the pdf.

 

 You can purchase the pattern by clicking the buy now button on Julia's 'Patterns' page here, or via Ravelry here

The price is $7USD and purchases are made via paypal. You'll be sent a pdf of the pattern.

 You can contact Julia if you have any other questions about the pattern or purchasing it. Julia is able to email it to purchasers with NZ bank accounts who'd prefer to pay via internet banking.

Young Einstein
(jacket/cardigan)

 Coco Kids are also available for custom orders for any of The Little Rascals -  feel free to contact any of the Coco Kids team to enquire about getting one knit for you.

 Lifetime Cottage Licenses are available (however they're not yet available in NZ) - please email Julia for more information if you are interested in knitting these to sell.

Milo Mitts

I have recently added Milo Mitts by Sheryl Greenfield to my repertoire of custom knits. These are really cute little fingerless mittens that are available in sizes 1, 2 and 4 - although they are very stretchy, so each size can be worn for  a long time (my eight year old could fit the size 4 pink ones I knitted for a customer the other day!).  The pink ones have been knit with an owl cable, but other cables can be substituted as well, to match the cable on any Milo vest (both Kate and Julia are able to knit Milo vests).

Contact Ali to order these very cute wee mitts. For a limited time I am offering these at $15 per pair, including postage.

Leafy Shrugs

Julia knit this pattern earlier this year in a Budding Designers KAL on Rav and knew she wanted to have the Cottage License for it. She was going to put it off until the weather started warming up again, but recently someone enquired about her knitting it for their daughter's Christening - hey presto! Julia now has the CL for StitchyMama/Katherine Oxlade Knacks' Leafy Shrug which means she can knit this to sell.

These stunning pics are taken by a fab Wgtn photographer friend of mine - Rachael Brown

This is a beautiful lacey shrug, great for summer BBQs as the weather cools in the evenings as well as spring & autumn days when another warmer layer is necessary. It makes a special one of a kind gift, perfect for birthdays and Christenings.

It can be knit in a range of sizes: 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months, 18 months, 2T, 4T, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14

Providing the chest measurement for the child would ensure the right fit for the shrug

Please contact Julia if you would like to order or make an enquiry, or visit her blog

Kids Handwarmers

Introducing another pattern that I love, and that I'd love to knit for you!


A friend of mine, Samantha Goodin has just developed a cute little handwarmers pattern that I was lucky enough to test - and I loved it so much (and more to the point, Penny loves her pair of handwarmers so much too) that I'm now able to knit these handwarmers for sale

You'll have to excuse the variety of colours Penny is wearing, she loves to dress herself

These practical little handwarmers are great for kids - they can still use all their fingers and thumb to play and manipulate things while keeping their hands toasty warm. They're also great for thumb and finger suckers, it means that they can still access their thumb/fingers while sitting in the stroller while you're out for a walk or in their carseat.

Penny's steering the 'pirate ship' here

These fit from approximately 1-5 years.

Contact Julia via email if you'd like to enquire about prices or to order

Helena Jackets

This is a lovely simple lace jacket, designed by Alison Green Will. I've knit this with both a more girly picot edge and a simpler garter stitch one as a matinee jacket for a baby boy.

Knit in Denim Blue Bendigo Luxury

It can be knit with either buttons or ties and comes in six sizes - 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 2 years and 4 years

Knit in Stone Bendigo Luxury

Finished Measurements
Chest: 19.25[20, 21.5, 22.25, 24.5, 26] inches

I've knit 2 of these so far, both in Bendigo Luxury which happens to be a fabulously soft machine washable yarn that comes in a range of lovely colours.

Made with a matching Doodie Hat

Please contact Julia via email if you'd like more information or to order

Gorgeous Winter Items available

Kate had four gorgeous girl hand knitted items available for sale. Perfect for the cold winter weather we are experiencing at the moment!

* Kaia Babydoll top size 2 in Cyclamen & Faberge with pale pink ribbon
* Jo Pinafore from the March Sister's collection, size 2 in Khaki & Faberge with a pocket on the bodice and purple buttons.
* Vanilla Soaker, size medium in Donkey & Ballet
* Milo vest, size 3 months in Gelato with giant cable feature.

Check Kate's "Items for Sale" for more information.

Plus some Looking Glass Longies size medium in UNISEX colours - denium and Tekapo Storm.

Please have a look at Kate's blog to see more information.

~ Elizabeth Tunic ~

Kate is now a licensed knitter of the Elizabeth Tunic pattern designed by Amy Curletto. It is a  beautiful top that can be worn in the winter with layers underneath. The circular yoke at the top is a real cute feature and adds to the simple lines that is the Elizabeth Tunic.

It is available in a range of sizes – NB, 3m, 6m- 12m, 12m – 18m, 18m – 24m, and 3t/3T.

Top - size 2T/3T Bottom is 6m size

Size NB  & 3m $30

Size 6m – 12m $35

Size 12m – 18m $40

Size 2 years $43

Size 2T/3T $45

(Prices are based on wool from The Wool Company. Other wool may incur a different price)

Email Kate at chevgirlknitting@gmail.com to order on