JESS' JOURNAL...from the studio

Jess Bennett of Rock Salt Plum has plenty of experience designing for little ones and shares her practical tips for making wearable garments

- Jess Bennett

Originally I started designing and making crochet garments for babies after producing some pretty disastrous cardigans for myself. I thought that baby clothes would be much quicker to make and use less yarn, so they would be a good way to learn how to crochet better garments. I had also recently given birth so had my own little model who could go through the learning process with me. Through trial and error (lots and lots of error) I have discovered a few things about making clothes that are lovely to look at but are also practical and wearable. The last thing you want to do is spend lots of time making something and then it never gets worn.

KEEPING CLEAN (ISH)

I know that you can machine wash wool jumpers if you use the right setting and detergent, and if you have a good system for separating out and washing woollens, I salute you. This isn’t always easy, especially as small children generate lots of laundry. I try to make sure the yarn I use is machine washable so tops can get covered in mud, paint or pasta sauce without too much worry. If in doubt, make up a swatch, write down the measurements and throw it in with your normal wash. If it’s the same size and you are happy with the way it looks when it comes out then you can go for it.