Happy Knappy Knitting Pattern

The Happy Knappy is a knitted creation by Alison Blenkinsop to show how baby poo should change in the first five days.

Nappy

• Wool—cream or white chunky or 2 strands of DK wool (20-25gm)
• Needles—size 7 or 8 needles

Cast on 36 loosely
Knit 6 rows (slip the first stitch loosely of each row, to keep the edge neat)
Row 7: decrease 1 at beg and end of row – looks the neatest by reversing direction of st at opp ends, ie sl 1, dec 1 (sl 1, k1, pass sl st over), k to last 3, k 2 tog, k1
Row 8: k
Continue to dec 1 at each end of alternate rows until 16 st remain (27 rows)
K 19 rows
Row 47: increase 1 at beg and end of alt rows to get 36 st (ie sl 1, inc 1, k to last 2 st, inc 1, k 1)
Row 66: k 6 rows
Cast off firmly

Poos

• Wool—double-knit thickness, or 2 strands of 4-ply which can give a mottled or in-between effect if you can’t find the right colour. Two strands also makes for neater increases. Textured wool is good for the last 2 days. You’ll need 4-5 metres.
• Needles—size 10 or 11 needles

Colours and stitches for the different days:

• Black—stocking stitch right side out
• Dark green/black plus dark green—st st right side out
• Sludgy browny-green—st st wrong side out
• Browny-yellow—garter stitch OK if textured, or st st wrong side out
• Golden/mustard yellow—garter stitch OK if textured, or moss st

Cast on 7
Work as above; for days 1-3 (and 4 if not using moss stitch), 1st row: purl
2nd row: inc at each end of alt rows until 15 st (experiment to
get the shape you want). If using 2 strands of wool, inc by
working each strand separately
Dec at each end of alt rows until 7 st remain
Cast off
Sew poos invisibly on nappy as shown in the picture.

Contact Jane Neesam to buy the Nappy Pack (£3 plus p&p). The pack contains the pattern, balls of wool and the accompanying song, which starts “On the first day of feeding, your babe will give to you a wee and a sticky black poo”.

The Five Days of Feeding (tune: the 12 days of Christmas)

On the first day of feeding, your babe will give to you
a wee and a sticky black poo.

On the second day of feeding, your babe will give to you
two little wees and a less sticky, thinner dark poo.

On the third day of feeding, your babe will give to you
three little wees, two little burps and a big greeny-browny soft poo.

On the fourth day of feeding, your babe will give to you
four little wees, three little farts, two little burps and a nice runny toffee-brown poo.

On the fifth day of feeding, your babe will give to you
five bi-ig wees:
four little farts,
three big burps,
two overflows,
and a large golden mustard-seed poo!

©Alison Blenkinsop –(Feel free to use it, but please keep my name with it) – from Fit to Bust – a comic treasure chest

This lighthearted look at breastfeeding and motherhood was written by a former IBCLC and associate LCGB member, Alison Blenkinsop, to raise funds for Baby Milk Action. LCGB is a member of the Baby Feeding Law Group and supports Baby Milk Action in its aim of protecting breastfeeding and protecting babies fed on formula milk.

(2^nd edition, Lonely Scribe 2011. RRP £12.99)

For more information and to read a sample chapter of Fit to Bust, email Alison.