my winter pattern picks for boys

I've been talking a lot with Lily about what some of her favourite winter knits are.  There's a reason for that.
It's cold, yes but she's also been exploring her extensive wardrobe of knits and wearing lots of different things. It's so lovely to see her wearing knits that I knit her a couple of years ago, knits that are getting a second go at being loved. Funnily enough, today I am wearing a jumper that I must have knit about 10-12 years ago, one that has never really seen the light of day, one that I've never really worn. Today I am enjoying it.... despite the fact that most of the ends in it haven't been sewn in and it's quite ill-fitting, but in a bit of an o-k way. Given it's a striped jumper with six different colours, there's a lot of unsewn ends. 

I think I am truly blessed that my girl loves to wear my knitting and she is very keen to do a guest blog post where she shares with you her favourite five winter knits. In this list, I must admit, there are a couple of garments that I have not yet published patterns for! oops!

I tried to have the same conversation with Toby but the answer went something like this; "ALL of the knits, Mummy!"  as he wrapped his arms around me and peppered me with kisses. He's a boy that aims to please, my cuddly little one. The eternal charmer. 

Instead, I decided to look inside his comparatively emptier wardrobe and think about what it is that he is wearing, and what it is that we choose for him to wear, and what HE chooses. Yes, these can be two very different things, indeed!

Number one: beear
This would have to be my absolute favourite on Toby. He wears it so well. 

I love the retro feel to it, the deceptively simple colourwork and the circular yoke. Tobes likes it too, he tells me the pattern is really cool. And he is  boy who know cool, he exudes it.

Number two: tobias
This one gets worn A LOT. This is actually the second Tobias I have knitted for Toby, the first one was green but unfortunately he outgrew it before I got the pattern written up. I love that this cardie is in my favourite yarn WOOLganics, and the orange is such a great colour! A perfect leprechaun colour, which was pretty much where I got the inspiration for this design from. Yep, it's what I think a leprechaun would wear; if they wore a wool jumper.

Tobias is the woollie that my husband will pick every time when he dresses Toby. Toby likes everything about this cardie too, particularly the pockets.  It has been worn, covered in muck and leaves and dirt and rewashed more times than I care to remember.

Number three: ziggy
When Toby grew out of his first Ziggy, I was really sad. I so loved him in that jumper, I loved the colour on him so much. And I was really proud of the design. 

Ziggy is so much fun to knit and it's such a cool design I had to knit him another one. I knew this one had to be yellow though. A fellow Raveler had knit her gorgeous wee man a yellow one, and I had loved it since the moment I saw it. 

Tobes of course loves the zig-zags best of all!

Number four: milo
Of course, there had to be a milo in the list!

This milo is a few years old and is perhaps a wee bit short but Tobes still regularly reaches for it when he's told to put something warmer on. 

Vests like milos are great for little boys (and girls too), kids are often soo eager to take off jumpers once they start running around, or even once parents' backs are turned, but vests they tend to forget they're even wearing. So they stay on and the part of them that needs keeping warm the most, their torso; their little chest and back, stays warm. 

I need to knit Toby another milo in a yarn like this one. 

"What do you like about milos, Toby?"
"That they're only short. They only come up to here," he points to his shoulders. See, straight from the milo boy's mouth himself!

Number five: griffin
Griffin is another favourite in our house. I love it because its noro. Andy loves the 70s feel and I suspect Toby loves it for the same reason he loves milos, the short sleeves. Although I have seen him take this one off when inside and he thinks I'm not looking, but never a milo. 

It's a super quick and interesting knit. I think saddle shoulder constructions are a great fit for little boys. Needless to say, I am exploring that construction technique some more.

So that's my top five knits for my boy this winter. 
What about your kids? 
What are their favourites this winter?
Is there something that you've loved so much on them that you've knit it twice for them?