Bushbaby Knit cardigan with a kikoy trim (left) and Bushbaby Knits Jumper with a kikoy detailing. PHOTOS | MWIKALI LATI
Jennifer Davis’ perfect gift for her friends who had become a new mother was knitting baby cardigans.
It wasn’t long before new mums were placing orders of their own and Bushbaby Knits grew from there.
Kikoy
Now, with the help of a couple of other knitters, Bushbaby Knits is sending little knitted bundles across Nairobi and further afield – even as far as Istanbul, England and Jordan, says Jennifer, who turned her hobby into a business last year.
The first piece she designed – a cream baby cardigan with kikoy fabric in a bright coral pink colour – has continued to be her bestseller. The inspiration was a little girl called Florence, who looked great wearing it. The other popular design is a baby jumper with kikoy elephants.
Bushbaby Knits product range currently includes six different designs that cater for newborns to two-year-olds. Each one comes in a range of colours from navy blue, cream, white, to denim blue as well as different sizes.
They are also take orders for one-off pieces made to a customer’s unique specification, and an order is usually ready in one to two weeks. The prices start from Sh5,000 with some of the proceeds going to Wings of Compassion, a rescue home for single mothers and their babies on the outskirts of Nairobi.
“When designing knitwear for babies, I try to consider the material, ease of wear and care for baby and mum, as well as the overall look of the piece. The knitted sweaters are simple in style, which allows the embellishments, like colourful Kenyan kikoy fabric to speak for themselves,” says Jennifer.
Imported wool
She uses cotton wool imported from Europe as it is ideal for babies. It is soft and hypoallergenic, meaning it will not irritate a baby’s delicate skin or cause allergies. It is also easy to care for and lasts well, which is great for baby clothes that have to be washed often.
It is lighter than sheep’s wool, so is ideal for keeping babies warm on cooler Kenyan days. She sells through the Bushbaby Knits online shop hosted by etsy.com – a leading handicrafts online marketplace. People can place orders through the Facebook page as well.
To launch her brand locally, she took part in the second Toto Mama Festival in April which aims to make mothers shopping for themselves and babies easier.
Hand finished
“The smaller, simpler pieces take anything from a day to create, whereas a cable-knitted jumper will take a bit longer. As each item is hand finished, a lot of the time is spent adding the finishing kikoy fabric touches,” she says.
