In addition to Chandiram's Vest and Hari's Wife's Sweater, for the Thosamling Care Package I sent off the Quickie Five Hour Baby Sweater and two versions of Aubrey Shawl. The shawls were a total disaster, but since creating hideous things and pawning them off on friends is not something to be proud of we'll discuss those later. Today, let's look at something that came out beautifully!
Great pattern. Very simple. Very quick. 1 skein (170 yards) got the hat and the sweater (sized for a newborn). This is a great project to perfect your yarn-overs, practice understanding how increases work, or knitting with Double Pointed Needles.
There are hundreds of baby sweater and bonnet patterns available, many of them free. If you're lucky enough to have small people around you to knit for, baby patterns are a great way of using up single skeins of yarn, practicing a new technique, and getting some instant gratification. (I like taking a break from a big project, like an Aran sweater, by knitting a few smaller, simpler pieces.)
They're also a wonderful item to donate to your local charity shop, holiday drive, religious institution's bazaar, or homeless shelter. Oddly, people seem to knit baby caps like crazy, but what about the rest of the baby? Sweaters are more exciting than blankets, and offer more warmth and comfort than a plain hat. Plus, once the child has outgrown the item, they make wonderful keepsakes for the family, or can be used to dress up teddy bears, dolls and other "child look-a-likes."
Baby Sweater for Hari's Newborn
Pattern: Quickie (5 Hour) Baby Sweater and Bonnet by Fiber Gypsy (free)
Yarn: Knitting Fever Gaelic Aran (discontinued)
Needle Size: US 8 (5 mm)
Observations
Fast, free pattern. Super easy and a great result. Knitting baby clothes is really gratifying, because you can finish them in a day (my mother finished this bonnet and sweater in 2 evenings) and they look SO CUTE. Admit it. How cute is this?
Another benefit to baby clothes is you can forego some of the details an adult-sized sweater would require. This is a cardigan (a great option for the tinies- easy to get them in and out of, and more flexibility in size), but it looks great without any buttons (and is probably safer that way too).
The pattern is knit top-down. The increases are made continuously by a series of yarn-overs that form the basis of the pattern. Yarn-overs create little holes which, particularly along edges, are perfect for threading ribbon or contrasting-color thread through.
This ribbon came from Jo Ann Fabrics - 1/2 inch wide to give a cute accent, but the yarn-over edging would look great without it too.
(You loyal readers may notice that this bonnet looks strikingly familiar... and has been showcased on this blog before, namely, as the Small Bad Wolf's dastardly disguise in my Little Red Riding Hood storyline.)
 |
| Do I think this looks cuter on a dog than on a baby? Yeah. Yeah, I kinda do. |
Overall
Great pattern. Very simple. Very quick. 1 skein (170 yards) got the hat and the sweater (sized for a newborn). This is a great project to perfect your yarn-overs, practice understanding how increases work, or knitting with Double Pointed Needles.
There are hundreds of baby sweater and bonnet patterns available, many of them free. If you're lucky enough to have small people around you to knit for, baby patterns are a great way of using up single skeins of yarn, practicing a new technique, and getting some instant gratification. (I like taking a break from a big project, like an Aran sweater, by knitting a few smaller, simpler pieces.)
They're also a wonderful item to donate to your local charity shop, holiday drive, religious institution's bazaar, or homeless shelter. Oddly, people seem to knit baby caps like crazy, but what about the rest of the baby? Sweaters are more exciting than blankets, and offer more warmth and comfort than a plain hat. Plus, once the child has outgrown the item, they make wonderful keepsakes for the family, or can be used to dress up teddy bears, dolls and other "child look-a-likes."
I am going to adopt a baby purely so you can knit it sweaters and caps.
ReplyDelete