3/29/08 note: this pattern is also available as a free PDF from Ravelry. Click here to download it if you'd rather have it in that format!
Here is the pattern for my Peach Blossom baby sweater. It will also appear in the sidebar under "free patterns."
Size 5 (0-3 months) or 6 (3-6 months) straight or circular needles
2 skeins Debbie Bliss baby cashmerino in red (MC)
1 skein Karabella Aurora 4 or Baby Ull in black (CC)
2 black buttons
Gauge: 5.5 stitches and 7 rows = 1"
Seed stitch (even number of stitches):
Row 1: *k1, p1, rep from *
Row 2: *p1, k1, rep from *
m1: make a stitch in one of the following ways: lift bar between stitches with the left-hand needle and ktbl; or kfb (knit in the front and back) of stitches outside of markers; or lift the right-hand side of the stitch one row below the last stitch outside markers and place it on the left needle, then knit it as it if was a stitch (as in this demonstration).
CO 62 st with CC. Work 8 rows stockinette. Work one purl turning row. Work 8 rows seed stitch.
Switch to MC and set up raglan shaping as follows: k2 (right front), pm, k1, pm, k8 (sleeve), pm, k1, pm, k22 (back), pm, k1, pm, k8 (sleeve), pm, k1, pm, k18 (left front).
Next row and all following WS rows: purl, slipping markers.
Next and all following RS rows (until shaping is done): *k to marker, m1, slip marker, k1, slip marker, m1 * rep to end.
Stop after 16 increase rows, or when there are 190 st (18 for right front, 40 for each sleeve, 54 for back, 34 for left front, and 4 raglan seam stitches).
Divide sleeves: remove markers on this row. K19 (front + seam st), place 40 sleeve stitches on a holder or a piece of scrap yarn (better because it can bend), k56 (seam st + back + seam st), place 40 sleeve stitches on a holder or a piece of scrap yarn, k35 (seam st + front). Continue in stockinette on body stitches. When piece measures 8.5”, switch to CC and work 8 rows seed stitch. Work one purl turning row (if you are on a WS row, be sure to work knit, not purl), and work 8 rows stockinette. Cut yarn, leaving a long tail, and use the tail yarn to tack up the hem stitches, using the line of color-change as a guide.
Sleeves: place 40 st. from holder on a needle, and work back and forth in stockinette with MC. On 10th row, dec 1 st at each end. Repeat this decrease every 10th row 2 more times. Switch to CC and work 8 rows seed stitch. Work a purl turning row, and work 8 rows stockinette. Tack up hem as above.
Finishing: sew sleeve seams and tack down neck hem. Using CC, pick up 3 stitches for every 4 rows along the front edges for button bands. Work 8-10 rows seed stitch (until width matches hem and collar widths) and bind off, knitwise if you are on a WS row and purlwise if you are on a RS row. Weave in all loose ends and block.
Frogs: make four 3" lengths of i-cord with CC. Fold these lengths in half and sew them to the fronts of jacket as pictured. Use a length of black thread to sew together left-hand frogs about 3/4" from fold, making a loop that will fit your button well. Sew buttons to opposite loops. If desired, sew snaps beneath the frogs on the inside of button bands and at the collar to keep sweater closed a little better.
3 weeks ago
29 comments:
Beautiful! I can't wait to knit this. But I really get strange looks as I go down the street searching for a baby of appropriate size . . .
Thanks for sharing
Suze
This is a beautiful pattern! Thanks so much for sharing. I just love your profile pics of Alice looking behind the curtain :)
This is such a beautiful pattern! It's so different than anything that I've seen out there right now. Thank you so much for sharing. It seems that everyone I know is pregnant at the moment, so this sweater will be a welcome change from the baby blankets I had planned to knit up.
This is officially adorable! I must make this!
This is so adorable. I plan to make it and knit some cute Mary Jane booties to go with it and a hat. You mention two sizes but only give for one?
Thanks, Becky! I have found that using size 5 needles makes a size 0-3 sweater, and using size 6 needles makes a size 3-6 sweater.
Very cute!! I'd love to make this for my niece... although she's already 6 months. Do you think using size 7 needles would work to make it slightly larger?? And also, is the gauge for the 0-3 sweater or the 3-6 sweater?
Size 7 needles would definitely make it larger. I made a baby sweater with the same stitch counts for a 1-year old using size 7 needles, but I'd definitely recommend using a larger size yarn, like Cashmerino Aran instead of Baby, Karabella Aurora 8 or Knitpicks Swish. If you do so, I think I would cast on another stitch or two for each arm -- moving to a larger gauge for some reason makes arms a little thinner.
The gauge swatch was done with the smaller needles for the smaller size.
This is a beautiful pattern and I'm knitting one for a friend who's pregnant. I'm not a very experienced knitter, but love the challenge of learning new things. This is my first baby jacket!
I have a stupid question, so please forgive me...
Your instructions say to "Work one purl turning row". Does that just means that I have to purl one row accross?
Thanks.
Claudia
You're right, Claudia! Working a purl row in stockinette fabric (instead of a regular knit row) makes a nice crisp line that folds over naturally. Then you can just tack down the folded portion later when you are finishing the jacket. When you get to the bottom hem of the sweater, you work the same kind of band, and you can just tack down the live stitches instead of binding off.
Can you tell me how you get 196 stitches at the end of the first 16 rows? I calculate 186 plus the 4 raglan ones. I'm confused!
Good eye, Vicki. That was a typo. It should read 190 stitches at that point -- I've made the changes to the pattern.
Jen
It's Vicki again. I have followed the pattern but the larger side is on the left, not right, as you look at it front on.
I started the raglan shaping on a right side row after the seed stitch collar. What have I done wrong?
Vicki, it might just be a question of the way you're looking at it -- if you're knitting it top down, the larger side *should* be on the left had end of a right-side row, shouldn't it? Remember that this is being knit upside-down from the way that "normal" sweaters are knit.
Or perhaps you've got it flipped, but who really cares? One kind of asymmetry seems as good as the other, really. As long as you keep following the directions, it should all work out okay.
Thanks so much for a lovely pattern! It was excellently written and turned out great. I was looking for something cute that was but non-traditional, and this was perfect.
I love this jacket so much, and want to make it for my little niece, but she'll be too big by the start of autumn to fit (she'll be exactly 6 months at the end of August). Has anybody tried scaling it up for 6-9 months, and if so, could you tell me how? I'm not very experienced at knitting, but I like to try...
Thanks in advance for any suggestions,
Annie
Hi -- can't wait to start this beautiful sweater for a baby girl due in November. I saw cute booties with this sweater somewhere and can't remember where it was. Would love to make the set.
Thanks
Lea
Hi, can't wait to start this beautiful pattern for my niece. I saw cute booties with this sweater but I can't remember where I found the pattern. Can you help?
Thanks
Lea
The booties I made to go with the sweater were Saartje's booties from http://www.saartjeknits.nl
Jen, I've had this sweater pattern bookmarked for a year, and finally have a little girl picked out to knit for.
I have a question: while I understand and like the idea of a tucked hem, could you just do the 8 rows of seed in the CC instead of the turn row and SS and just have that be a border? Also, I don't suppose you have a close-up picture of the frogs? I'm a little confused as to how the loops are supposed to look and how they affix to the jacket: ie, is one frog on one side of the jacket, or are they both on the same placet and they are where the button/hole would be? (I'm not sure if that question makes sense?)
Anyway, thanks for sharing your beautiful pattern with us!
Hi Misty --
You could indeed do both the collar and the bottom hem in just eight rows of seed stitch without the folded-under hem. I thought that the extra bulk would help the collar to stand up, and then wanted the other borders to match it. As for the frogs, they're really easy: make a length of i-cord and then fold it in half. Sew it to one side of the placket so that the folded part is overhanging the black border (I'd say so that the fold basically touches the cast-off edge). Sew it so that the two folded-together sides are touching and leave about 1/2 of loop open as a buttonhole (it basically kind of looks like a needle). Sew the other i-cord on the other placket in the same way, and sew a button on the end of this loop. Does that make sense? It's basically like the buttons on a peacoat or something.
Please could you explain something. When setting up the Raglan in MC it Reads:k2 (right front) pm,k1,pm, what does the pm mean? Thanks Jean
Hi Jean,
"pm" means "place marker." Should probably have written it out on the pattern!
Jen
Hi, I would like to do this pattern for a 2yr old toddler, how would you suggest I go about it? thanks JPL
There is a child's version in the sidebar under "free patterns."
I just found your site and I couldn't believe my eyes! Your patterns are beautiful and they are FREE. Thank you so much for sharing. I knit yearly for my church bazzar and I'm so anxious to get started on your designs.
thank you, again
Pauline
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