Striped Yoke Baby Cardigan

In 5 1/2 months I'll be an Aunt -- for the first time! To say I'm happy about this is an understatement, and not just because there's a zillion cute baby things to knit.

Up first: This is a sacque according to the pattern which just sounds weird so I'll refer to it as a cardigan. The pattern is from a 1968 book titled "Lovable Hand Knits: Infants to 4 years." I bought it a few years ago at St. Vincent's, back when I didn't know any babies and didn't anticipate any arriving in the near future. It caught my eye because most of the garments require fingering weight yarn, which is better than the bulky knits up fast! kid patterns so easy to find nowadays.



The yellow buttons were photoshopped in to indicate where the buttonholes are, that's the color I'll get if there isn't anything better at the fabric store. The colors are a little unusual but they passed the mom test. It's the sort of thing I'd put on a young child but I wouldn't wear myself. The green makes me think of spring and the cardigan is sized to fit the baby next spring and/or summer. That's the plan anyway, what I know about clothing growing babies could fit on the head of a pin.

It was knit from the neck down without any seams. The sleeves were meant to be knit flat but I did those in the round. I'm thinking about sewing up the front (stopping at the bottom of the yoke) and turning it into a pullover.

Yarn: Dale Baby Ull (blue) and Lanett Ull (green) -- both are Superwash 100% merino wool fingering weight yarns made in Norway; they look virtually identical to me. This yarn is delicious, it's so soft and perfect for babies (it's machine washable) or anyone who thinks wool is scratchy.

Right now I'm working on a pair of green/red/orange/yellow booties using leftover sock yarn.