Knitting on the Edge: Baby Sweater Edition

I knitted this little yellow baby sweater for a friend of mine, and it was a pretty easy knit, but also a bit of a nail-biter. Everything about the project hovered on that edge where something almost went wrong but somehow never crossed the line into the disaster zone. Believe it or not, this is the first time I’ve ever knitted a baby sweater, so I was flying blind and rolling with the punches!

Saga One: The Mystery Yardage Requirements and My Unfamiliarity with Babies

This adorable pattern is called Baby Willow and it’s a three-piece set with the cardigan, a hat, and booties. So, the drama is that the pattern only listed the yardage needed for the whole set, not the individual pieces. Other knitters’ notes on Ravelry weren’t super helpful, so I was on my own.

I had one 218-yard skein of Knit Picks Heatherly Worsted in my stash and I just had to trust my instinct that this seemed like it should be enough for a baby sweater. I could probably bang out two American Girl Doll sweaters with that yardage. Surely a baby isn’t larger than two dolls held together? 

I honestly don’t have enough experience with babies to have a clear idea of how big they are. It’s also my understanding that their newborn dimensions vary widely and then they grow at a rapid and unpredictable pace. 

So, here I am, blindly knitting the sweater without knowing if I’ll have enough yarn and, if I do, will the finished product fit a baby or a doll?

But, as I said, everything almost went wrong, but didn’t. I finished the sweater with almost 30 yards to spare and the father reported back that it was a little too big, which is perfect – now we just need to wait it out until it fits.

I Don’t Know Much About Babies, But I Know Yarn

Even if I’m clueless about baby sizes, I do know that they are messy and parents are too busy to handwash heirloom knits. That’s just common knowledge. So, I always choose easy-care yarns for baby knits and Heatherly fits the bill beautifully. It’s a soft merino acrylic blend that can go straight into the washer and dryer. 

Heatherly comes in the prettiest pastels, making it extra fab for babies. This buttery yellow color is warm and sunny without being bold, and the heathering adds a gentle vintage vibe to the whole sweater, don’t you think? 

I bought this color on a whim when the line first came out, along with a pretty mint green yarn that I used for these fingerless gloves. I’ve been waiting for the perfect project for the yellow skein and was so happy to finally have an excuse to use it!

OK, back to the drama:

Saga 2: The Button that Wasn’t

This little baby girl was destined to be named Flora, so I ordered the perfect yellow and white daisy button for it and was so excited about it… until delivery day… when I received an empty box! Oh no! Of course, Amazon gave me a refund, but at this point the baby was here and I didn’t have time to reorder, so no flower for Flora. Sorry.

I didn’t have anything suitable in my standard button stash, so I hit up the Drawer of Forgotten Buttons.^© This is the section of your jewelry box where you save all the little bags of extra buttons that come attached to your fanciest clothes. I found this pretty gold button that came with a blazer I wore many years ago in my lawyer life and I think it’s perfect.

I had a cutesy vision for this with the daisy as a finishing touch, but honestly, I like the gold button. It’ll add a touch of class to little Flora’s style. Her first designer wardrobe piece, perhaps?

A Happy Ending

Yes, this project had all the ingredients for something mildly disastrous. Mysterious yardage, no baby for reference, a missing button, and a first-time pattern. Yet it all came together and turned into a sweet little gift that should get plenty of wear. I would absolutely knit this pattern again the next time a friend welcomes a baby and I’ll definitely be buying more Heatherly.