sophy's knits, notes, etc.

i was really excited when i learned that my coworker and his wife were expecting a baby girl — i imagined all manner of little baby things to knit for them. i skimmed through my collection of knitting patterns and books for babies and toddlers and fixated on the denim pinafore [ravelry] from Simple Knits for Little Cherubs by Erika Knight.

i didn't actually follow the pattern at all, since it's written for dk weight yarn and appropriate needles; but i definitely sought to make something similar. i pictured a baby girl sitting and playing with blocks. she's wearing a simple pink cotton jumper over a frilly white cap-sleeved dress. the skirts of the jumper and white dress flare wide around her and cover her chubby baby legs... i was eager to cast on. [ravelry].

cotton jumper for baby stuyi.

yarn :: Rowan 4ply cotton, Color 120 orchid, 1 Skein.
needles :: US 2 (2.75 mm).
finished measurements :: suitable for 6-12 months. i don't remember specifics.

similar to erika knight's pinafore, this jumper has a picot turned hem and is shaped with four lines of decreases along the length of the skirt. i didn't want to seam too many pieces together, so it's knit in the round. in the end, the only seaming i had to do were the shoulders; and i did a really poor job of that. i used short rows to shape the front and back collar, and i think miscalculated one of the sides; i hope the mismatched shoulders aren't too noticeable... i kept the collar and armhole edges very simple; just picked up the stitches, knit one row, and bound off the next.

side-view, modeled by my lovely yarn swift.

:: stitch details

each of the 4 paired decreases are knit as ssk, k1, k2tog; i really like to use feathered decreases along a seam. luckily, the shaping of the skirt aligned very well with the armhole decreases. the shaping of the flared skirt, which you can see much better from the side view above, is in my opinion very cute.

i used a lace bind-off to to bind off the stitches i picked up along the collar and armholes: k2, pass to left needle, k2tog; k1, pass first st to left needle, k2tog.... basically, the technique used in the shawlettes i've knit to date (flower basket, swallowtail, and ishbel).

:: yarn notes

rowan 4ply cotton. i've knit a few things over the years with this yarn, and generally like the fabric it produces when knit with US 3 (3.25 mm) or US 4 (3.5 mm) needles. however, when knit with US 2 (2.75 mm), it produces a very stiff fabric... i actually planned to make a soaker to match the pinafore; but really, i didn't think the stiff cotton would be a very comfortable diaper cover.

overall, i like what i knitted. and i hope it fits baby stuyi...