12.09.07
Finished Objects: A Trio of Baby Sweaters
Thank you all for your wonderful comments on my Cable-Down Raglan! It has been lovingly folded up for permanent storage in an acid-free, museum-quality box to protect it from moths, pills, snags, stains, light, friction, and bombardment from overly aggressive molecules. I so rarely make anything that allows me to hold my head up high and declare myself a solidly intermediate knitter that when I do, I need to do everything I can to preserve it.
So, in my last few posts I have lamented my pitiful showing during what was supposed to be the Year of Sweaters. And it’s true, I have only made one adult sweater from start to finish so far during 2007, though I am optimistic that I will double that number to two by December 31. (You can guess what kind of rockin’ New Year’s Eve I’m setting myself up for with that goal.)
In all my self-berating for failing to adequately dedicate myself to the simplest of challenges, I had sort of forgotten about the multiple baby sweaters that I knit this year. I’m not saying baby sweaters “count” as much as adult sweaters, but at least they’re in the spirit of the Year of Sweaters. But two of the three little items below have been languishing in my knitting bag for several months, and the third was gifted long ago, each failing to seem interesting enough to blog. As a trio, however, perhaps they are worthy of taking up space on the internet. (I know there’s a strong tradition of self-imposed quality control on internet content, and I certainly wouldn’t want to violate that.) So here they are, in no particular order:
Pattern: Kai Cable Sweater from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding
Yarn: Rowan All-Seasons Cotton, color 191
Notes: I made this sweater once before, in the same yarn. I have all the same things to say about it that I did last time, and since most of you probably don’t re-read all my blog posts once a week just to keep them fresh in your minds, I could probably get away with repeating those same insightful comments without anyone noticing. My moral compass points to “not entirely kosher” on that idea, though (I’m assuming here that moral compasses have something other than north and south on them, because that wouldn’t be terribly useful, outside of the rare morally uncertain navigational scenario). So if you’re interested in what I think of the pattern (adorable!) and the yarn (mostly wonderful!), go read my old post. (And if you’re not interested, I’ve just saved you valuable blog-reading time. You’re welcome.)
One thing I did very slightly differently this time is the neckline. The neckline section of the pattern is written pretty terribly, and as far as I can tell it wants you to knit the cable split in front (seen here, and a nice pattern detail, in my opinion), plus an opening at the side of the neck, presumably to allow the sweater to go over the baby’s head more easily. Well, I thought that looked pretty lousy, and last time I reknit the neckline to have the second opening in the back. Not loving how that looked either, I decided that I cared more about the baby’s vanity than the baby’s comfort (why no, I have no children of my own, why do you ask?), so I just left the neckline intact except for the cable split. I did try to bind off loosely — I’m not a total child-hating monster.
Pattern: Milan Jacket from Natural Knits for Babies and Moms by Louisa Harding
Yarn: Cascade 220, exactly two full skeins, colorway 9429
Notes: This is the third pattern (for a total of four sweaters) I have knit from this book, which most knitters will recognize as a rare and nearly holy occurrence (and there are still others I hope to knit!). Unfortunately, it took me until after I was finished with the fourth sweater to diagnose a consistent problem with the patterns: the armholes are (in my opinion) too small. This is such an easy problem to fix that I should have been able to nail it down a lot sooner, but instead I spent rather a lot of time thinking, “Boy, the armholes on all these sweaters seem so constricting. I wonder why that could be? If only there were some way I could figure out what’s causing this. Oh well!”
Anyway, armhole size aside, I am fairly happy with how this sweater came out. However, the one problem with “classic” baby sweaters (the kind I generally prefer, as opposed to bobbles and fiddly intarsia barnyard animals and what have you) is that there is a fine line between “classic” and “dullsville.” This sweater was probably on the wrong side of that line when I stumbled upon these adorable bumblebee buttons at Jo-Ann Fabrics when I was looking for standard toggles. I think that they would run the risk of being overly cutesy if the rest of the sweater weren’t fairly conservative; as it is, I think they add a sense of whimsy that was definitely lacking. (My one gripe with the buttons was that they came with instructions that they should not be allowed to get wet, nor should they be subjected to dry cleaning. Seriously??? I hope the eventual recipient of this sweater loves it enough to be willing to give it careful sponge baths, because I can think of no other way to clean it that wouldn’t offend the buttons.)
Pattern: Child’s Placket-Neck Pullover from Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson
Yarn: Knitpicks Swish Superwash, which I think I recall was nice enough to work with, although the red bled like crazy when I (hand) washed the finished sweater.
Notes: Speaking of sweaters I’ve made before, I’ve, well, made this sweater before. At least twice. That’s because it’s a great, quick sweater that can usually be made to work with whatever yarn you have on hand (provided you are flexible about the sizing, or, like me, happily clueless about the standard dimensions of babies at different ages).
This is another sweater that was dramatically improved by the addition of cute buttons. This bothers me a little, because I can put hours of work into creating a sweater stitch by loving stitch, but it’s only when you slap on the store-bought novelty buttons that the damn thing looks remotely cute.
While I really like making baby sweaters, I so rarely get to see them in action. And let’s face it: baby sweaters just aren’t nearly as cute when they are unoccupied by babies. I’ve tried various ways to get around the shortage of live babies in my life (including awkward arm’s-length hand modeling and the use of wholly unsuitable stand-ins). Happily, the recipient of this one (my friend Josh) sent me a whole series of photos of his little girl modeling it, and in fact told me that she would likely be wearing it in their family Christmas card photo. This is a tremendous honor for me: never before has my knitwear been featured prominently in such a high-profile publication. I expect that the back of the card will contain the following credit: “Skylar’s wardrobe made possible in part by Lickety Knit Apparel — fine clothiers since 2003.”
Pretty adorable, right? (I do actually mean the baby, as knitting-centric as I may be.) I expect my blog hits to go way up once that Christmas card starts hitting people’s mailboxes.
So there you have it: three baby sweaters. Year of Sweaters. It all comes together. Woo.
AC said,
December 9, 2007 at 10:42 pm
Lickety Knit saved Christmas, or at least the Christmas cards. Can you use the cats as baby sweater models?
leigh said,
December 9, 2007 at 10:58 pm
the buttons are great – just admit you’ve made them yourself . . . c’mon the least you can do is pretend…
Amy said,
December 9, 2007 at 11:12 pm
I would count the 3 baby sweaters as 1.5 adult sweaters.
They look great.
Amy
Theresa said,
December 9, 2007 at 11:32 pm
And that’s the beauty of baby sweaters. Too cute on the action shots.
Heather said,
December 10, 2007 at 12:04 am
Dullsville?? No way, missy. Classic and cute, that what’s I say!
handknit168 said,
December 10, 2007 at 12:05 am
Love all the baby sweaters, especially the buttons.
Erika said,
December 10, 2007 at 3:30 am
Cute baby! Cute sweaters!
I know what you mean about those buttons…I tried to find ones with puppies on them to jazz up a baby sweater I’m making but didn’t have any luck, so I’ll probably just do the yarn buttons described in the pattern. Alas!
SarahJanet said,
December 10, 2007 at 4:32 am
Oh, I totally do that with the buttons too. Maybe I should just start buying store-bought sweaters and sewing on some cute buttons.
Adorable, as always! I love your baby sweaters.
Sue said,
December 10, 2007 at 6:12 am
Oh I really loved reading about all the baby sweaters, and they are all so cute. Do I prefer the green one over the red one (ooh cant decide because the daisy buttons look so cute on that little sweater). I think the model is perfect too, and I tend to agree that sweaters look much nicer on the intended recipient.
Christabel said,
December 10, 2007 at 6:40 am
That baby’s pretty darn cute, I’ll admit, but where are the Christmas cards with penguins wearing your attire? I’d pay good money for some of those.
Kristen said,
December 10, 2007 at 7:34 am
Those are some nice looking sweaters. Usually I don’t repeat adult patterns, but tend to have a small repetoire of baby patterns I use over and over because they are classic as well as baby-friendly. I’ve often thought the same thing – is it only the store-bought buttons that make this standard sweater appealing? But any baby (or parent) with class will realize that it is your lovingly stitched sweater that showcases them. Skylar and parents appear to be in this category!
Shelley said,
December 10, 2007 at 9:22 am
The one thing I like about knitting baby sweaters is that they are quick to knit up. Yours look wonderful and the buttons are adorable. I’m going to have to hunt up some babyish type yarn as there is a lady at the school here who is expecting in April I think. Not sure how the Koreans are with receiving handmade gifts, but I thought I might try to make a little sweater or something for her baby.
Bertha said,
December 10, 2007 at 10:28 am
Those all turned out lovely! I am still not sure I understand why you can’t even get the bee buttons wet (are they made of like rice cracker or something??) but they are adorable nonetheless. Although I am not sure anything could be as adorable as Skylar in that sweater!
Jodi said,
December 10, 2007 at 10:30 am
Marvelous baby sweaters! I knit the Kai cable sweater last summer, and I’m almost done with a Milan Jacket right now. I especially like your choice of buttons for the placket-neck pullover.
Adriana said,
December 10, 2007 at 10:40 am
Those sweaters are all adorable (and, you know, the kid’s pretty cute too :P). I have the exact same problem as you when it comes to knitting stuff for babies. I haven’t the foggiest about sizing so I just plunge ahead and hope it will fit :)
I look forward to observing the race to get through another sweater before the new year. I’m sure it’s doable.
stacey said,
December 10, 2007 at 11:31 am
what a cute trio!!!! love the cabled one – ASC is one of my favorite yarns for wear!
Jennifer said,
December 10, 2007 at 12:01 pm
That is a seriously cute baby. You did a beautiful job on the sweaters. Love the buttons too.
Monday, December 10th, 2007 « Everyday Knitting by Lelah said,
December 10, 2007 at 12:15 pm
[...] Lickety Knit has a trio of finished baby sweaters. [...]
nova said,
December 10, 2007 at 1:03 pm
The year of sweaters! I don’t think it matters what size the sweaters are, they are sweaters. If you want to knit more, knit sweater ornaments (that might be pushing it, I guess). I tend to like classic baby sweaters too, and I am okay with Dullsville, to be honest. But the buttons are cute (and they don’t distract–that much–from the mad show of knitting skills).
JayJay said,
December 10, 2007 at 3:03 pm
Wow, that baby sure does look cute in you sweater! I think they complement one another nicely. Also, think of it as the buttons bringing out the hidden cuteness of your beautiful knitting, not that the buttons are the only cute part. I think all three sweater look fantastic! I have a sweater for our guppy nearly finished, but now I want to make more!
sari said,
December 10, 2007 at 6:28 pm
all those sweaters are cute, but the red one is friggetycute. (which is some sort of a superlative of cute).
i would certainly say that you had a successful year of sweaters, since “year of sweaters” does not stipulate what size the sweaters are!
Sparkles said,
December 10, 2007 at 7:47 pm
I used those same daisy buttons on my very first baby sweater! :)
All of your sweaters are gorgeous, but I have to admit to being partial to the modeled one…having the cute baby wearing the sweater really makes it shine! :) Not to mention the placket sweater being one of my favorites to knit as well…
earthchick said,
December 10, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Oh my, those are all fantastic!! And the buttons – fabu. (can I say “fabu”? I would never say “fabu” in real life, why do I feel it is okay to say “fabu” online? Perhaps I am suddenly feel constricted by the more conventional and somewhat overused – by me, in particular – “fabulous”? do I sound pretentious when I say/write “fabu”? or am I coming off as nonchalant, someone willing to toss off partial words whenever it suits her? or is it, strictly speaking, rather impossible to come across as nonchalant when one then proceeds to include an entire paragraph in parentheses regarding one’s own choice of slang? At any rate, fabu. The buttons are fabu. There I said it.)
And that little baby girl? She is so darling! And that sweater looks simply beautiful on her. I want to just swoop into that picture and cuddle her up. And possibly tell her she is fabu.
p.s. Do not think I am above reading all your blog posts once a week.
Sonya said,
December 10, 2007 at 9:15 pm
What an adorable collection of sweaters! Wonderful buttons too! The baby girl featured in this issue clearly loves her new sweater. They look like such fun to knit too. I may have to start knitting little sweaters and giving them away on the street. I’m sure no one would look askance at that.
Nonnahs said,
December 10, 2007 at 9:32 pm
All three are precious! Baby knits really are the best. And even better when you get to see them modeled!
connie said,
December 11, 2007 at 11:14 am
Oh, baby knits definitely count! And yours are lovely.
Emily said,
December 11, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Baby sweaters are totally impressive when blogged in a group – especially when you don’t include a quarter or something for scale. No one would ever guess they were tiny. It’s all about Presentation.
feefifoto said,
December 11, 2007 at 6:05 pm
Oh. My. Goodness. What a gorgeous … baby!
The sweaters are nice too. ;)
Mintyfresh said,
December 11, 2007 at 11:56 pm
love!
knitsabella said,
December 12, 2007 at 12:15 pm
OOOOOOh CUTE! and yes, I mean both the baby and your sweaters. The year of sweaters seems to be a smashing success!
Allison said,
December 12, 2007 at 4:29 pm
I love that the buttons aren’t to get wet or visit the dry cleaner. I suppose the parents can hang the sweater on the wall in a dust-free case or something. Honestly, what are some apparel (or components) people *thinking* when they make decisions like that?
I love all the sweaters and their buttons. It’s a nice little collection, and cute baby photos as a bonus! I don’t blame you for going with vanity over comfort. I’ve done the same, and I *do* have a baby.
I will be putting that book on my wish list RIGHT NOW, by the way. It’s awesome.
Dwight said,
December 15, 2007 at 4:59 pm
Those sweaters look awesome, you really amaze me with the consistently beautiful garments you are able to produce. Also, as usual, this edition of licketyknit was witty and informative. I can’t wait to continue reading future issues well into the future.
Debby said,
December 19, 2007 at 7:58 pm
What a great trio of sweaters! It looks like you have a willing model in Skylar — I’m thinking a red sweater for Valentine cards is up next? And you could knit a sweater for your cat like Laura did, for those of us owned by cats and dogs.
Laura said,
December 28, 2007 at 11:58 am
So here I am, the worst blog-friend ever, finally leaving a comment on your blog. I’ve been so grumpy about not knitting that I haven’t been reading many blogs or feeling the urge to leave witty comments. (I broke my 3.5 week knitting moratorium–probably inadvisedly–earlier in the week because of sudden NEED to make cat toys.)
After reading this entry and thinking about your past entries (which I do read with great regularity, but not once a week), I think your niche as a knitter is in babyware. Some people do socks, others do garter-stitch skarfs–but you obviously excel at making super-duper adorbable baby sweaters. So your Year of Sweaters is not as lame as you implied. You were just in the process of finding yourself.
knitsabella said,
December 31, 2007 at 3:33 am
Quote:
“This is a tremendous honor for me: never before has my knitwear been featured prominently in such a high-profile publication. I expect that the back of the card will contain the following credit: “Skylar’s wardrobe made possible in part by Lickety Knit Apparel — fine clothiers since 2003.”
You crack me up. Honestly. I actually have a tear coming down my cheek from laughing too hard. The dog thinks I’m crazy.
Beautiful sweaters! Hip hip hurray for the year of sweaters. Happy New Years!
Rain said,
January 1, 2008 at 7:48 am
They all look great. I’ve done my fair share of twiddly fiddly baby sweaters, but think the classic styles like these win out every time. It’s a very successful trio in your (sort of) year of sweaters ; )
Lickety Knit » I Finally Posted but Can’t Think of a Title said,
February 5, 2008 at 11:08 pm
[...] that I will not hold back from indulging my secret pleasure: knitting baby sweaters (Laura recently suggested that this might be my calling) — they’re so cute and quick and since people are always [...]