Another February, another baby cardigan…
This rose and a pitcherful of its friends grew outside my house. In January.
There aren’t many patterns I’ve knit three times, but when you need a pretty little cardigan for a wee girl, it’s hard to go wrong with Elizabeth Zimmermann’s gull lace and garter. This latest incarnation of the Baby Sweater on Two Needles from Knitter’s Almanac is for a baby born in Costa Rica last October, which shows you just how back-logged I am on knitting for my friends’ children. Thank goodness it blocked out like a champ — I thought I’d be lucky if a four-month-old could be stuffed into it for as long as a week, but now it looks like it might fit her next fall!
This yarn is Deep Stash. In fact, in stash terms, it basically dates from the paleolithic. It is so old the internet doesn’t know it ever existed. (Okay, a few other knitters on Ravelry have some, but nothing comes up on Google so I haven’t been able to find out just how ancient it is.) I inherited it from my mother-in-law, and I’d been doubting whether I’d ever use it — cotton and viscose blends are not my cup of tea, and this one proved to be just as splitty and unpleasant on the needles as I’d foreseen. But the yarn, made by Crystal Palace, is called Helena and so is the baby. How could I resist? And I have to admit the finished cardigan is pretty charming in that antique ivory, with the vintage buttons that match so perfectly…
(What I’m going to do with the other seven balls, I have no idea. They’re a brighter white than the three I used here. If shiny, splitty cotton-viscose yarn really floats your boat, drop me a line and I’ll mail them to you.)
Posted: February 5th, 2012 at 6:16 am
It is a very cute sweater. If the 7 balls would make a good adult woman’s top, then I might be interested. My MIL doesn’t like wool that much, so it would be nice to make her something with yarn that she would like more.
Posted: February 5th, 2012 at 9:08 am
Sweet sweater. Sorry the knitting wasn’t that much fun, but you did turn out a lovely gift for this baby.
Posted: February 5th, 2012 at 12:42 pm
How very pretty! I am in wholehearted agreement as to knitting with cotton and cotton blends, but I really love the way natural colored plant fiber yarns look knitted into traditional lace patterns.
Posted: February 5th, 2012 at 6:32 pm
Beautiful job.
Posted: February 5th, 2012 at 7:14 pm
It’s lovely! And yes, those buttons are just perfect.
Posted: February 7th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
I made this sweater in a deep forest green Malabrigo last year for my newborn granddaughter. It was the perfect yarn. I can’t do the splitty yarn thing. Frustrates me so badly I abandon my project. So glad you finished yours though because it turned out so gorgeous. The antique white is perfect for the pattern.
Posted: February 8th, 2012 at 7:15 am
I’ve seen some beautiful summer-weight stoles made from cotton blends like this. Perhaps that would work for you…or just knit it all up in the February sweater!
Posted: February 8th, 2012 at 10:33 pm
I did a web search for ideas for this yarn and found your blog. I love this sweater. I have 4 balls of off white that I got from another knitter. After reading your blog, I think I can make a baby sweater with what I have. I just need to find the appropriate pattern. I’ll have to do a search for the Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern you used. Thanks for sharing your experience with the yarn.
Posted: February 13th, 2012 at 8:00 am
What a perfectly delicate cardi for a baby girl, and that color will keep it versatile.
Those left overs would make lovely neutral stripes against a colorful yarn in a stripey shawl!
Posted: March 1st, 2012 at 1:07 pm
I’m nearly finished with a stash-sock-yarn version – quite different, merino that’s too soft for heels in a color that reminds me of African violets – but I’m thrilled to recall how fast it knits up, how stretchy it is and how flexible with yarn types. This is especially nice as I’d convinced myself not to knit baby sweaters any longer due to recent personal observation of the super-fast growth of infants… then jumped right in because blankets take too long.