Jan 21, 2007

Baby (Toddler) Surprise Jacket- Finished!

She likes it!
Here is Sophia, trying on her Surprise Jacket.
And hooray for me, finally finishing something.
The pattern, of course, is the late Elizabeth Zimmermann's classic Baby Surprise Jacket. If you go to the site for the business she started (which her daughter Meg continues), Schoolhouse Press, you can see there are not only patterns available, but now kits and a video (and many more knitterly goodies.)

Many people make these in fine baby yarns with smaller needles and they knit up quickly and magically for little newborns. I made Sophia's using Magic Garden Buttons yarn. It's a washable 83% wool/ 17% polyester (the little nubby "buttons". It is a DK weight, but I used it double. And shame on me, I cannot remember the needle size....in any case, all you need to know is that it is certainly possible to use the Baby pattern for a toddler-sized jacket by fiddling with the yarn and needle sizes.

There is a pattern available for the Adult Surprise Jacket, but be forewarned, there are hundreds of stitches cast-on and many, many, many rows of garter stitch. Many. I was going to do the Adult jacket in the class I took and at the last minute decided to do the Baby "first."

Well, there may be another Baby on my needles someday, but I do not need an Adult Surprise Jacket to add to my stash of UFOs. And that is surely what will happen if I start one.
I am Zann.
And I am a Short Attention Span Knitter....

1 comment:

  1. What a cutie in a beautiful jumper.

    ReplyDelete