So cute.
February 21st, 2008
And here it is, the finished “five-hour baby sweater” which may very well take five hours if you are someone other than me. Now that I’ve done one, I definitely want to try another–after I finish the Baby Surprise Jacket that I’ve just started.
Yes, EZ’s Baby Surprise Jacket. I’ve always wanted to try this pattern, but I’ve read it over and over and never quite grasped what I was supposed to do. (I’m not one of those people who Trusts the Pattern and Just Knits. I don’t know how those people can sleep at night.)
Fortunately, I ordered The Opinionated Knitter and Meg Swansen’s DVD of the Baby Surprise Jacket process and they both helped immensely. Meg’s DVD is full of helpful hints and tips that extend well beyond the BSJ (like “What do you do if your long-tail cast-on has too short a long tail?” and no, the answer is not necessarily “rip out your cast-on and try again”), making it a great value and entertaining too.
Oh, and here’s a typically blurry (since I took it) photo of Ing, the mother-to-be, on her last day at work before medical/maternity leave, holding up the sweater with great delight. She particularly liked the pink buttons–which I was still sewing on at 8 a.m. that day.
12 Comments Add your own
1. minnie | February 22nd, 2008 at 6:59 am
don’t feel bad, dave, i don’t think anyone except maybe waunietta, or one of the other fastest knitters in the world could do this sweater in 5 hours either. i clicked on the boy pattern link (i can’t seem to get the lacey one to work out), and i’m on my second one for charity, and they’ve taken 8 hours each (well, i’m still working on the second one, and i’m up to about 6 1/2 hours, lol)
2. nora | February 22nd, 2008 at 8:29 am
Is that the Ing who Shelagh Rodgers has been interviewing on “Sounds Like Canada”? Pass on best wishes to her from one of your readers. She looks great! (Great job on the sweater, too, by the way!)
3. Nichole D. | February 22nd, 2008 at 8:30 am
It is very cute! great job!
4. Diane | February 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 am
I’ve knit quite a few 5 hr sweaters and they always take longer than 5 hrs. But I love the pattern and every last sweater comes out cute. The pink buttons on your are precious.
5. angie | February 22nd, 2008 at 9:43 am
I make a sweater a lot like this and depending on how much time I can devote to it, it can take anywhere from a day or two, to months! Yours came out very nice. I don’t put buttons on mine. I just weave ribbon through the lacey holes.
6. Shelly Hattan | February 22nd, 2008 at 10:30 am
I just helped out my mom with the EZ surprise sweater and have written out row counts - That’s really the most difficult part of this sweater.
You can find it here:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pA6HznCJrv9Em4X7RQpLUOQ
7. david_demchuk | February 22nd, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Yes, Nora–that is indeed the famous Ing. (She apparently also had an offer from a CBC News: Sunday camera crew to attend at the hospital but she tastefully declined).
Angie, I turned my poor craft room upside down looking for washable satin ribbon that I knew I had, and that I knew was in a matching colour. Needless to say, no luck. But I think the buttons were a worthy sacrifice.
And thank you, Shelly, for the row count–I’ll take a look at it tonight when I have the beast in my hot little hands!
8. Kristina | February 27th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I printed out this sweater after checking it out on your blog and I am working on the yoke, but mine doesn’t have those cute little bobble-like bumps and eyelets. I think it may be because when I do the increase of picking up the horizontal strand, I knit it like I would making an invisible increase and I knit through the back and twist it. Should I be knitting into the front and creating little eyelet holes instead? The one I am currently making is for a boy, so I don’t mind that I don’t have little bumps and eyelets, but the next one is for a girl and I want that textured look! Yours is so cute!!!
9. david_demchuk | February 27th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Kristina, you are absolutely correct–the bobble-like bumps depend on each increase being created by lifting the horizontal bar between the stitches and knitting into the front of it. That would be what I would do for the girl’s jacket. Your twisted increase is perfect for a boy’s jacket.
I’m glad you like it!
10. sue | March 11th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
It turned out so cute. The mum to be looks quite happy with it too.
11. Sophie | March 12th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Just read your article on last knitty about this baby jacket and my god that’s so true… I’m a 24 years old girl, so anytime I knit a baby thing it’s like : “Oh my god you’re pregnant” , umm not at all, just knitting something for a friend ! I can’t imagine what it’s look like when there’ s a man involved. People are so stupid. Where I live knitting is really NOT trendy, so most people laugh of me until they actually see me in one of my handknit and say : “Wow, beautiful sweater, where did you get it ?” and I’m like… : “You can’t have it, I made it!” and since this first sweater… I’m now a local hero at my workplace… don’t worry someday people will understand for you too !
Good luck
Sophie
12. Elizabeth Keller | March 12th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Keep up the good work! I just read your article on Knitty about knitting baby clothes.
The first guy I saw crocheting a beautiful baby dress was a farmworker in a state fair barn in the 1960’s in Indiana. Having learned needlearts from my conservative female ancestors, I was surprised and favorably impressed with his high quality of work. He was an employee of a neighboring farm and we had stopped to say hello to him at the fair while he sat with the neighbor’s animals in a show barn. He proudly showed me his work. I was an adolescent at the time. I will never forget his smile as he held it up for me to see. If any onlookers do not appreciate the work, that is their own shortcoming.
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