Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Size: 6-9 mo?
Yarn: Craftspun Bluefaced Leicester Aran (100 percent wool); Henry’s Attic Kona Superwash DK (100 percent superwash merino wool)
Yardage: 300-350 yds
Source: Yarns by Design, Neenah, WI; Catnip Yarns
Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) 24" circular needles
Gauge: 5.5 sts = 1" in garter stitch
Notes: I have been working a LOT lately, and I had to work last weekend, too, but I also needed to relax, and knitting this little jacket was, for whatever reason, the only thing I wanted to do when I had some time to take a break. Consequently, it knit up very quickly, and the process was fun. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this pattern, the important thing to know is that the whole sweater is knit in one piece, then folded up at the end and seamed across the top of the arms. Pre-folding, the knit piece of fabric looks truly bizarre, like a manta ray or something. As I followed the pattern directions, I was very interested in trying to work out what exactly I was knitting and how the jacket was going to take shape. Once I figured out where the arms were, it wasn’t too hard to understand the construction, though I still can’t quite imagine coming up with the pattern myself. Very clever, that Elizabeth Zimmerman.
I used the version of this pattern that appears in Zimmerman’s Knitting Workshop. The only trouble I had with it was figuring out how much yarn I would need: the pattern calls for 3 oz. of Shetland wool, which helped me not at all. (What weight is Shetland wool? Are we talking DK/sport, like Jamieson’s Shetland?) Luckily, I knew that the pattern was quite forgiving, so I decided to just dive in. I had 100 g (3.5 oz) of aran-weight yarn, which I figured might be on the heavy side, but I did get something approaching gauge with it, so off I went. It quickly became clear that 187 yds was not going to cut it, so I went in search of other yarns to use and came up with this bright blue yarn that I dyed last year. (I consider blue to be a gender-neutral color, by the way.) When I ran out of that, I used some undyed yarn of the same weight, which, thankfully, matched the undyed yarn that I started out with. It was all a bit of an adventure.
Some people churn out Baby Surprise Jacket after Baby Surprise Jacket. I can certainly see the appeal for using up leftovers, and it was the perfect pattern for me in the midst of a stressful time with work. In general, though, I don’t like to knit things more than once, and that much garter stitch would put me to sleep in normal conditions. It will be interesting to see if and when I decide to make another.
Next up, I’ve been working on a little cotton dress for my friend’s baby, who is due next week.
I’m actually knitting it from both ends at once, since my yarn supply is limited, and I want to make sure that I don’t run out. Progress has been fairly swift, so I’m hoping to have another little baby thing to show off early next week. The near-instant satisfaction of baby knitting is right up my alley these days.
I knit a Baby Surprise Jacket years ago. I had no particular target in mind – I was just intrigued with the construction. Like you, I had no idea what weight yarn was being referred to, but I just used some lightweight yarn I happened to have (without checking for gauge. Oh, the horror!)
The jacket turned out very very very tiny, which didn’t become apparent until it was time to sew it up – that intriguing construction made it hard to wrap my mind around what size it was going to end up as.
Just about that time, a woman I knew had her baby prematurely – a teeny tiny little fellow. At the time, I didn’t really know her well enough to have knitted a baby sweater for her, but the tiny red sweater and the tiny baby just seemed like a natural.
She was genuinely touched by the knitting, and thrilled that her little guy had one garment that actually FIT him! She and I have now been friends for many years (her “little guy” is now all-grown-up), and that serendipitous BSJ was the start of it all.
Love yours, by the way. Now I’m thinking I should make another one after all these years – in a heavier weight yarn, of course…
Beautiful jacket — I really like the colors together. And the little cotton dress is too cute, with the boldness, which could be overpowering, somehow not overpowering because of the way the rows alternate throughout. So, is the little cotton dress being made up and designed as you knit both ends at once? — Both projects are just yummy and inspiring!