Baby Knitting
So many of my friends and colleagues are having babies these days! I have been enjoying knitting teensy tiny baby things and mailing them off to various locations. One of my favourite patterns is the Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ) {Ravelink} by Elizabeth Zimmerman. The pattern (originally published in 1968) can be found in Zimmerman’s books “The Opinionated Knitter” and “Knitting Workshop” or can be ordered separately from School House Press, and it will be mailed to you.
The sweater seen below was made for a dear friend in Japan who became a father over the summer to baby Kouki. It is knit with blue-green sock yarn (Lana Grossa Mega Boots Stretch) that has a gradual colour change, punctuated with black stripes of Kroy.
Baby Surprise Jacket
The sweater is cast on around the cuffs and across the back, and knit with mitered corners until you reach the button band and bottom edge of the sweater. It is knit in one piece and has only one seam to sew up (I HATE sewing up seams and weaving in ends!). There are infinite possibilities of stripes and colours, and it is a great way to use up scraps from your stash.
Baby Surprise Jacket
Different sizes are achieved by using different needles and wool combinations. Zimmerman’s philosophy is that babies come in all sizes, so what you knit is sure to fit someone’s child. I knit by that philosophy most of the time!
The first time I knit this sweater was for baby Rachel. I was a bit nervous. The pattern is written in a very conversational style…with warnings that what you are creating will not look like a sweater, but to stick with it until the end when all will be revealed. When I cast off, I had this oddly shaped creation–my first Baby Surprise Jacket, knit from stash yarn of varying compostition.
Finished the knitting.....is this really a sweater?
I followed the folding instructions as drawn out on the pattern page, and it is remarkable to see how this can become a sweater. I passed it around to my family members and friends, and had fun watching them struggle to figure out what it was supposed to be.
now it's a sweater!
I made several more BSJs with stash yarn, and I’m impressed at how different each sweater looks! It is fun to plan out crazy colour combinations.
BSJ for baby Paxton
Baby Surprise Jacket from Stash Yarn
I wanted to try this pattern with self patterning yarn to see how well the stripes would show with the garter stitch, and the variation in row length. The following two sweaters are the results of that experimentation. I think it turned out very nicely, and had far fewer ends to weave in!
baby surprise jackets
So, if you are looking for an interesting knitting project that will let you showcase your colour sense, and creativity give this one a try! People will definitely ask you what you’re making.
Tags: baby, baby surprise jacket, knitting, sweater, zimmerman
