I started knitting a baby hat a few nights ago and finished it last night. It just needs a pom pom on the top and then it’s completely finished!
I love the pattern, it was quick and easy to do, just rib and stocking stitch.
The pattern was number JB 010 by James C. Brett.
You can buy it from The Knitting Networkhere (affiliate link) if you want.
The wool was from Hobbycraft and is by The Women’s Institute. I loved the feel of it, but when I came to knit up with it, it knitted up really tight. So there isn’t much stretch with it.
I still like it, it just means with being so tight it’s a bit heavy and dense if that makes sense?
The perspective looks funny on the picture, but I did the hat in the 3rd size, which I think equates to 3 months old. I’m going to have a go at the cardigan above as it’s not a raglan and I could possibly finish it much quicker than the other one I finished a week or two ago.
Maybe I’ll see what yarn I have leftover from other projects, as I think this might be a bit heavy for a cardigan too. We’ll see!
All of the pieces in the pattern (a hat, a blanket and 2 cardigans) would all look good in Christmas colours.
So, that was a quick make that got done in 3 evenings. I’m pleased with the result, but I might have a look around for a lighter yarn with a bit more stretch…baby heads can be quite huge!!
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I just finished knitting the button bands for a test pattern. I wanted to have a go at knitting a raglan cardigan for a friend who is having a baby in December.
It’s taken a while as I was finishing a jumper for myself, but now that huge project is over and down with, I can concentrate on other smaller projects.
This pattern was by James C. Brett and it’s pattern number JB012. I did the bottom cardigan in the picture, in the same yarn as the pattern but in a different colour way to what was suggested.
I mostly decided to do a test as I’ve only ever tried a raglan once and it didn’t work out well for me. I knitted a chunky jumper years ago which looked OK, but I hadn’t quite mastered mattress stitch back then. Also I messed up the pattern anyway…so I thought I’d see what the actual process of raglan knitting was like, but on a smaller scale.
In a previous post I wrote how I had some trouble with the back of this one as the raglan edges looked really wonky. Remember this pic below?
Well, I’m pleased to announce it was all an optical illusion! And even if it really is a bit wonky, at least you can’t tell when it’s all stitched together!
I think I’ve sewn the seams together quite well on this, I’m definitely improving on my mattress stitch.
This is the back of it:
And a close up of the front:
Obviously I have still got to add the buttons.
Here’s my thoughts about the pattern.
In general it was really easy. I had to adjust the second front side as I think the pattern didn’t take into account the mirror image part of the raglan decreases at the top, but I managed (I could have knitted it wrong, but I don’t think so).
Overall it was a simple pattern. The pattern is raised on the front but it’s smooth on the inside, which I like.
I’m not so sure about the arms in stocking stitch though. If you look at the jumper option in the first picture (the middle one) you’ll see that the main pattern is continued on the sleeves which I think looks better.
The neckline was simple to do.
What I have issues with is the button band. The white coloured button band was picked up and knitted perfectly. The other one, with the button holes looks a right mess. It’s because you had to decrease and increase in a rib pattern to make the button holes which I found so frustrating and difficult. It could have explained that part in a tiny bit more detail. So, I had to just make up part of it – some of the rib bits have only 1 stitch!
Also, when doing the neckline and the button bands, you picked up and knitted the stitches and then did a row of knitting before starting the rib which to me gives a bit of a raised and bulky line running between where you picked up stitches and the main pieces. Does that make sense? I don’t know, maybe only I can see it because I know it’s there!
But overall, it wasn’t too difficult to do and looks OK.
As it was a test knit, I only used what yarn I had. I don’t think it works well in a variegated yarn. I think if I did this pattern again I would use one colour all the way through.
But honestly, I’m not sure if I’ll do this pattern again. I have another leaflet with another cardigan in and I think I might try that instead. I could still donate this one or give it to a friend for her child’s dolls!
I believe I got the pattern from Deramores online shop if you wanted to try it yourself.
I’m trying out a pattern for a knitted baby cardigan. The baby isn’t due until December so I have time to trial a few things before deciding on a ‘final’ pattern.
I want to try it first because I haven’t knitted that many jumpers or cardigans, even though I would consider myself an intermediate knitter. I’ve knitted a baby jumper and cardigan last year, and I did learn a lot from those to things, but this time I want it to be perfect!
What I struggle with in patterns like these is when it says decrease at the beginning and end of each row. And it doesn’t specifically tell you what decreases to do…that really annoys me!
This is what I had figured out last year…
BUT
When I did this, the right side looked a different angle to the left as you can see on the photo below.
It’s not an optical illusion!
I was knitting the back piece first. And that is all I have done so far. It’s a raglan pattern if that makes any difference? Honestly, I stay away from raglans because I hate them! I tried knitting a raglan jumper a couple of years ago and it failed miserably (but I did the pattern wrong for that one haha!).
I just did some research and I was right with what I did! K2TOG and SSK are decreases usually used for raglans. Hmmm…
I’ll do the rest of it and maybe it will all fit together better once it’s all sewn up! I’m doing the bottom one in the picture – a newborn cardigan.
But for the life of me, I can’t figure out what I did wrong!
The pattern and yarn I’m using I bought from an online shop called Deramores and it’s by James C. Brett, Pattern Number JB 012.
I’m doing the cardigan on the bottom…although I like the look of the middle one too!
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Find my latest post on Medium below. This one is my Progress Report for this week which is a new series I’m starting. At the end of every week I’m going to write about what I have done to work towards creating Passive Income Streams.
I have to say, I haven’t knitted or crocheted a lot for children in the past.
But last year I made 2 baby blankets (and donated 2 more to charity), a baby jumper, a hat and a cardigan.
knitted baby jumper
I like doing baby blankets as they are quite small (or as big as you want really) and you can get some really nice yarn to make them out of.
I have always liked the idea of knitting rompers and diaper covers and I have yet to knit a pair of bootees or mittens for babies.
The blankets I just crocheted from my head, I think they were corner to corner blankets. I bought the pattern for the jumper (in picture above) from Etsy, it was OK, but some parts of the pattern could have been explained better.
I HATE the way in some (adult or baby) patterns it just says ‘increase’ for sleeves – how? Should I use a right or left leaning increase and where should I put said increases? I had to work it out in the end and figure out sewing the top together, but I don’t think I’ll do that pattern again. Even though I quite like the finished outcome.
The cardigan was from a knitting magazine. So was the hat.
Baby knits are supposed to be quick…the cardigan took me almost a month!! :O
Thank goodness I don’t have any more lined up in the near future. 🙂
Woolly Orbit 