Monday, March 1, 2010

One Skein Baby Hoodie



Pattern: One Skein Hooded Baby Sweater
Yarn: 1 skein of Dream in Color Classy "Midnight Derby" (left over from my FLS)
Needles: 24" 6 mm circulars
Button: Left over from FLS - 1". Crocheted loop to edge of button band for closure.
Mods: Sleeves: omitted decreases prior to ribbed cuff, so it wouldn't be so tight. Added 1/2" to length of sleeves and 1" to s/s portion of body.
Size: Approximately 0-3 months.
For: New grandson, arriving mid April :)

This may well become my current 'go to pattern' for a quick knit for babies. The pattern calls for 6.5 mm needles, but my swatch proved to be better with a 6.0 mm. It uses around 220+ yds. of worsted weight wool. The DIC yarn has 250 yd/skein and I have a large golf ball sized ball left over. As this 100% wool yarn is both machine wash and dryable, as well as very soft, it is the perfect thing for newborns who spit up a lot.

Note: I have found that my FLS has 'pilled' significantly with machine wash/dry and that's even with the 'hand wash' cycle on my new front loader! So, while I think it's lovely yarn and perfect for a baby sweater, I would think twice before using it again on an adult sized project. Thankfully, because it's a dark colour, it doesn't show too much, but under the arms (where there is naturally a lot of friction) it is definitely noticeable on my sweater.

I hadn't decided what kind of closure to use, so omitted button holes and waited until the end. Initially thought I might make a 'frog', but when I found the left-over button, decided to simply do a chain stitch loop for closure and am pleased with the results.

Did a full block, using "Soak" washing liquid and laid flat to dry.

Final verdict: stinkin' cute and I'll definitely be making more!

7 comments:

Beth said...

That is adorable!

Tara said...

Very cute! Gotta love the baby knits for a quick, satisfying project, eh?

Preeti said...

Stinkin' cute all right! I didn't realize the Classy pilled badly. Oh the joys and woes of wool!! Baby is going to look adorable in his grandma knit hoodie:)

Rachel said...

Very pretty!

mames said...

so cute! and i was hoping you could join us if we get the chance to gather while we are up north. we could even do a yarn crawl. yeehaw. :)

Pinecone Camp said...

thank you for you great storage suggestions for knitting supplies!
You are obviously a very skilled knitter...I'm going to learn a lot from your blog.
Have a great weekend.

Gramz said...

Hello Sereknitty,
Your Blog caught my eye especially because you love Jesus!
I have never tried to knit anything other than scarves and baby blankets before, so don't know if I can do this hoodie. I am wondering if SIDAR SNUGGLY DK acrylic/cotton blend would work. I have a daughter expecting a baby in mid April - don't know if it's a boy or girl yet, so will wait til then and decide if I should attempt it. If I can't, would you consider making it if it's going to be a girl? Deramores from Kent, England has lots of colors in SIDAR SNUGGLY and they mail anywhere for free. I believe the yarn (50g ball; 191 yds) sells for $3.77 US - One ball may not be quite enough for the sweater. They can be found on the Internet.
-Sharon Knox, state of Washington, U.S.A.