One of the great things about hanging out at a fabulous knit shop is the friendships you form and the ways you get to celebrate those friendships. At Lettuce Knit, our knit-pal Jenn is having her second baby and of course, that's a great excuse to knit up super cute baby clothes.
For me it was a chance to finally knit an EZ Baby Surprise Jacket. I've never done one before, I bought Knitting Workshop a few years ago so I would have the pattern, and then I completely forgot about it. I also didn't get organized enough to knit something until 2 weeks before the shower, so something tiny was also on the menu.
What a fun pattern. It really is a surprise for the knitter, since the pattern has none of the usual benchmarks that tell you it's a sweater as opposed to a hat or socks. You know, things like sleeves or any sense of what the heck the shape is going to be. So I just did what the pattern told me, and waited for it to become a jacket.
Can you see it?
How about now?
I decided to skip the button holes and leave it as an open jacket. I can always add a tie if Jenn would prefer it. I did an i-cord bind off to add a little something to the edges, and even used the i-cord to seam together the jacket at the shoulders. I picked up stitches from both edges and knit them together with the last stitch of the i-cord. I really like the effect of i-cord with handpainted yarn. The Socks that Rock Midweight was the perfect yarn to use (the colour is a rare gem--nice and gender neutral and perfect for an autumn baby).
I can't wait to meet the baby and see him/her in this sweater!
That's a great jacket. I absolutely love your yarn choice.
Posted by: Lauren | August 29, 2011 at 09:25 PM
I made my first BSJ in 1975 for my second baby. I love the pattern! And your yarn choice is great!
Posted by: Jeanie Babbage | August 29, 2011 at 09:33 PM
'tis an excellent sweater. And I totally need to make it out to Lettuce Knit on a Wednesday to knit with y'all.
Posted by: Jennifer | August 29, 2011 at 10:52 PM
nice to see it in daylight, good job!
Posted by: Sophia | August 30, 2011 at 03:40 PM
A wonderful baby surprise jacket. Great yarn.
Posted by: elaine shanks | August 30, 2011 at 05:46 PM
Your baby surprise jacket is so cute! The color is a great choice too. I want to knit one of these, though it always confuses me to see them before they are seamed.
Posted by: Jaime | September 04, 2011 at 07:20 AM
Love it! I still haven't knit this sweater but have been wondering whether I need to make it for my friend's baby coming soon...I do have some socks that rock mediumweight around...Hmmm.
Posted by: Mary | September 07, 2011 at 03:00 AM
i've not knit this one myself yet, but i feel like the bsj is a right of passage. I'm going to have to do it eventually. you're is great inspiration.
Posted by: Marisa | October 01, 2011 at 03:04 PM
Wonderful tutorial regarding baby surprise. I really like the effect of I-cord yarn by hand. I like it. I never found such a great and amazing content. Great job done by you.
Posted by: קעקועים | October 04, 2011 at 08:39 PM