I <3 Babies!

I love knitting baby sweaters. This little number was started when The Husband told me a coworker was due with her first baby boy this month. I want to knit the Baby Surprise Jacket, but this one is just quicker. Three days for a sweater, a couple more hours for the matching hat. Talk about instant gratification.

Details:
Pattern: Presto Chango by Valerie Wallis
Yarn: Cotton-Ease Violet, less then two skeins, including the hat
Started: Sunday
Finished: Tuesday




For the hat, I cast on 72 stitches on 7s, knit 2x2 rib for 1" then started the lace panel pattern here. I knit the lace over 16 stitches and the other 56 stockinette. I did three repeats of the pattern then started decreases as follows:
Row 1: *K6, K2tog *repeat until end.
Row 2: *K5, K2tog *repeat until end.
Row 3: *K4, K2tog *repeat until end.
Row 4: *K3, K2tog *repeat until end.
Row 5: *K2, K2tog *repeat until end.
Row 6: *K1, K2tog *repeat until end.
Row 7: *K2tog *repeat until end.
Row 8: K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog, K1, K2tog
Cut yarn and pull through remaining 6 stitches, fasten off.

I still want/need to knit the BSJ, but I'm thinking something self-striping. I just about tore my hair out trying to stripe and follow a three-sentence pattern. I may need more hand holding than that.

In knitting for my own children news, I am just about finished knitting a Super Mario doll for The Boy. It looks like a pile of crap right now, so I'm not posting any progress shots. I am crossing my fingers that it turns out. If it does, I'll post my notes. If not, you'll never hear of it again.

The Girl on the other hand, is harder to please. The cotton ease I used for the baby sweater was originally going to be a Crumpets for her. When faced with that much stockinette however, I scrapped that plan in favor of this cardigan. Well, you would think that I was planning on knitting her a sweater made out of skinned kittens. She was horrified that I was knitting something for her *gasp* NOT PINK. Geez, I love pink and all, but I'm frankly getting a bit sick of the color. Okay, to appease her and give myself a little love, I'm knitting her a cardi with Malabrigo in the Cactus Flower (pink) colorway. I know, it's a thousand degrees out, but Autumn comes early 'round here. She'll be wearing it soon enough.