Two Secrets Revealed

Today was Becca's baby shower, and her bump agreed to model the little outfit I made. Isn't that a gorgeous bump? Not to mention, a gorgeous mommy!

What we have up there are a cardigan and matching baby yoga pants out of Sirdar Dreambaby, a fingering weight and one of the few acrylics I've ever knit that I would willingly knit a second time. Yarn was purchased from Ivelise's in Benton Harbor, Michigan. It's a wonderful little shop with a great selection of quality baby yarns.

No real patterns for these items, though I did use existing patterns as jumping-off points. For the pants, I started with the baby cargo pants from knitty. I did a rolled hem, doubled the yarn for extra softness and warmth, and used an elasticized rolled-waist trick I learned years ago from a knitter in Indianapolis. Basically, you take 1/8" elastic and thread it through the live stitches as you would a lifeline. Sew it closed as you would a regular elastic waistband. Knit stockinette for one round, then bind off. The extra little bit of stockinette before the bind-off rolls over the elastic and hides it. Or mostly hides it. I used two rounds of elastic for extra security and I think the bottom round shows a little. But it still should be very easy to wear and comfy, certainly more comfy than a fold-over waistband when the yarn is knit doublestranded.

The cardigan was combined from two different baby cardigan patterns. I wanted a contrasting seed stitch border and a very loose shape through the body. Easy on, easy off. It's knit at about 8 stitches and 10 rows to the inch. You know how everyone always talks about how quickly baby things knit up? The exception to that rule is baby things knit at sock gauge.

The seed stitch buttonband gave me a bit of trouble. It's hard to increase seed stitch in pattern to round the curves formed by the V-neck. I fooled around with it a little and, because of one thing and another, ended up with a buttonband that extends a bit below the cardigan hem, almost like the point on a waistcoat. It wasn't what I was going for, but it looks good, certainly better than earlier attempts at the buttonband that curled inward from too few stitches at the curve.

Anyway, I fell in love with that cheerful, sunny yellow, so much perkier than your typical baby pastels. Initially, I intended to go for a green yarn -- Becca is a big fan of green for the baby -- but the yellow really spoke to me, so the yellow came home. Baby should fit into these items around February or March (if she's a big baby) or next fall (if she's a small baby). Just think how uplifting that yellow will be during the Chicago winter gloom. The little Froebe babe will be a ray of sunshine in more ways than one.