Baby Surprise Jacket

I am forever indebted to Elizabeth Zimmerman for creating this lovely pattern. I truly adore this little sweater and I can't wait for little Olson babies to put it on (no, I'm not pregnant and have no plans of becoming pregnant in the near future). I hope it fits my Olson babies -- I hear they make 'em big.

Back to the pattern, my Baby Surprise Jacket. This pattern took quite a bit of trust as I wasn't sure where EZ was taking me. The sweater is knit in one giant piece and then it is assembled at the end.  Below you can see what the just-finished-knitting-and-has-yet-to-be-assembled piece. Doesn't look like much, eh?

It took a little flipping and flopping to figure out just what EZ wanted, but one simple fold rendered this. See where we're headed? I'm so glad I trusted Ms. Zimmerman.

And one last fold revealed this lovely little sweater. Gah! Isn't it sweet? I just need to stitch it up along the top of the arms.

And the back (in case you're interested). You can see where she (Lizzy) placed the increases and decreases that gave the sweater it's shape.

And with the buttons Erik helped me pick out. He's good at that. I hate picking out buttons -- I feel too much pressure because the buttons can completely change the look of a piece. I love these little guys Erik picked out though. They're a good size, a fun shape, and they bring out the orangy/reddish/pink yarn I used.

Now a closer look at the shaping involved in this little number. And you can also see the blend of colours as an added bonus.

I can understand why this pattern has stood the test of time and continues to be knit over and over and over again. I think Elizabeth came up with this pattern in 1968.

And that, my friends, is just a little peak at the Baby Surprise Jacket. I hope to make many more, but they will have to wait. I'm going to try a thicker yarn and try make the sweater a bit bigger... we'll see how that goes.

Coming soon: some more precious knitting... and possibly Kaden's birth story.