baby sweater – New England's Narrow Road

Blue Playdate Cardigan for Baby Boy

Knitting a little Playdate cardigan for a new baby boy. Blue “Putnam” yarn from Miss Babs is perfect for this little gift knit.

I’m so happy to have a reason to knit the Playdate Cardigan again! This is such an awesome pattern, with very good instructions from Tin Can Knits. The first Playdate I knit taught me about pockets and button bands. I think it was also one of the first times I did the Kitchener stitch.

Now, I am knitting this cute pattern again for a baby boy. The first Playdate (pattern linked down the page) was not for any particular child and I still have the little sweater. This time a good friend’s little boy grand-baby is arriving in December and he will be the recipeint.

The Yarn

I chose blue Putnam yarn, in color “Coos Bay”, from Miss Babs. The yarn is made up of 75% merino wool and 25% nylon, and is machine washable. Skein yardage is 400 and this size (3-6 months) sweater uses 350. (If you want to knit with some nice yarn, check out Miss Babs.)

October 21st, I began the project using the Old Norwegian cast-on. First, I had to knit the two pocket liners and then I began the body.

baby sweater knitting Playdate cardigan — Pockets are knit first

Little pocket liners are knit first. — Pockets are knit first

When I knit this sweater before, I used some merino wool with silk in it and the yarn was very slippery. This yarn is more suitable for a sweater. Playdate #1 page.

The more I knit with this yarn, the more I really like it! The shoulders of the Playdate sweater have been grafted using the Kitchener stitch. One sleeve is nearly complete.

I dislike using DPNs and began the sleeve with a 9-inch circular. Eventually I had to switch to wood DPNs but it is not a problem as there is plenty of room on each needle for the stitches.

Sleeve #1
Back and shoulders being worked
Cute little pockets
The inside of pocket which will be stitched down later.

Button Selection

Because of the small sweater size, I plan to do only four buttons. My choices are nautical designs, little tractors, or cute animals. I’m leaning toward the animals.

Once the pockets are sewn up and the buttons are added this little sweater will be ready to go. I have already washed and blocked it. Quite a bit of yarn is left which means a little hat or baby socks could be knit to match.

Finished Photo to Come

Buy the Playdate Pattern, by Tin Can Knits.

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End of Year Knitting

End of year knitting projects with self-imposed deadlines.

I’m trying not to get stressed out, but here it is October and I have some projects to get finished for December!

A New Baby

One in particular is a little sweater for a new baby boy. He will be born in December and his family lives in Florida. There will not be too many cool sweater days, so he must get the item ASAP after arriving on the earth.

I’ve chosen Tin Can Knits “Playdate” cardigan pattern. I have knit Playdate before and found it really interesting and fun. I still have the little sweater because it was made for no one. I have no grandchildren, but it is such a cute item. I highly recommend the pattern.

Fox buttons on baby sweater, hand knitted using the Playdate pattern by Tin Can Knits. — Fox buttons on the Playdate cardigan #1

The new Playdate version will be made in the small 3-6 month size in hopes that the baby can wear it throughout Spring. Even if the weather gets hot, stores tend to have icy cold AC blowing and his mom can take it for such outings.

Waiting on the Yarn

I’m currently waiting on the yarn to knit Playdate in a pretty blue color. The yarn order is coming from Miss Babs and will contain more yarn to knit a poncho for my daughter. That yarn is burgundy red.

The swatch has been knit using some Kunlin stash, which is a DK weight. I wanted to see the textured pattern and check my gauge, which is good.

Brodgar poncho knitting swatch — Brodgar poncho gauge swatch

Another Poncho Knit in a Rarely Used Colorway

Do you get in a rut where you want to knit the same types of projects continuously? I just made the Kate’s Poncho for my daughter, who loves it, and now I’ve found another poncho to knit.

I rarely knit anything using red yarn, but I believe this poncho – Brodgar – will look very nice in this beautiful Miss Babs Yowza yarn in “Cordovan”. It is Superwash merino wool, which will make it easy to wash in the washing machine, using a bag, when my daughter needs to clean it. The skeins contain 560 yards, which is quite huge! I opted to pay for winding because the poncho needs 2 skeins. The yarn is dark burgundy and will look very nice with jeans and dark colored pants.

A finished poncho would be a nice Christmas gift, but realistically, I won’t get it done in time. Hopefully I’ll get it into the mail before the cold weather goes away completely in the New Hampshire Spring.

I look forward to beginning both of these projects, with the baby sweater coming first in the queue. Waiting for the new yarn delivery has given me time to prepare for the new projects by finishing up some knits that are currently on the needles. I’m nearly done with the orange watchcap and have completed the Venlig sweater.

Do you suddenly realize that Christmas is coming fast? Do you hurriedly fishing the hat and mitten gifts? What knitting projects are you hoping to finish before the new year?