Gray and Sophisticated
Like I wrote in December, I became an auntie in last fall and get to knit all the things for the little dude. I'm probably in the minority here but beyond thrilled I don't have to knit girly, pinky, frilly stuff. For his Christmas present I knit a sophisticated little number that looks like an old-fashioned grandpa cardigan. And it turned out so cute!
The pattern I chose is a hugely popular free pattern on Raverly with over 10,000 projects: Baby Sophisticate by Linden Down. The pattern is a classic buttoned top-down raglan cardigan with a V-neck, garter-stitch bands, and a shawl collar. The free pattern comes in two sizes (0–3 and 6–12 months) but there's also a paid version with an extended size range.
The great thing about baby knits is that they use up so little yarn! For this project I was able to stash dive and used the leftovers from my Brontide cardigan: Manos del Uruguay Gloria in the colorway Plata ("Silver"). Gloria has a few qualities that make it ideal for baby knits. It's 100% merino so it's really soft and bouncy. It's superwash so it's easy to take care of. And a hand-dyed yarn brings that little bit of everyday luxury.
Many knitters on Ravelry commented in their project notes that the pattern runs a little on the small size. And with the pattern calling for aran and me using a worsted-weight yarn, I opted to make the larger size with a few modifications to make it even roomier.
The pattern has you cast on no stitches at the underarm — I added two at each underarm so the body was four stitches wider. I also picked up four stitches from the underarm for the sleeves so each sleeve was four stitches wider than specified in the pattern. I also lengthened the body a bit.
Knitted shawl collars have a tendency to pop up so I made it a bit wider so that it stays better in place. For the short-row shaping on the collar I used German short rows (my favorite!) instead of wrap & turns. The pattern calls for four buttons but I only had three. The buttons were pretty huge, though, so three was all that was needed. And odd numbers look better anyways.
On Ravelry: Gray & Sophisticated
Pattern: Baby Sophisticate by Linden Down
Size: 6–12 months
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Gloria in Plata, approx. 220 m / 240 yd (1.1 skeins)
Needles: 5.5 mm for the body, 4.5 mm for garter-stitch bands
So cute!
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