Red Wings Baby Surprise Jacket

It's finished and ready to pop into the mail!

The red set began back in March with the posting on the 3rd with a teaser. The AC4C yahoo group for the month of March was making baby layettes to send to the ABC Infant center in Michigan. All kinds of 'themes' were created. Being a Michigan girl with a certain 'fondness' for the Red Wings, I picked this set. The NMCRS Basketweave blanket in Cotton-ease and Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket in Lion Brand's Wool-Ease are my contributions. Placing the white stripes on the cuffs and the bottom of the jacket I hope resembles a Wings' jersey. The red buttons at Joann's weren't enough of a match to the red of the jacket, so black were used to resemble hockey pucks. Sadly, with all the other sports themes in the button department, not a single hockey themed button could be found. But if you want golf buttons? Go to Joann's! Or football, or basketball, or baseball. They've got 'em all!

Taking pictures of a red sweater on red blanket, is a lot of red! The only thing I'm not happy with is the left edge of the white stripe on the bottom. Guess I picked up the stitches on the wrong side and that will be fixed with the next sweaters I make. I'm really happy with this jacket over all. In fact, while searching to find buttons, this little one was made, too! Lickety split and a wee bit smaller.

For the Red Wings BSJ, Gauge: 20.5 sts/42 rows=4"/10 cm in garter stitch, with (US) 6 (4.00 mm) Addi Turbos. Chest size (measured just under the sleeves) 17"/43.2cm, which makes it larger than a newborn size, maybe 3-6 months? I'm guessing. Lion Brand Wool-ease, Ranch Red and White.

The hat is the Umbilical Hat from the first Stitch and Bitch book made with the same Lion Brand Wool-ease. I tend to shorten the I-chord on the top, but I just love the top of this little hat. I used it last weekend for the preemie set adding the pattern stitch to match it to the sweater. It's fast, it's easy, and with the rolled-brim knitted in the round, very soft for a baby's head to wear. Not to mention no sewing up a seam!

The little pink one for the soon to be addition to my cousin's family, was made using Hobby Lobby's Baby Bee-Sweet Delights Prints in Bubblegum. It is some veryyyyyyyyyy soft yarn! It feels so 'cushy' and I can't wait to use some more. I'm thinking that this would be a very soft yarn to use with preemie blankets? After the past week of preemie knitting, it's been on my mind a lot. Not having a Hobby Lobby in California, I'm going to have gather up a bit more next trip home. Dad's asking when I can come back again. I'm thinking possibly in June. Hopefully he'll be up to some company by then. AND.NO.MORE.SURGERIES! But, I digress.

The Sweet Delights - Prints is a blend of 60% Acrylic, 40% polyamide. 115 gms/4 oz, 345 m/ 377 yards. It's label says it's a bulky weight. Hmmm, I disagree. It says 20 sts/36 r for 6" x 6"/15.2 cm using a (US) 10 (6.00mm) needle. To make this little BJS, I used a (US) 4 (3.5 mm) Boye Balene ll circular. I think I'm sticking to my Addis from now on. While the tips of the Balenes were nice and pointed and the flexibility of the needles was ok, the plastic cable about drove me nuts. I used the hot water method to straighten it out 3 times and it wouldn't stay straight. How does the saying go? You can put a man on the moon, but.... Again, I digress...

The finished sweater ended up with a 15"/38.1 cm chest which is perfect for the typical newborn size. In garter stitch my gauge ended up at 24 stitches/49 rows = 4"/10 cm. Yep, I really like this yarn and this size for a newborn baby gift. The buttons are little pink flowers from La Petite brand during our Hancock Fabrics store closing sale. Perfect color match if I do say so myself. Almost makes you want to have more babies.....NOT. I'll just keep knitting for others...they can have the teething/potty training 'experience'. I like having the 19, 21, 24, 26 year old experience of children!