A Grandpa Sweater for a Great-Nephew

I asked my niece and her husband what they'd like for the baby they were expecting this fall. I had some pattern options for them to look at, like stuffed toys and sweaters. 

I learned they wanted neutral colors and they were really drawn to several grandpa-style sweaters. Together we settled on this one. It's Elevenses, by Lisa Chemery.  I'm so glad we did. It was so fun to knit, and the details brought me great delight as a knitter. Those pockets!

I chose the yarn suggested in the pattern, since it was a superwash wool, so appropriate for a baby sweater. I also like that Malabrigo Rios is hand-dyed, so the colors are semi-solid. It gives this sweater a little "tweedy" vibe, which I think is really beautiful.

We ended up having to make a quick trip up to Ellensburg to deliver some camping supplies to my son-in-law when he was around this summer, so I took that opportunity to visit Yarn Folk's new location. I knew they carried Malabrigo Rios, and it's much nicer to choose colors in person, especially since I decided to use two colors for this sweater.

The light gray is "Gris" and the dark mix of black, brown, blue and gray (it mostly reads black) is Scorpio. 

In general, I prefer to make a larger size baby sweater, but this one is size 3 months. I knew this baby would be small and early, so I hope he might wear it this winter. 

Chemery has designed lots of cute baby and kid knits. There's also an adult version of this sweater called Second Breakfast.  In creating these links, I learned that there are more designs on Ravelry than on her website, so that might be the best place to shop.

As for the hat,  I signed up for a class at Modern Daily Knitting (MDK) called Ladderback Jacquard, taught by Amy Snell. The hat was what we worked on in class (in baby size, though I suppose one could have prepped to make a bigger size). The pattern was included in the class fee. It didn't look all that "boyish" to me, but I'd just finished a baby sweater, and the yarn is the right gauge. And I think the combo is so cute! Those neutral colors! And the technique is a game-changer. I really thought I was doing OK when I caught long carries in my work, but this is SO much better looking (no peek throughs) and, once you get the hang of it, just as easy.  If you're brave and self-motivated, this pattern might be all you need, as it includes instructions in the technique, but honestly, the class was terrific and included lots of valuable help.

For non-knitters wandering in, this technique solves a problem with two-colored knitting that's done by stranding both colors as you knit. When there's a long distance that a color is carried behind, it creates a hazard for wearing (long lengths of loose yarn on the back of the fabric), and problems with fabric tension.  This technique creates a second loosely knit layer of fabric behind the main color in the areas where the contrast isn't used. It's genius. 

Anyway, the pattern is called Bloomlings, by Amy Snell. 

I can't wait to meet the little guy I made these for, and with any luck see him wearing them.  

Details

• Elevenses sweater by Lisa Chemery and Bloomlings hat, by Amy Snell
• Malabrigo Rios 100% Superwash Merino Wool, colors Gris and Scorpio (2 skeins of Gris, one of Scorpio, though one each might have been enough)
• Size 7, 6, and 5 needles (7 for the body of the sweater, 6 for the body of the hat)
• on Ravelry here and here.