The arrival of my son was a blessing and a joy and the beginning of nights that melt into days with spit up on my shirts. He is amazing and I have a newfound appreciation for a solid night’s sleep, three meals eaten off of real dishes, and time to pursue my crafts. But each morning when he and I start the day together, I slip his little arms into a handmade cardigan one of my friends made for him and we curl up in my big crab armchair for our breakfasts. The cardigan is that perfect layer whether we’re home or out and about to offer a warm layer of love between him and the world – or at least the weather. Here are three (of several) of them in photos…
Hello Baby Cardigan by Susan B. Anderson. Knitted by BonnyAlma.
Baby Surprise Jacket (aka BSJ) by Elizabeth Zimmerman. Knitted by SusyMcQ.
# 63 Catwalk by Carolin Schwarberg. Crocheted by UnderMeOxter
Wee Óg or LB as I often refer to him in my blog posts and on Twitter is now nearly three years old! On the six-month mark (and every three months ever since), I went through his clothes to see what he had grown out of and, sadly, two of the hand knit cardigans and one hat are too small. But six months of wear is not bad for a baby! And that’s nearly daily wear. The Iceling Cardigan, pictured in this post, is ideal for adding garter stitch (i.e., EASY) rows to the length and the knitter (super fabulous knitwear designer Carol Feller) gave me a ball of the same wool so it will match.
Iceling Cardigan by Carol Feller. Knitted by Carol Feller.
Of course, there are other baby cardigans I’ve been wanting to try, but not enough time to devote to knitting big projects for baby gifts these days. Gone are the days when I knit baby blankets for babies and now it’s just hats. But here is a partial list of infant cardigans I think are just adorable:
Iceling Cardigan by Carol Feller (shown above) is a favorite of mine because the shawl collar keeps baby’s neck warm and the garter stitch cuffs can be rolled back when baby is tiny which gives it longer use. My son wore his Iceling Cardigan from birth through six months.
Puerperium Cardigan by Kelly Brooker – I’ve not knitted this but Missy has.
Premature Baby’s Cardigan by Lorna Hanson
Double knit V-neck raglan premature baby cardigan by Wye Needlecraft
Heather Premature Baby Jacket by Denny Kelly
Little Miracle – premature cardigan by Anne Småbrekke
4ply V-Neck Raglan Cardigan by Wye Needlecraft
Design 6, Baby’s Raglan Sleeved Cardigan with Round Neck, Hat and Bootees by Patons UK
If you love this post, you’ll love my list of knitting patterns for premature or low birth weight babies (free for personal use). What do you love to knit for babies?
Those are such cute sweaters!
Have you had a look at the Wee ones collection by Ysolda? http://ysolda.com/patterns/?category=wee%20ones I’ve knit a Wee Liesl for a friend’s daughter, and it is the cutest!
I hadn’t seen those. Must take a look. Most of my choices were based on what was knit for my son. So definitely a few gaps in my knowledge. Must do another post of non-cardigans.
Do you prefer cardigans or pullovers for smallies? I always make pullovers since I hate seeing on buttons, or better yet open front cardigans for baby wearing mamas. I never thought to ask what they’d prefer though!
I love cardigans for newborns when their heads are all wobbly then pullovers after that. But always cardigans for me so I don’t overheat carrying baby on my chest.