Random Thursday

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1. I’m knitting that beaded scarf and I have 10 repeats to go and I’m so glad. It doesn’t matter how beautiful a project is, at some point in it you just think “Oh, come on.” I’m there with this one. Done with it before it’s done with me.

2. Juno arrived here yesterday to celebrate my birthday with me, she’s come for the whole weekend, for the 1000 knitters shoot and for the and I’m pretty glad about that too. We went to knit night last night and she cracked me up by saying that she thinks it’s a real shame that her local knit night is a plane ride away. We ate yam burritos from the Big Fat Burrito, we drank beer on the Lettuce Knit steps. It was totally awesome.

3. I don’t have pictures of either one because my camera is broken. Not a long story, but one in which my stupidity figures largely, so we’re skipping it. It will be fixed/replaced soon, please bear with what will be spotty pictures until then.

4. We go get Franklin from the airport tomorrow, and both Rachel and I are getting nervous about Saturday. We know that there is little we haven’t covered, but we worry anyway. (I am especially worried because all previous attempts to control weather with my mind have failed.) Wish for sun (but not too much) and definitely not rain. Work extra hard on the not rain.

5. If you signed up for a spot on Saturday to have Franklin take your picture, and now you see your real life stretched out before you and you know that you are not going to make it after all…could you please call Lettuce Knit and take your name off the list? There are a limited number of spots and if we know you’re not coming then we can give someone else your spot.

6. If you have been hoping for a spot, you can call Lettuce Knit and see if anyone forked one over. There’s no waiting list, but you can check.

7. I just arranged a cool thing for my brother for his birthday (which was yesterday, but we’re celebrating as a family on the weekend) and I’m really happy about it.

8. I am going on a jag of baby knitting. What’s the best baby sweater you’ve ever seen? Why?

280 thoughts on “Random Thursday”

  2. Love the BSJ for how quick and easy it is to knit (once you figure out the pattern) and for how great jacket looks when done with stripes.

  5. Reid (on Knitty) has been on my to do list for ever. I just think it’s a sweet little sweater and now that my s-i-l is expecting another girl I’ll have an excellent reason to knit it up.

  7. oh god should I say it loud. tulip sweater.
    Crap now I need to wind some yarn for kits….
    I will not whine about winding…..

  8. Dude, the offer’s still good to take that beaded scarf on your hands, so you won’t have to worry about finishing it.
    I’ll see you Saturday. I did talk to Denny right around 11:30am on the day we were supposed to call, but I didn’t get a number – should I worry?

  9. I love the Baby Sheep Yoke Cardigan by Looking Glass Knits. The sheep are great. Plus if you want to make more than you only need to buy more of the main colour as you only need smallish amounts of the contrast colours.

  11. I’m partial to the adapted Arwen Cardigan from Interweave Knits, myself… but the ‘Elena’ pattern from the recent Knitty has really caught my eye. Oooh… wait…there’s this one sweater, a two-stitch all-over cable in bright red al-paca with a little dog done intarsia on the pocket…it’s been one of my favorites forEVER. No, no… couldn’t tell you why…
    Happy Birthday, Steph–if anyone can make 40 rock, it’s you!

  12. The sweaters my daughter wore more than any of the fancy/modern ones I knit were the plain old-fashioned raglans my grandmother knit. Ribbed cuffs, neck and waist, plain stockinette body, a couple buttons on one of the raglan lines to get the head in. Done in a very typical baby yarn (probably at least partly acrylic) that was soft, lightweight and machine washable. They matched everything and were practical and adorable.

  13. I love the “Heart Breakingly Cute Baby Kimono” from Mason Dixon Knitting. Soooooo easy, can be knit in any kind of yarn you want, and it’s so cute when done. Also easy to customize (I’ve knit it as written several times, and I’ve also changed the front closure, added picot trim to the sleeves and hem, changed the neckline, added a collar, made several different types of fasteners for it.) truly versatile and simple, but when people see it they think you’re a genius! Also, it knits up in one or two evenings in front of the TV.

  15. When I have a baby sweater to knit, I either go with the EZ’s BSJ or her February Sweater from Knitter’s Almanac. You can make them look different every time, they are quick, and beautiful.
    Whatever pattern you choose, have fun. Baby sweaters are so quick, you can knit more than one!

  16. Well I will have to read the comments since there is going to be a new baby in our family so I will have to get busy too

  18. The Helena baby sweater from the new Knitty is adorable! I need a new camera, too, what kind are you going to get?

  19. I like simple baby sweaters. My favorite is the Garter Stitch Baby Cardigan. It’s all knit in one piece and seamed up the sides and inside arms when you’re done. It’s a v-neck cardigan that likes to be just garter stitch, but I’ve done it with a lace pattern around the middle, or with some of that leftover novelty yarn that I got stuck with. It’s cute and done in a day. This brings to mind what happened to me the other day. Here we are, last week of school with an 8th grade promotion, two field trips and an end of year party to deal with. My 8th grader comes home and says, “Hey Mom. How fast can you knit a baby hat? We’re having a thing for Mrs. Green (who’s having a baby this summer) tomorrow.” Well. Not only a baby hat, but a cute pair of matching socks flew off my needles. Now, if this same child had asked me to bake a dozen cupcakes for the next day, I’d have grumbled and nagged about last minute stuff and grudgingly produced something from a boxed mix. The hat and socks were joyfully made from yarn I was saving for “something special.” What is that about?

  20. Denny,
    That plan you have for when I visit you at lunch time…the one where you try to convince me that yarn winding is stress relief…not gonna work!

  21. The best sweater for a jag of baby knitting? How about a grey handspun gansey with a 130 cm chest?

  22. Do you have any idea how much “yam burrito” looks like “yarn burrito”? And how much time it took trying to figure out what the heck a yarn burrito would entail? I thought it sounded pretty good, but maybe not for eating, as I am not a big fan of the fuzzy mouth.

  23. If you’re in a hurry, the baby sweater pattern in One Skein Wonder is really nice. If I knit a bit every evening, I can get one done in less than two weeks, and I’m a really slow novice knitter.

  25. It is amazing how much ‘yam burritos’ resembles ‘yarn burritos’ when not reading overly carefully. I thought for a moment you had finally gone off the deep end.
    True, there are many uses for yarn, but I do not think burritos is one of them.

  26. I just got the cutest sweater pattern from Roo Designs. It has a rhino on the front and can be knit from six months to four years. Too cute! I am planning to buy the yarn for it tomorrow…I’m really excited!

  27. This guy in Chicago with a knit blog has done some pretty awesome baby sweaters. I think his name is Franklin? You might want to look him up.

  28. First of all, I’m glad to see tht I’m not the only one that read yaRN burritos.
    Secondly, I’ve only ever knit one baby sweater, and that was Kate Gilbert’s Pea Pod. If I had a baby girl to knit for, though, it would definitely be that little Tulip sweater that you’ve done. That thing is just gorgeous.

  29. So funny – you totally stole my blog post title today! Well, sorta. ;o)
    As for baby sweaters, the first one I ever knit was your Daisy, so I’m partial to that one and also EZ’s February baby sweater.

  30. Any one that was made with love and that was on a blissfully happy baby.
    Happy birthday, Ian and Stephanie! I wish I could come to the party!

  31. The best baby sweater I’ve ever seen may not be the most beautiful…. But it holds the status becuase it was the first sweater I completed AND gave away to my cousin for her first baby. It was a big accomplishment for me, I must say. I had knit many projects before, but it was the first project I could hold high and announce to real-live people (not my dog, or the voices in my head), “YES! I KNIT THIS WITH MY OWN HANDS! I AM PROUD OF MY CRAFTSWOMANSHIP!” without no shame what-so-ever. I love it, and it made my heart full and warm anytime I saw my little cousin wearing it. That was the best baby sweater I’ve seen.

  32. I totally read #2 and though you said yaRN burritos too. I had to do a double take and realize it was yam. 😉
    Happy Birthday!

  33. When I first skimmed over “yam burrito” I read “yarn burrito” and thought you had taken your love of yarn just a bit too far. A yam burrito sounds tasty, though.

  35. When my daughter was small, my grandmother’s friend knit her a cute little sweater that zipped up the back. It fit down around her face and fit perfectly. When she’d outgrown it, I gave it to my cousin for her little girl and she finally handed it off to another set of relatives. It was made with Mary Maxim yarn and the pattern came from there.
    I’ve been trying to either find the pattern or recreate it for years. It was a great sweater, a hooded one with ribbing around the face and a zipper up the back.

  36. I love the organic guernsey, peabody baby sweater, placket sweater from last minute knitted gifts, BSJ, and about a million others. I love so many, in fact, that I have yet to knit any of them for my son. Oh, wait–I knitted him a Drive-Thru, from Knit and Tonic. That’s a good one, and SO FAST. Smallest size is 2-3 years but it would be so easy to make smaller with a lighter yarn. Up next I plan to size down Cobblestone (see Earthchick’s on Ravelry).

  37. Happy Birthday!! The memory I have of my 40th birthday was the card: “Lordy, Lordy, look who’s 40.”
    As for baby sweaters, the only one I’ve ever knit is “The Dumb Baby Sweater” (a learning lesson) from Maggie Righetti’s book “KNITTING IN PLAIN ENGLISH”.
    Knit from the top down, it’s an easy, quick cardigan pattern that would easily be adaptable to embelishments.

  39. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Tell us the recipe for that great undulating waves scarf. I have been wanting to try knitting with beads, and that one is just incredible.
    Happy Birthday and have fun at 1000 knitters!

  40. Do you know if the photoshoot is going in the order of the #s we were assigned on the phone? I’m starting to get twitchy wondering if I need to be there sharp at 10 lest I be pushed to the bottom of the pile (after coming in from out of town). But all that aside I am really looking forward to Saturday, I’m sure it will be great fun, regardless of weather.

  42. My favorite baby thing to knit would be the Wonderful Wallaby from Cottage Creations. The smallest size is 2, but I do that and then the sweet new person gets to wear it for a longer time.

  43. The little henley in Last-Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson and Anna Williams is VERY sweet, fast and easy; and of course, there’s the Baby Surprise Jacket which is at this point still incomprehensible to me even though I have Meg Swensen’s DVD.

  44. Honestly? I’ve knit your Daisy pattern a number of times and it’s always a hit. (And I’m not sucking up, either.)
    Otherwise, you can’t go wrong with EZ. How about some Leggings? An Umbical Hat? The Mossy Jacket?
    Happy Birthday!

  46. My go-to baby sweater is the Babies & Bears cardigan from Cottage Creations (NAYY). It’s a fun, quick knit and adorable.

  47. I love the top-down baby sweater from Cabin Fever call the Buttons Sweater #606, designed by Dana Gibbons. Very fast, easy, cute, and portable. I’m making one now, even though no baby is in the works anywhere. Enjoy!

  48. I read yarn burritos too. I recently made the Reynolds Utopia 82260 baby sweater-the ruffled one. It turned out incredibly cute. It was hard to give up, and my “babies” are 7 and 15, so no real reason to keep it! Have fun this weekend and Happy Birthday dear Harlot!

  49. i haven’t investigated baby knitting lately but off the top of my head I think ‘Devon’ (Knitty) made with sock yarn is pretty cute and Kate Gilbert’s Pea Pod outfit.

  51. I love Daisy.. oh wait.. I imagine you’ve got that one sorted already 😉
    I adore the “Offset Wraplan” you can find on Ravelry, too.

  54. My “default” baby sweater is the EZ Baby Surprise or the EZ February sweater (done with two strands fingering in the parents’ college colors)…
    Lately, I have been smitten with the sweaters that Berroco was nice enough to downsize and publish as freebies…
    http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/baby_poonan/baby_poonan.html
    and
    http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/baby_athos/baby_athos.html
    and
    http://www.berroco.com/exclusives/baby_yeti/baby_yeti.html
    All are in some stage of doneness on the knitting couch…and veryveryvery cute…and different enough to keep the knitting interesting.

  55. In the last year I’ve made 1 EZ February Sweater, 1 BSJ, and 5 versions of the Baby Boy 5-Hour Sweater (which take me at least 5 days, not hours, to make). I’m now working on the EZ Surplice from Vogue Knitting, Fall, 2007 (?)–one new granddaughter, one new grand nephew, and a not-yet-born grand nephew. I love the February Sweater and the 5-hour one can be easily changed up–different cuffs, pattern at the bottom, one button, ties, lots of buttons, etc. Ravelry has lots of projects for all of these; check them out.
    (Ravelry name: LizzieHelen)

  57. Have you taken a look at Tracy Ullman’s baby Baseball Tee? It’s really cute.
    I’ve made 2 of baby surprise. One random baby sweater. Some toddler thing with a dinosaur on it. I fall in love with Debbie Bliss stuff all the time though. And I’m dying to make the Pea Pod outfit. I’m still making 2 more baby surprise sweaters. Darn pregnant mathematicians!

  59. Striped Sweater from Debbie Bliss “Simply Baby” – unexpected shaping details around the neck that simplify getting the thing on and off are also a bit stylish AND more entertaining to knit. (I used buttons I harvested from my husband’s cast off dress shirts)

  60. My favorite is the Baby Delight cardigan by Irene Kubilius in Knitter’s Magazine Winter 1996. I made this sweater without a baby in mind, and maybe it was because it was my first experience with lace and my first experience with a top-down raglan, but I was enchanted. I’ve held onto it for about 5 years, waiting for the right baby to come along!

  62. I also read yaRN burrito. A yam burrito sounds good. The comments are very interesting as I need to embark on a bunch of baby knitting. I haven’t knit it, but I have seen some versions of Presto Chango on Ravelry that make me very tempted to do it.

  63. Two baby sweaters I made for my daughter are a little moss-stitch cardigan designed by Kim Hargreaves (found in her book Pipsqueaks) and the hooded cardigan of Schaefer Elaine yarn – I believe you can find the pattern on their website. I’ve made that one a few times, with and without the hood, in whatever Elaine took my fancy, for various babies in my life. It’s an easy knit on bamboo circs – perfect plane knitting!
    So, why baby sweaters? You don’t have anything to tell us, do you, Stephanie? Stephanie??

  65. Yam burrito. I had to read that twice. I thought it said yarn burrito. Geez, I thought, this woman really is all yarn, all the time…
    I’m sure the yam burrito would taste better, though.

  66. The best baby sweaters I’ve seen are ones that you, yourself have made: Dale baby sweaters. I don’t remember which Dale books they came from. One was white with sweet pink flowers going around the yoke (at least I think they were flowers). The other was for a boy and involved more colorwork.
    Go back and make those again. I would love to see them made again.

  68. Just wanted to wish you a pre Happy 40th. I will be at my niece’s graduation that day in North Carolina and yes I will be knitting socks in your honor. She was willing to carry a sock across the stage while I snapped a picture but my mother said no. Spoil sport. So my niece agreed to hold the sock in her cap/gown and I can get a picture. I am hoping my travels may bring me someone important who will hold my sock. Have a great birthday.

  69. Once again Happy Birthday Steph!
    Two I recommend. If you have made one before, EZ’s Baby Surprise Jacket. The other is the February Baby Sweater from EZ’s Knitters Almanac (a book that lives permanently in my knitting bag.)

  70. I misread “yam burritos” – read “yarn burritos” – hm, that doesn’t sound pleasant. 🙂

  72. Happy birthday Stephanie! I hope your party is a blast! Hmm…I’d have to say the tulip sweater is a favorite. And I’ve made a couple of cute Wee Knits sweaters (love Mission Falls for baby things). I have the BSJ pattern-haven’t tried it yet. And I downloaded the Organic Baby Guernsey just now–too cute.
    So what happened to the camera…really. It didn’t have an unfortunate meeting with Mr. Washie did it? Or perhaps you left it outside and it was broken by a squirrel looking for hidden fleece?

  73. Rain — I think we’re having all the rain in the world in Montana before we pass on our wind to the midwest for tornadoes (sorry, midwest). We haven’t had this much rain in Montana at this time of year in my l-o-n-g lifetime, so I hope your event is rain-free.
    As for the baby sweater — great suggestions above. I’m currently fond of Shibui’s vintage baby cardigan pattern, which you can order here: http://www.knit-purl.com/Products/Product.php?Product_ID=255 and uses all sock yarn.

  74. Me too. Yarn burrito. I had to reread it a couple of times to see the yam. mutter mutter time to get my eyes checked.

  76. I love the baby sweater from Mason Dixon because it’s so quick and it’s a great durable baby sweater for every day wear. But my favorite has been the one from Debbie Bliss Simply Soft in Astrakan. (sp?) It’s so cute it looks like a little boiled wool jacket for baby and that yarn is great to knit with.

  77. I cannot give you my best baby sweater because my brain stalled out in paragraph two on yam burritos. ‘Splain it please, Lucy.

  78. I am very fond of Penny Straker’s baby owl cardigan–here’s a link to the Ravelry page:
    http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/b818-baby-owl–bonnet
    This was the first “real” knitting I ever did, after having made a K2/P2 scarf in heavy worsted. It was a gift for the first baby to be born to any of my college roommates, back when I was always short of funds but still wanted to do something really special for this dear friend. Fortunately, no one at my then-LYS told me that size 1 needles and cables would be “too hard” for a novice knitter. I loved every minute of making that sweater, and wish I had a photo to post to my own Ravelry page! The baby is about to turn 13…I’ll ask his mom if the sweater is still around.

  79. Sorry to be predictable but EZ’s Baby Surprise Jacket is my fave. I just finished my first and loved knitting it, and it looks so cute. I also like Kate Gilberts Peapod Set.

  80. BSJ is gender neutral and allows infinite modifications with the color and striping possibilities. Sock yarn works great for newborns.
    I like Helena in the new Knitty. I need to make something a Novemeber baby, but don’t know the gender.

  81. My fave – and the only sweater I have knit so far – was the first baby sweater in Tracy Ullman’s Knit Two Together book. It has raglan sleeves and a little pocket for a binkie – or just for fashion if you want to be real about it! It was fun, fast, and easy. I’d only been knitting for about a year when I did it, and it was the first work I did on smaller needles and the neat stitches gave me such pleasure that I started knitting socks and trying all sorts of things! This pattern is a winner.

  83. The new one on Knitty. Omie must knit. Soon. Also tiny Tomtens. I love tiny Tomtens.

  84. 1. “Oh, come on.” Yeah, been there. There now, actually. Sigh.
    2. I vote for the BSJ, because it’s just so darned clever.
    3. Happy birthday to you and your brother. Have a fabulous time, and I hope that the surprise for Ian turns out spectacularly well!

  86. My mom made my first a couple of sweaters we call Condom Sweaters.
    They are simple raglan sweaters with a hood, with a zipper up the back. Really simple..she mostly put cables up the front and the tops of the sleeves, or she’d get bored.
    Named by my sister-in-law (she was in college at the time), because that little yellow hooded sweater looked like a receptacle tipped condom, (little round baby, bigger hooded head…little bulge at the top) because the zipper makes the back point of the hood stick up a bit when it’s on the baby…..

  87. I’d be happy to take that scarf off your hands as well – I’m here for you. Good luck with your weather on Sat, I’m busy working on keeping the oven heat here (Atlanta) down to some bearable temp but it doesn’t seem promising.

  89. Fave baby sweater? It’s a little garter stitch jacket from an early Debbie Bliss book. Why? Because my mom made it for my daughter and she found a wee little bear and knit it a matching scarf for the pocket. Both the sweater and my mom are gone now, but we still have the wee little bear and his wee little scarf.

  90. You know, he really should up that to the 5000 knitters, or better yet, 10,000 knitters. He could do it, you can tell him I said so.
    There is a baby pattern in the 1st DB baby cashmerino book, a striped hooded pullover, I love that one very much.

  91. baby girl or baby boy? If it’s girl stuff you’re after, Debbie Bliss has a really cute jacket with rosebuds on it that I made years ago for my baby, and I’d make it again tomorrow, or even this afternoon…….
    Also a cute longer jacket with sheep and little pockets, hang on a minute…….
    Found it!
    Nursery Knits is the book, they are just the cutest things ever, and the little pockets in the ‘smock with sheep and shoes’ are perfect for tiny people to shove things in, I have kept both of these jackets for my grandkids (and my girls are only 9 and 10) and I’m usually happy to share my girls’ old clothes with friends.
    ‘Smock with sheep and shoes’, and ‘rosebud jacket with blanket’.
    Have fun!

  92. My favourite baby sweater to knit is one out of an early Mon Tricot book, and I mean possibly over 30 – 40 years ago. It’s just straight up and down knit in K2 P2 rib eg:
    Cast on a number of stitches (to suit yarn and needles) that would be wide enough to go round front of baby (roughly 90 in 4 ply yarn – I think) . The rib width has to be in its relaxed state. Rib straight up to armhole area, however long you want it to be. At armhole cast on around 10 sts at each end. Continue in rib to where you think the front neck hole should be. Cast off a suiltable ammount of sts over the centre for the neck. Continue to work in rib on the sleeve ends (individually) until suitable length for back of neck. Cast on neck sts (same amount as cast off for front neck) to reconnect the sleeves. Rib some more till you think the sleeve bits are long enough (these are capped type sleeves). Cast off 10 sts at each end and then continue in rib down the back until front and back measurements from sleeve cap are the same and cast off. Join up side and under sleeve seems et voila, that’s it in a nutshell! It just looks like a long skinny T shirt.
    This is a no brainer sweater which grows with the baby – my son wore his from birth to about 10 months as the rib stretches. Also because it has a cap sleeve the baby’s arms are free. It’s easy to pull on and off, there are no buttons and it’s great over a sleeper especially if baby sleeps on top of the bedding at night. What more could a Mum and Baby want. Which reminds me I should get started on one for my 5th granddaughter due in 2 weeks. On the Mon Tricot pattern there are socks, hat and shorts to match. I often knit the socks as well as they are long and the rib helps them stay on. It is a simple and stylish outfit – very French. I can’t remember how many times I have knit it.
    Have fun and Happy comin-up Birthday.
    Janet MF

  94. I think the Tulip baby cardigan is so pretty.
    Hey, I just turned 40 on the 9th. Happy Birthday to you!!!!

  95. Hmm, there are two that I love. The first has a hand on the front of it, can be whipped up in 3-4 hours and can be made in any color combination you can come up with (I even made one with the fingers in rainbow shades). I’m darned if I can remember the name of it — I’ve made it so many times that I know the pattern pretty much by heart.
    The other is I think Debbie Bliss — lots of cables, with a tiny little teddy bear in the pocket. Called Teddy Bear Sweater. It can be, pun intended, a bear to knit with all the tiny cables, but truly beautiful.

  96. Kate Gilbert’s “Samantha”. A fun one to knit and beautiful to look at. I made one for a friend, in white cotton with vintage painted buttons. I never got a photo of it and will make another if I find out someone’s having a girl.

  97. I have two favorite baby sweaters. The baby kimono from Interweave knits from one of their gift pages and the “my first tattoo” from Stitch and Bitch Nation. The one with the skull on it. The kimono is adaptable to whatever yarn you have on hand and the “tattoo” will garner envy from others. Your choice. Of course you could knit that gansey……

  98. I love the “Baby Surplice Jacket”, a cousin of EZ’s Baby Surprise. It’s in the Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2007 issue (Meg’s column). It’s charming and truly magical in its construction. It can be done in multiple colors to great effect. The really great part is that the bottom front is an entire hem of wee buttonholes, and the sweater can be expanded as baby grows. It’s wonderful and a fun knit.

  99. Hey- have a wonderful time at your 40th celebration! Hopefully once it starts, you’ll forget all about the worry and just have a blast.
    Makes me reminisce about my 40th, “several” years ago- mine was music rather than yarn based, but a fabulous day anyway!
    And for babies? I really enjoy knitting the Mason Dixon baby kimono because of the cool geometry of it, and that fact the you can personalize it in so many ways.

  100. Holey cats. I went to look at the nerdtastic MST3K sweater out of sheer dumb curiosity. Husband looked over my shoulder to see it & is now whining that he wants one…..in his grown up husband size.
    Steph, you’ll get to meet this man as he is coming with me to T.O. for the bash. BTW, I talked to Denny this morning. She’s cool. I can’t WAIT until Saturday.

  103. This might be my second comment, I somehow messed up the first one. Happy Birthday. I love the Yarni Cardi by Mary Lou Egan. I’m half-way through my first one and it’s beautiful. Sweet and lacy.

  104. I love the Hooded Jacket by Debbie Bliss, published in Simply Baby. It’s cute, easy to put on and the perfect weight for fall, spring and warmer winter days. Plus, I was really enamored with the construction and that hood!

  105. Maybe, so you don’t confuse The Blog, you should swear off yam burritos and eat sweet potato burritos instead.
    Have a great birthday. I’m competing in a chocolate cook off that day, in honor of a friend’s 60th. I’ll bring a sock to knit on, in your honor.

  106. Yam burritos. On first read through, seeing that right after the knit night bit, do you know I thought that said “yarn” burritos? That could be something really cool, but I don’t think you’d want to eat them.
    Best baby sweater: My sister just had her first baby three months ago and the first sweater she wanted me to knit for him was Kate Gilbert’s Pea Pod. It did not disappoint! Mine’s at http://www.ravelry.com/projects/magistra/pea-pod-baby-set . Quick to knit, easy to assemble, absolutely adorable and with a matching hat. We all love it (although of course that could have a lot to do with the kid that’s in it, too 🙂

  107. My favorite is from an old McCall’s from the 70’s. It had a hood and used worsted weight. It knit up fast and the hood was easier than looking for a hat all the time.

  108. For some reason I just read ‘yam burritos’ as ‘yarn burritos’ – the former sounds far more tasty than the latter.

  109. I’ve never knitted a baby sweater in my life, but my favorite one that someone else knitted is the kimono that Franklin knitted for Abbey. Panopticon, January 2008 archive.
    Happy Birthday to you!

  110. I found the Pinwheel Sweater on elann.com. Babies can wear it from 3 months to 2 years because it is vertically reversible. Check it out!

  111. I got caught up knitting a few Lillie’s Little Sweaters this year (by the creators of The Wonderful Wallaby) – hood / no hood / fuzzy trim / no fuzzy trim, etc. Pattern covers newborn to 36 months. Easy peasy speedy gonzales knit!

  112. there is a pattern for babies knitted
    by judy lamb and a free pattern
    called li’l tux for baby
    black and white yarn size 1 2 3
    black body white shirt front all ribbed
    black bow tie white cuffs
    has her own page and liesure art
    i can just see father and son in arms
    arriveing at the party and mother
    in her lovely new dress

  113. I’ve only knit the easy baby cardigan from Knitting pure and simple. It is a free pattern on their website. knittingpureandsimple.com
    I have the pattern for the BSJ and look forward to trying it one day.
    Hope you have a wonderful birthday…I have my prayer cap on for “no rain”. Enjoy the celebration and try not to worry!

  114. My favorite is a hooded baby sweater that zippers down the back. It is easy to get on and since the front is flat, it always appears to be neat. It works up quickly and has the potential for endless stitch variations. There is a free pattern on the internet here http://www.knitting-crochet.com/found/hooswefou.html and a link to my Ravelry page is here so you can see a picture http://www.ravelry.com/projects/janem/zipper-down-the-back-hooded-baby-sweater
    I have read about your disdain for putting in zippers, so I am not sure that you will like this sweater as much as I do.
    It was great to see you in Philly, hope you come again soon.
    Jane

  115. I’m a big big fan of the placket neck sweater from Last Minute Knitted gifts (just make sure that you get the errata, the pattern as it’s printed in the book has an error).

  118. Oh I forgot the whys:
    BSJ: It’s a relatively fast knit without being mind numbing. The shape keeps things interesting. Doesn’t require a specific yarn and can look different each time you do it.
    Striped Cardi: Again a fast knit that can be modified for in the round knitting to minimize seaming. It’s written for their Cotton-Ease yarn, which is oddly forgiving for a cotton, but can easily be worked in any similar weight yarn for slightly different looks.

  119. Have you seen ‘Ziggy’? Super cute cable pullover with overlap (lov’em) shoulders. The pattern was designed by Anniepurls and is on her Jujube & Lolo site.

  120. Debbie New’s Ouroborus sweater.
    so simple, so different.. (it starts in the under arm.. You knit 2 “rounds” that are realy misshaped hexagons (12 increases in 6 pairs–every ?? round)
    the hexagons aren’t hexagons–(real hexagons are made from 6 wedges (each wedge is a equalatoral triagle ) for this sweater–each wedge is a Right angle triangle.. (in real life, shoving 6 90° triangles into 1 point, isn’t possible but it is possible in Knitting.)
    the two ’round/hexagons(not hexagons) get folded, (and be come a shape like a 7 or an L (pair the 7 shape and you get a T sew up seams (top of shoulder, center back and you have a sweater!!)
    you can see a version or two on ravelry.. or consult Debbies Book, Unexpected Knitting

  122. I have to throw in my vote for a Baby Surprise Jacket. It’s soft and squishey and as others have said…every baby needs an EZ sweater!

  123. I LOVE the handspun BSJs on brooklyntweed. So much so, that even though I don’t spin…yet OR have a baby OR know anybody who’s expecting, I purchased some gorgeous handspun to make one (the BSJ…not a baby. That sentence got tangled)
    I also love EZ’s Baby Sweater on two needles. Can’t wait to see what you come up with!
    P.s. Sympathy on the camera. ):

  124. I love Holli Yeoh’s JoJo cardie 🙂 I made it out of Regia Nation Color and made them for twins with great ease and little second sweater syndrome. You can see them on Ravelry, my name there is littlelib.

  125. (Busily chanting, “No rain. No rain….” and pouring out a little mead for Thor.) Best baby sweater? E.Z.’s Baby Surprise, hands down. If for no other reason than how cool it is to fold up something that looks like serious nothing and wind up with a cool sweater/jacket.

  126. Best baby sweaters? I adore Baby Surprise Jackets (and hope I will continue to adore said jackets after knitting up one for each of the EIGHT women I know at the moment who are expecting), but another one that I am drawn to is the Wonderful Wallaby in the smallest size. It works up quickly, has a nifty hood and pouch (everyone loves the pouch) and comes in so many sizing options. What’s not to love?
    I’m sorry I’m not much help, but honestly the best baby sweaters I’ve seen were right here on your blog. Things that made me go, wow, I want to make that.

  127. Ok, a different baby sweater suggestion. This one isn’t a quick or easy knit (just ask me how many times I messed up the cable), but I thought it was beautiful and I made it for a very dear friend, who is the proud owner of a brand new baby boy. It’s Cardigan for Merry, based on the Cardigan for Arwen pattern. It’s so cute. I did it in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Heavyweight STR. I’d probably drop down to mediumweight if I repeat it ever, it was seriously a dense sweater. But I wanted a sweater that could be a jacket for fall or warmer winter days. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/cardigan-for-merry

  128. Am I the only one who actually read it as YAM? Maybe because I always get the yam fries when I go to Seva.

  131. The Robin Hood Jacket by Zoe Mellor… I handspun some dyed fiber for it and found I was almost 200 yds short, it was awful. 🙁 Oh the cables, oh the hoodie, it’s so cute and would look adorable on either a girl or boy. I wanted to knit it for my son and then pass it on to my daughter. I could still do this, but it won’t be handspun.
    BTW, earlier this week I spent two whole days in a small workshop taught by Judith MacKenzie – she really is a wonderful teacher. Still reeling from it though so I haven’t finished my blog post yet. I learned so much I’m practically bursting at the seams!

  132. I loved Franklin’s “Tomten Jacket” from his April 3rd post, but haven’t knit that myself. Personally, I love the Debbie Bliss special knits book. I have made the sweater with the velvet trim for boys in blue and have also knit it in “wasabi green” – both with a black velvet trim – loved the green one so much I knit the same color again for another baby. I have also made the taffeta trimmed sweater as well as the beaded cardigan from that book. They all were lovely! Have fun with Franklin – Toronto should put him close to the end of his 1000 Knitters. I was fortunate to be a part of the project. I look forward to seeing all those knitters in one spot!

  133. Janet MF again……….Pattern fix
    90 stitches in 4 ply is way too many – just tried it. 62sts with 4 ply and Size 10 UK needles (US 3 or 3.25mm) are more than enough. The sleeve cap cast ons need a multiple of 4 so instead of 10 cast on 12 or 16.
    Just working on one of these now – can’t find the booklet but it is somewhere. Probably printed between 1972 – 74!!!!! but still classic.
    Janet MF

  135. My favorite has been a little garter stitch number with a square drop-down front anchored by 4 buttons. I like it because it’s stretchy and easy to get on and off a squirmy pumpkin head. If you are interested, I’ll dig out the pattern.

  137. Hey Steph- just heard from a friend of mine who was flying into Nebraska that she had to spend 2.5 hrs in one of those tornado shelders at the airport -aka the women’s bathroom- that we have narrowly escaped. That was after she spend 8 hours at O’hell airport.
    See ya on Saturday!
    Fi X

  139. 1. I found a WWKIP gathering and and so happy to be joining them this Sat 12-4, Hecksher Park, Huntington NY
    2. I’m currently making the Little Boy Blue Cardi from Twelve Months of Knitting by Joanne Yordanou. No pic in Ravelry, but it is a fast classic knit, sort of like 5 swatches and a nice ribbed collar. Big plus: recommended yarn is Rowan All Seasons Cotton (one of my favorites, and in the stash).
    3. 40 is a wonderful age. Happy Birthday! Enjoy every minute of it!
    4. New camera. New camera. New camera. You deserve it!

  143. I love the baby kimono in the Mason-Dixon Knitting book. It’s an incredibly basic garter stitch pattern with minimal sewing, but you can embellish it many ways. I’ve done it in both garter stitch and stockinette and added an i-cord trim. It knits up very quick which is key for baby clothes. You can find some of the different options on Ravelry. Sear for ‘One-Piece Baby Kimono’
    Have a great birthday!

  144. I’ve knit the Pea Pod baby sweater from Interweave’s free patterns three times (all the same season, too – I was dreaming that pattern). Love it. It’s super easy, but really stands out among baby sweaters. I knit it in earthy, fallish tones (two in burnt orange, one in a beautiful cocoa) and put cool wood buttons on it. That really played up the cascading leaves on the front. Definitely one of the most highly complemented things I’ve ever knit.

  145. I witnessed the camera death and I didn’t see much stupidity in the situation. Considering you had taken a picture of me mere moments before it broke, I can’t help but wonder if it gave up the will to live once it captured my image on its sensor (I know cameras can’t really commit suicide but it might make you feel a little better).
    As for baby sweaters…honestly, I prefer to knit for toddlers. Baby sweaters look so cute off of the baby but seem scrunchy on babies. I always say that’s why I think so many patterns for baby sweaters show them hanging on wee hangers or tossed over crib rails rather than on a living, breathing child.

  146. #9 – I’m sure this is covered in #4, because you will all have been working hard to cover everything. But . . . (you knew there would be one) have you considered putting out a donation jar for MSF/KWB alongside the donation jar for “Franklin’s Wonderful Trip”? I would bet that both jars would raise considerable funding for their respective causes.
    In the meantime have a wonderful time with all your company. We’ll all party with you on Saturday.

  147. I love the Devan baby sweater from knitty– I’ve made to of them. But only a masochist (like me) would do the version with the full intarsia stripe up the back. I wanted to set the thing on fire! But it turned out lovely.

  148. I knit this Drops baby cardigan last Winter for a baby shower:
    http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/visoppskrift.php?d_nr=b14&d_id=27&lang=en
    It’s garter stitch, shaping done with short rows. And it uses fingering weight yarn, which is great to use some of the sock yarn stash (if need be).
    I just saw mother and baby last night, and cute baby girl was wearing the cardigan. Apparently she wears it ALL THE TIME! Isn’t it great when handknits get a lot of use?
    Someone already mentioned Ziggy by annypurls, but she also designed Peace Baby. Proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders (but you probably knew that already).
    I also recently found “Liam” by Justine Turner (justjussi.com) on Ravelry. Very cute! and it has little sheep! I suggest you look it up…
    Also, look up “Little Sister’s dress”, from knittingalot.blogspot.com. Adorable… and a free ravelry download.
    Have fun!

  149. Oh, I forgot – the Pea Pod works for boy or girl (I made the boy the cocoa, the girls got the orange – I think I liked the cocoa better actually). But anyway, it’s very unisex.
    I’ve also made two Daisies (fastest pattern ever) and am just wrapping up my first BSJ.
    Happy Birthday, Harlot!! Welcome to the 40+ world.

  150. my fave baby sweater is the Baby Suprise Sweater by Elizabeth Zimmermann. I love it as it’s garter stitch with increases & decreases. I have an adaption of EZ’s pattern which makes it pretty simple as you use markers.

  151. My favourite sweater zipped up the back so my little guy couldn’t take it off.

  152. Nothing beats EZ’s Baby Surprise Jacket!! I don’t know a Mom that doesn’t like it. It’s not overly cutesy. Jared from Brooklyn Tweed recently completed two beautiful ones in a handspun, which seems to me to be just perfect for this project.

  153. I still love Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Baby Surprise Jacket. Any yarn will work up into sizes in proportion. Throwing in a contrasting color automatically balances out through the sweater parts. It is just an amazing pattern. If you haven’t tried one, you must some day.
    Sara

  155. Happy birthday, Stephanie!!! My hands down fave baby sweater is the Mexicali Baby Ole that was in Knitters mag a few years back. It doesn’t look like your typical baby sweater and is made with sock yarn so the colors can be sock-fun!

  156. I adore the Tulip sweater. I love Baby Surprise. My friend asked me to knit a baby sweater that zipped up the back, since it’s not so easy to put a sweater on over a baby’s head but I wasn’t nearly smart enough to figure that out and now her daughter is 2 1/2. Oh, well. I bet if you could come up with one of those, the mom would love you more than she already does.

  157. Well, I love your baby jacket on knitty. I’ve made it with a spread-out type collar or a nice rounded one…different endings to sleeves. It is my favorite.

  158. Love the Tulip, above all others!
    Love Baby Suprise….really close second!
    Now, on Ravelry, someone knit the Tulip sweater in MALABRIGO! Comparable colors to the original, but MALABRIGO! Just imagine the possiblities!
    P.S. Presbytera just isn’t going to let you off the hook, is she? 😉

  159. The baby sweater my boys all lived in and the one I almost always knit for a gift is a hooded zip down the back sweater. Easy to get even a tiny baby in it, older babies can’t eat the fastening and can’t pull off the hat! Keeps them very warm, because the hood is attached to the sweater!

  160. Favorite baby sweater…..BSJ in a self striping yarn. My first two were done with actual “stripes” which made me nuts because of all the ends to weave in.
    Favorite kid’s sweater…..Debbie Bliss’ “Classic Aran Cardigan”. So sweet.

  161. Baby Pullover #214 by Diane Soucy is my favorite. It’s top down, no seaming, so cute and an easy knit. Looks great in cotton and wool…

  163. Happy Birthday! You have the same birth date as my Dear Hubby… it’s no wonder I like you so much!
    I don’t have a favorite, but I did make the EZ Baby Surprise Jacket (twice), just ’cause you inspired me with the one you made. I figured if you could, so could I. They took about two weeks each, but I did manage to complete them.
    *Now* I’m going to have to check out all the links the commenter’s have included.
    Have a Great Day!

  165. I like the Baby Sweater on Two Needles from the Knitters Almanac. Probably because it was the first EZ pattern I’ve completed, The lace stitch is easy and lovely.

  166. Would LOVE to see you do the EZ February Baby sweater. It’s so pretty. You could use some of your gorgeous handspun and I bet it would look stunning. However, I do like the Baby Yoda Sweater (from Dogs Steal Yarn – also on Ravelry) because it’s dead simple, knits up ridiculously quickly even for a slow knitter like me, uses i-cords which are fun and looks incredibly cute on. I think you should make one of those.

  167. Happy Birthday! My go to fav pattern for my guys is the Simple Hooded Tunic from Knitting Pure and Simple using a gorgeous yarn because the simplicity of the pattern can really showcase good yarn – which I think you have some of. It looks great on kids – dress up and dress down. I consider it the necessary little black dress for kids. Have a great time on Saturday!

  168. I clearly have a one-track mind. I thought your blog said you and Juno ate yarn burritos. I had to read it 4 times before I figured out what it really said….. I’m running with the “one-track mind” excuse to avoid the “I need glasses” discussion….. Happy early birthday, and have a great weekend!

  170. As a long time Juneau (it rains here all the time), Alaska resident, I have a few weather tips for you novices. 1. Plan as if you expect rain, make sure you’ve got you rain gear ready, locate all extra umbrellas, you get the picture. It’s the only way I know to get a sunny day! Brie’s Mom

  171. The flower-collar cardigan from Knitty here: knitty.com/ISSUEspring05/PATTcecilia.html
    Next time I knit a baby sweater, it’ll be this one. (Did you see the tulip booties, too?)
    Fun!

  172. Kristin Spurkland’s Baby Kimono from Interweave Knits Summer 2005 issue. I’ve made it a couple times and it’s super cute!!

  173. BSJ. it’s just magical fun to knit, and there are lots of ways to modify it, for variety if you’ve made one recently.

  174. Best Baby Sweater Ever? It’s gotta be Elizabeth Zimmerman’s baby surprise jacket! You’ve got no clue what on earth you are knitting, where you are in the whole scheme of it all and the entire time it looks like a wonked up dish towel thrown on the coffee table. At the end, flip, flip and WOW WHAT AN AMAZING BABY JACKET YOU HAVE.
    Hands down the winner!

  175. Ok – am I the only one who read YAM burritos? Maybe it’s the fact that I had baked yams for lunch. I don’t normally comment because there’s a gazillion billion comments here but I have to know – what’s in a yam burrito? Sounds totally awesome.

  176. I love the Presto Chango baby sweater on Ravelry. You make one jacket with as many different fronts for it as you want! You can change them out when baby spits up on it. Such a fabulous idea!!

  179. The best baby sweater I’ve ever knit is one by Lauren Linderman at So Much Yarn in Seattle. It is a top down sweater with very little finishing that works up very fast: in fact, I’m working on two at the moment. Once I get to the sleeves on the double points, I can start the next one on the circular needle…..Also, I usually take one of these to Stitch ‘n’ Pitch night at Safeco Field, because the body is just knit knit knit and you can knit and watch the game at the same time.

  180. Count me as another one who read “yarn burrito”. And more than once. I think I had to read it three or four times to see “yam”.

  182. Will trade some of our sunshine for rainy any day-just name it. Very hot in south Georgia and so dry the weeds are actually dying.
    Happy Birthday and cheers. Naomi

  183. I may be the only person alive who hasn’t knit the baby surprise jacket, so I cast on for one a couple of days ago and it is really awesome and easy and fun.
    Happy day, be well, and mind my grandma’s advice, which was usually parted with whilst jiggling a long, kool cig ash through red lipstick lips – ‘if you ain’t broke anything in your life, you’ve hardly been worth the livin’. May your new camera serve you well…..

  184. I forget what it’s called, but the baby sweater in the new edition of Knitty is adorable. Haven’t knit it yet, but it just looks too sweet to pass up: cute, but slightly classy.

  185. Favorite baby sweater: wonderful wallaby in size 2; usually make it in white so it looks more baby. Then I center a double cable on the pouch & put a single cable on each sleeve and it really is a beauty and is always well received. And, may I take this opportunity to wish you the very best birthday surrounded by all your loved ones! And to thank you for all the pleasure you bring all of us reading your blog and sharing in your (mostly) hilarious misadventures. Wishing you success, good health and happy times….Happy 40!!

  186. I, too, love your Daisy pattern & have made it several times. It’s quick, easy, and the moms love it.

  187. You’re allowed to sit on the steps of your yarn store and drink beer? Man, that’s so unfair. In NS I don’t think I’m actually allowed to sit on my OWN front steps and drink beer. Mind you, being pregnant, I’m not actually drinking a lot of beer. But still, drinking beer on the steps of the LYS should be a possibility for non-pregnant NS knitters!

  188. Elizabeth Z’s February sweater (from Knitter’s Almanac) aka Baby Sweater on Two Needles Practically Seamless for a girl, Cottage Creations’ Babies and Bears for either.

  189. Oh my gosh – I’m on a total baby-knitting bender, too! I finally – through blogging – have friends young enough for babies again! Yay! Anyway: Queensland Collection Book 8 (with babies so cute it ALMOST makes you want to have one more of your own!). So many cute sweater choices. I love Myrtle, but with all the cabling it’s more of a pay-attention knit; and I’m on my third Sunshine dress, because that’s a little more mindless, and so darned cute. Oh, there’s a bunch. In fact, from now on, I’m only making friends with people who are about to have babies, because how else will I get to knit these things otherwise?

  190. Whenever I see you talking about “yam burrito” I read “yarn burrito”… Which always puzzles me and I think to myself that it must be some funky kind of marketing thing that Lettuce Knit does with cute packaging that maybe wraps a skein of yarn up like a burrito as a surprise or something… and then I think… No wait, I bet I read that wrong… And it always says YAM and not YARN… and I giggle.

  191. Claire Montgomerie’s Easy Baby Knits “baby wrap” is so cute and quick to work up. It’s for girls.

  194. Thanks for asking about baby sweaters cos I have to make one too! LOL Now I have some more ideas… plotting.
    Alas, I did not read yarn burrito. I am normal(ish).
    Happy birthday for Saturday! I survived 40, so can you!

  196. The einstein coat as a baby sweater is the best. simple, clean, not too fussy, and beautiful in a deep forest green, just as I made it.

  198. Happy 40th, youngster!
    I agree with all of the votes for EZ’s February baby sweater, Except I don’t add 14 stitches when I start the sleeves, and I do a little trick I think I learned from the 5-hour sweater. When I get to the end of the first sleeve, I bind off and use the last loop to crochet the seam together, then I can knit right across to the second sleeve, do the same with it, knit to the edge, the do the body. Magic—no seams at all!!!
    Second, especially if you have time, the Presto Chango is a riot with it’s interchangeable fronts. What genius!

  199. Debbie Bliss’s “Nursery Knits” has a totally adorable cable jacket that I’ve made twice in tweed DK yarn. It is probably my favorite baby sweater ever, and I have a hard time recommending ANY Debbie Bliss patterns because she just keeps repackaging the same designs with different color patterns, so it is even with a very strong bias AGAINST her designs that I recommend it.

  201. I have reached the age where most of my friends are married, and everyone is breeding. Last summer I needed to get 3 sweaters finished in 3 months. So far, I only need one sweater this summer.
    I’m still in progress on a Dale of Norway baby cardigan…I’m not sure a baby sweater should be 200+ stitches on 2s. The Cardigan for Merry ended up pretty, but the cable required a lot of concentration. I did another Dale of Norway cardigan, and I couldn’t get the collar to work right.
    My favorite so far was the Ymer baby by Elsebeth Lavold (http://www.ravelry.com/projects/renowyth/ymer-baby) It was the quickest to knit, simple and elegant.
    I made all of these sweaters in the 18 mo size so they would wear them for longer, so I haven’t seen a baby in one yet. 🙁

  202. I love Haiku but have never knit it… only wished. Baby Einstein is also wonderful, Sally Melville has such great designs!
    Still wishing I could be there. Noticed your birthday was the right day of the year long ago but can’t make it work this time. Have a blast.

  203. Another vote for the universally adored BSJ, although Pixie Purls Country Kiddie is really very sweet, and either one takes just a skein of sock yarn….
    An early Happy Birthday to you. 40 rocks almost as much as 50, btw.
    Hugs, Nell in Atl.

  204. In my short knitting life I have knit only one wee sweater–the Baby Surprise–and therefore it is the best I’ve ever seen. 🙂

  205. I hope your birthday is as wonderful as my 40th was! Since so many who love you will be there, then it should be darn right incredible. And everyone who isn’t is probably out knitting where everyone can see. All that knitting on your special day — it’s just got to be a glorious sunshiny day.
    I love the baby surprise jacket. Simply put: it is just brilliant.
    (But that Tulip Baby has got to be a very close second… someday, I will make that. I vicariously loved how addicted you got to it.)

  206. An early happy birthday to a fellow Gemini! (Mine is June 12th) I’m bummed I won’t be able to celebrate your day at the awesome knitting extravaganza, but it’s a downside of living in China. I hope you’ve a fantastic time!

  208. I am a big fan of the Baby Surprise Jacket, because it is just magic to put together. I am also a big fan of the Hooded Sweater from Debbie Bliss Special Knits, because it is awesome for boys and girls. It is just so adorable when finished too.

  209. There are loads of great baby patterns. I’m a big fan of Debbie Bliss, especially for girls. One yarn that has come out recently that is fantastic for babies and kids is Sirdar Baby Bamboo. It’s soft, drapey, a joy to knit (or crochet), comes in nice but not wishy-washy colours and IT GOES IN THE WASHING MACHINE. My kids are gradually becoming clad in the stuff daily. The patterns that Sirdar brought out with the yarn are also great. Retro tanks, hoodies etc.
    Happy Birthday for tomorrow.

  210. My favorite baby sweater is the top down baby sweater from Knitting Pure & Simple (pattern #214). I can crank one of those bad boys out in a couple of days, it works wonderfully with self striping yarn, and it’s done before you’re completely sick of it (and no seaming!!!!).

  211. My vote for a baby sweater is the Baby Suprise Jacket. In handspun. Atleast that’s my plan. I’ve spun up some superwash handspun using that whole fractal stripe method and my sister has just announced that her and her hubby are starting to attempt to procreate. God help us all! Atleast I’ll finally get to knit cute baby things!

  212. for a girl, the February baby sweater, because EZ was a genius, its great fun to knit and looks oh so cute on the little ones.

  213. Pure and Simple baby hoodie tunic. I have knit it a few times and it is so easy/one piece. You can do all sorts of combos with it and if i still had babies I would want one.

  214. I have an old pingouin baby book (#85) that has a baby poncho with a hood.I’ve knit it over and over for babies and it’s incredibly handy especially in a car seat as all you have to do is pop it on and off over the babies head

  215. Rain rain go away. Come again another day. The Harlot and her knitting friends want to play. There–that should do it–good luck enjoy.

  216. I strongly recommend ‘ Judy’s Grandmother’s Baby Sweater’ from ‘Greetings from Knit Cafe’. Almost as much fun to knit as the BSJ, completely seamless – and knit from side to side which also adds entertainment to the process.

  217. Okay, so it probably makes me a huge geek, but I want to nominate my seamless baby kimono and seamless kimono sweater. Sorry but I am pretty proud of them and I think they are great quick, practical baby knits.

  218. I’d like to recommend Knitting Pure and Simple’s Easy Baby Cardi. I made it without the hood and replaced the ties with buttons… It is technically a pleasure, top-down, seamless and takes surprisingly little time/yarn for the newborn size (one hank of Cascade 220) – so you are definitely ‘done with it before it is done with you’!
    AND the pattern is FREE:
    http://www.knittingpureandsimple.com/babycardi.html

  219. ez surprise jacket. Mission Falls baby sweaters. older ones are great but there are some pretty cute newer ones as well. I’m knitting Iris(MF) just now for a wee new babe in my life who is also called Iris.I also have a very old cardigan pattern that has cables across the yoke that cleverly turn into owls when appropriate buttons are sewn on to look like eyes.

  220. Another vote for the EZ baby surprise jacket (although her tomten is fun too….)

  222. The best baby sweater I ever saw?
    Was the one I knit…my first ever sweater project a one piece kimono wrap in violet for my grand daughter. She was perfect, the sweater not so much but not bad for a first. The combo though still causes the strangest constriction in my throat and expansion in my chest. Ahhem.

  224. Happy Birthday from Kingston! Your talk there was amazing!
    I like the EZ February sweater. I’ve made dozens of these and always get reactions that outweigh the effort put into it. My more recent efforts have only had three buttons at the top rather than buttons all the way down. I also like the Tomten, but you have to be up for all that garter stitch. I’m not a fan of the Surprise Sweater for the same reason.
    I also really like the baby bolero in One Skein, though I’ve only made one of those for a teddy bear so far.

  226. I love Baby’s First Merino from Morehouse Merino. I’ve made it half a dozen times now and people love the basketweave pattern. Plus, there’s no sewing up–the body is one piece; you three-needkle-bind-off the shoulders and pick up the sleeves and bands.
    Happy Birthday Stephanie!

  227. Sheep Yoke Baby Cardigan by Jennifer Little of Looking Glass Knits – super cute.

  228. There’s a baby sweater called Helena in the new issue of Knitty, and I’m pretty sure it the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen ever.

  229. I’m sure it’s been said already, but I’m working on the February Baby Cardigan for a cousin’s baby. I’m making it with a nice organic cotton and it’s so soft and pretty for little baby girls!

  232. Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Best Baby Sweater – been published in Vogue and in some books. It’s beautiful (lacey), knits very quickly (top down), and uses size 4 needles.

  233. I have made three baby sweaters from Knit Pure and Simple patterns. Both the Easy Baby Cardigan and the Baby Pullover made impressive shower gifts and were simple and adoreable.

  234. IMHO, an old one in an old Beehive or Patons pattern book. Once seen never forgotten. It has a round yoke, knit top down, and the yoke is formed from leaves. Then it continues in a lacey stitch.
    Why? It uses baby weight or fingering, which I love for babies since it isn’t too heavy. It has deep deep armholes and tons of stretch so it fits for months….seriously, a baby sweater that you can darn near wear out on one baby. The bonnet that matches stays on their heads, and they don’t muck with it or pick at it.
    I bet I have knit 50 of these, and they’ve always turned out favourites.
    If you don’t have the book, let me know. I have 2 and will gladly lend you one.

  235. It seems silly to talk about my favorite baby patterns at the bottom of this list, but here goes. I have tossed all baby patterns in books and mags and kept one book: Natural Knits for Babies and Moms- I have knit 3 from this book and my fave is the Milan Jacket. The patterns are classy IMHO.

  236. Hey Steph……..Happy Happy 40th………..wow makes me really feel old…i remember the Huge news when you were born…wow..”Bonnie had a baby girl!” Grama Stewart was on top of the world!
    Have way too much fun!Sure wished i could be there for all the Big birthdays ~love 2/cousin Di in Kelowna

  238. Happy Birthday!!!! I hope you are having a fabulous time and are completely overwhelmed with knitters, yarn, beer and good times.
    I don’t remember the name of the baby sweater I liked. I don’t remember where I saw it either for that matter. It was a simple knit sweater with a cabled band at the waist, up the button band and around the collar. The buttons were set in the middle of the cable and it looked as though the stitches of the cable just waved around them.
    Very cute.

  239. Sounds like a wonderful weekend. And happy birthday in advance. I just had to comment to say that I had to read it three times before it stopped looking like it said “yarn burrito.” I have no idea what is wrong with me.

  240. The best baby sweater? Fiber Trends CH-33. It’s knit from the neck down, has short row back shaping and the only seams are the sleeves. From the waist down there’s a cool pattern stitch so it’s not too boring. 5 sts to an inch is the gauge.
    It’s the best!

  241. a) yarn burritos? seriously? oh wait, YAM burritos. wow. that can’t have just been me. can it?
    b) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!
    c) I’m voting for the EZ baby surprise jacket because of it cute-yet-sturdy functionality. I am ESPECIALLY fond of a certain EZ baby surprise jacket B received, and not just because it was the only handknit he received from someone other than me. It’s beautiful, functional, and even though it fit him at 4 months/10ish pounds, it STILL fits him now at nearly 1 year and well over 20 pounds. I kid you not. The only thing that keeps him from continuing to wear it almost daily is the fact that…well….HOT as hades here now.

  242. The sweater that was made for me (by my Nana I think), that my Mom handed down to my son. It is white and has a lacy stitch pattern. I managed to get one photo of him in it. You should see the “vests” (undershirts) that my Auntie made on tiny, tiny needles. Very plain, but with such a small guage. Because little English babies used to need lots of layers.

  244. HAPPY BIRTHDAY…Its already June 14th here in New Zealand. Hope you have a wonderful relaxing day of knitting.
    I hope that all your knitty wishes come true.
    Have a great day
    Love from Nicky ( mother of Fibber McPhee…most beautiful black and fluffy knitting supervisor ) 🙂

  245. I think my all time favorite baby sweater to knit is Elizabeth Zimmermans February baby sweater, from her Knitting Almanac book. I love it, knits up quickly and always looks great. I’ve knit it in cotton, wool, acrylic, soy. I once knit it in some left over silk/alpaca/merino blend in a deep berry color. It was stunningly beautiful. I knew it was an impractical combination for a baby when I knit it, but I did it anyway. My friends baby spit up on 5 minutes after she put it on her. Giving new meaning to the saying “out of the mouths of babes.”

  246. There is a baby sweater set in the book “Itty ty Nursery” that is super cute for boys, or girls. It’s quick, doesn’t require much yarn, and you can tweak/ embelish it to suit you. I did one for my son, and then one for my cousin’s daughter.

  247. Stephanie: The absolute coolest baby sweater I have ever seen or made is the “Sideways Sock Yarn Baby Sweater” designed and beautifully written up by Matthew Hesson-McInnis, AKA Hyphen Boy. It’s a self-published pattern, mainly available in Illinois where he has graced us with his presence, and I can’t even describe how much fun this puppy is to knit. It turns out very beautifully in any self-striping or hand painted fingering weight yarn. This from a fairly experienced but nonetheless pattern-challenged knitter. See pictures here:
    http://hyphenboydesigns.com/Patterns/Sideways_Sockyarn_Baby_Sweater/ssy_baby_sweater.htm
    See you in Oak Lawn if I have to walk from Bloomington!

  248. Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy your day.
    And I am in love with the gansey layette by Veronik Avery.

  249. Here’s an innovative thought: knit the little tyke a SHAWL! Simple little triangular shawl. Start a fashion trend. (OK, I admit it – I’ve never knitted a sweater of any size, they scare me with all those arms and fronts and backs and things.) I honestly cannot IMAGINE a better day than 1) in Canada; 2) in a yarn shop; 3) with the Yarn Harlot; 4) with Franklin; 5)turning 40- or 50, or 60…. THEREFORE! Happy Canadian Yarn Harlot’s 40th Birthday Party with Franklin Day!!
    I’m planning to take special treats to the Sow’s Ear’s WWKIP Day fete in your honor! (OH…and Stephanie? Keep an eye on Dolores, she likes beer more than most and is one rowdy gal – but she’s our Presidential Candidate. You have my permission to remind her to keep her hems down and her panties on!)

  250. I’ve knitted the Daisy sweater you designed twice. Once, I made it for my sister’s baby. She’s afraid of snakes, so I made my nephew a sweater with snakes on it. The second one I just finished and is for a herpetologist friend of mine. It’s a quick and easy sweater and you can totally put Snakes on a Motherlovin’ Baby. That is why it’s my favorite.

  251. Happy Birthday in advance–may your 40s be your best decade yet!
    (Oh, and I love Kate Gilbert’s Pea Pod set for babies. Probably a little warm for this time of year, but…)

  252. I really LOVE the new baby cardi up in the new Knitty… it’s so unique and something I’d totally make for myself (and will once I figure out how to make it in big girl size!)
    Have fun tomorrow and happy birthday!

  253. Definitely the “Jazzy Jacket” from Dana Gibbons at Cabin Fever. Hands down my favourite!

  254. A Cardigan for Merry by Anny Purls… love the cables and the toggles are gorgeous.

  255. I don’t think anyone has mentioned “Natural knits for Moms and Babies” by Louisa Harding. I loved some of the sweaters in there, as well as the “Harvey” kimono. Also like Debbie Bliss baby sweaters.

  256. I have no glasses on so bear with typos… I go through a phase with everything I have ever knit where I hate at at about 2/3 complete. Then I get near the end and I love it again. Kind of like childbirth was. Favorite baby sweater knit on the diagonal, start with 4 sts adn increase every row. fast and cute.

  257. YUM I thought you had eaten something interesting called a yarn burrito. And while I was trying to figure out if that was *really* what it was called, I read on into the comments to see YAM burrito! HaHa jokes on me!
    I’d love to try the BSJ sometime. but no babies to knit for…
    Nancy

  258. How can you even look at another baby sweater? You know the tulip is calling you! (Harlot I know) but seriously, you even got me to make that one and I’ve only ever made 2. Ok, 3 if you count the one I had to throw in the trash it was so bad. Definately more tulips!

  259. Happy birthday, Stephanie!
    We’ll be celebrating WWKIP Day here in Greenfield … perhaps not as many famous knitters as in Toronto but should be fun just the same!

  260. I haven’t read the comments yet and assume this has already been suggested, but what about the baby surprise jacket? You just made me think – I have to knit something for a newcomer, and I started a little blanket, and I’ve always wanted to try that jacket…maybe I’ll have a change in plans! Have fun knitting in public, I hope all of your plans fall into place and you have a great day!

  262. I don’t know enough patterns to vote “best ever”, but Helena on the new issue of Knitty is so, so pretty.

  263. Happy Birthday! Have fun with WWKIP day!
    I have to work, but I’ll be thinking about all of you. (And I KIP every day at work on my breaks.)

  264. Baby sweater on two needles by EZ (February in knitter’s almanac). 1200 ravelers (and another 1000 who have it in the queue) just can’t be wrong. It is a perfect sweater.

  265. Hey Harlot, just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday from another 40 year old in sunny Brisbane, Australia. I spent the morning at my s&b knitting on a sock in your honour. If someone had told me six months ago that I would be knitting socks this winter, I would have told them that they were mad. But my first ever heel is turned, and I’m on my way to the toe. Such is the lure of the sock and the power of the Harlot.

  266. I can’t send you a birthday card so will this do.
    When things start to sag
    and things start to drag.
    When you stand on your head
    they don’t look so bad.
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU AND YOUR BROTHER AND MOTHER
    Oh yeah, and Happy KIP day too
    I don’t really do baby stuff but I do rather like the baby layette featured in Simply Knitting August and September Issue 07. You get a bonnet, bootees, matinee coat AND shawl. Why do I like it so much? Cos I am a Lacey newbie and would like to start on little lacey things rather than a big shawl. I’m knitting them for Sarah in my Knitting club she’s just had Frederick Earnest our newest member, guess wot?? He grabbed the knitting needles and started playing with them, a born knitter, cos he has been coming to our Knitting club since sarah first started with him. YiPPeeE!

  267. You don’t wanna know what I had pictured in my head when I read “yarn burrito”
    It was funny, but also involved cheese and bean covered yarn……
    Now a Yam burrito I could do.
    YUM.

  268. Happy Birthday I hope you have the best one you have ever had surrounded by friends and loved ones and of course yarn and knitting tools:)Hugs Darcy

  269. Happy Birthday Stephanie. Have lots of fun on your 40th and a bit of KIP, of course.

  270. Buon compleanno, Stephanie. Quarante e giovanne. E divertiti bene oggi.
    Un abbraccio forte,
    Linda

  271. happy birth day
    forty means
    follw your heart
    you get to use
    anti ageing cream right now
    feeling in a rush to get things done
    when you are eighty you will find
    that ball of yarn you lost back in 08
    you are ten years from aarp but
    the young clerks will offer you
    a seninors discount -you will still
    hear you just do not understand
    from all the ages -you will
    stop your self and say i sound just
    like my mother -never be allowed
    in the junior deparment- will
    wear long dangly earrings
    with you tank top and short shorts
    best of years liz

  272. Have a Great Birthday! We will give a shout out to you when we sit out Saturday.

  273. My favorite baby sweaters have to be the ones that were made for my brother and myself when we were tots. I wouldn’t know the name of the pattern or the type of yarn (although it is surely acrylic) or even the name of the lady that made them .. but they are still precious to me. They are simply hoodies that were knit double stranded for extra warmth and I can only conclude that the sweet lady that made them, had a lot of love for making them.

  274. Favourite baby sweater: Like Kristen says, the Penny Straker baby owl cardigan. I had an old copy of the pattern and made it for my niece. It’s adorable.

  275. Stephanie: The absolute coolest baby sweater I have ever seen or made is the “Sideways Sock Yarn Baby Sweater” designed and beautifully written up by Matthew Hesson-McInnis, AKA Hyphen Boy. It’s a self-published pattern, mainly available in Illinois where he has graced us with his presence, and I can’t even describe how much fun this puppy is to knit. It turns out very beautifully in any self-striping or hand painted fingering weight yarn. This from a fairly experienced but nonetheless pattern-challenged knitter. See pictures here:
    http://hyphenboydesigns.com/Patterns/Sideways_Sockyarn_Baby_Sweater/ssy_baby_sweater.htm
    See you in Oak Lawn if I have to walk from Bloomington!

  277. Our little knitting group in Shreveport, La. has
    discovered the EZ SBJ and love it. Each is as
    different and unique as the person knitting. From
    beginers to the most advanced (myself a beginer) have all excelled with this pattern.
    Have fun! The finished pice before you sew up the
    arm and shoulder portion is very interisting 🙂

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