FO Friday: Zita
I actually finished something I can show you this week! It’s a Christmas present for my three-year-old niece:
I used to knit Christmas presents for almost everyone in the family, but once I started designing, that went right out the window. My sister-in-law still makes wistful comments about the baby sweaters I used to make for her daughter, though. So hopefully this will be a nice surprise. :-)
The specs:
Pattern: Zita (Ravelry link) by Sarah Ronchetti of Sezza Knits.
This is a great pattern! I followed it pretty much as written, although I did change the cap sleeves to long ones because my sister-in-law requested dresses appropriate to wear in winter.
Did you know baby/toddler sleeves aren’t always tapered from underarm to wrist (and if they are, it usually isn’t much)? I didn’t, but luckily I looked at some other patterns before I decided how to do the sleeves. I was ready to sail in there with my usual decrease rate for adult sleeves. Guess I have some things to learn before I start designing sweaters to fit my upcoming little one…
Yarn: Berroco Vintage (wool/acrylic blend) in 5159 Elderberry, 4 skeins. This yarn is now pretty much my go-to for washable baby/toddler knits. It’s nice to knit with–not squeaky at all–and it blocks well. Plus my niece’s favorite colors are purple and pink, so this magenta should hopefully be perfect.
Notes: I’ve never knit a dress before, so I was surprised at how long the skirt took and how much yarn it ate up! But I love the finished product. The twisted stitches at the chest give just enough visual interest without being too busy. And the ruffle is so dang cute:
We’re heading off to (hopefully) sunny California on Monday for the holidays. It’ll be a nice change from the endless snow/rain we’ve had here. And I even have a teensy-weensy baby bump to show off (although it kind of just looks like I’ve been eating too many Christmas cookies).
I’m planning to kick back, relax, and get tons of knitting done. It should be a blast!
Very cute dress! The Wonderful Wallaby pattern has a section that advises against tapered sleeves for toddlers and infants because little kids’ arms don’t get significantly wider at the bicep like adults. After I read that section of the pattern, I started taking a good look at the toddlers and infants in my life and it’s totally true–whether they have chubby little arms or string-bean arms, they’re almost the same circumference at the wrist that they are at the bicep. An important anatomy lesson for knitters!
That’s a good source of info! And now that you mention it, I think I’ve noticed the same thing on babies and toddlers I’ve seen. I guess I just never connected it to sleeves before. :-)
“And I even have a teensy-weensy baby bump to show off (although it kind of just looks like I’ve been eating too many Christmas cookies).”
LOL!