Jacket for a Baby Boy

I have finished knitting this little blue jacket for a baby that is due in April.

I meant to use a published pattern and I tried but in the end I changed most of it.  It was an old magazine pattern from 2007.  I had kept it because I liked the look of it and I thought it might do for a baby boy.

The smallest size is for 0-6months.  This would be OK but you are told to cast on 58sts for the Back.  Now I usually do around 50sts for 0-3 months.  I didn’t want to make something huge that the mother will have forgotten about by the time the baby fits it, so I reduced the number of stitches to 50. This meant I had to change the fronts and the decreasing on the raglans as well.

I have forgotten to mention that I used 3.75mm needles instead of the stated 4mm.  So I used different yarn, different needles and a different amount of stitches and a different number of rows – so it is only the general appearance of the design that is the same as the original.

I also think there may be mistakes in the pattern – for example the button bands suggest that you only rib 2 rows and then repeat those 2 rows once more.  However the photo clearly shows a much wider band with 8 or 9 rows.  I did neither and settled on 7 rows!  I wish I could find a pattern that I could just knit.  Perhaps I should have done my usual one – I have knitted it so many times that I do what I did before – it is nothing like the original published pattern- but it works.

I still haven’t finished the pink cat cardigan that I am knitting.  I have knitted all the boring bits but now I need to do the bit with the cat on.  I need to sit at home an concentrate on it – I couldn’t travel around with it – like I could the blue jacket – that is why this has got done first.  I do hope to get the pink cardigan finished this week so I can get back to my Memorial Quilt.