One round of Kristen and Emily making adorable baby sweaters for friends, and I just had to join in. This first pattern [in a series of two :-)] I like to call Bunting. This name arises from my lack of finesse for pattern naming, but mostly from the fact that I love that the colorway of the yarn is Indigo Bunting. The prototype has been sent to Baby Cole, and I’m told he looks adorable in it!
This is a really simple sweater, knitted from the top down with contrasting color button bands and pockets. I love pockets on everything, so they are my favorite part of the pattern! The pockets are very easily done by knitting waste yarn while working the body and then picking up live stitches around the pocket and knitting a little pouch. I don’t expect many babies to actually use the pockets on this sweater, but they will look good while not using them!
The yarn is Miss Babs Yummy Sock and Sport Weight (which I seem to be using a lot lately). The main color is Indigo Bunting and the contrasting color is Coventry Green. I was able to get some lovely light green buttons from Tinker’s Button Shop on Etsy that I think look great against the Coventry Green.
Gauge for this pattern is 18 sts/ 24 rows to 4″ in Stockinette stitch on US 5 needles. This is a pretty simple pattern, however it has not been test knit by other knitters. It has only been knitted by me, and since I made it up everything made sense to me. So if you find a mistake (or just something that could be made clearer), please let me know. I’m pretty quick to respond, so don’t be shy!
Download Bunting:
Next up: Baby Sophisticate . . .
ERRATA (03/24/09): Originally, this post called for Miss Babs Yummy Sock and Baby. Actually, I used Miss Babs Yummy Sock and Sport Weight. Whoops! Sorry! The pattern PDF has been updated as well
UPDATE (04/06/09): I’ve updated the pattern pdf to include more complete instructions for the increases for the yoke as well as correct a mistake for the smaller size that was brought to my attention. The file is much smaller as well! Yay!
Stockinette 
I knit for charity and thought this is just great can you please email me back thankyou lesley
I’m glad you like the pattern! Sorry that the download isn’t working for you. I’ve added a link to the html version of the pattern in the post!
Hi, is there a pattern for ‘Baby Sophisticate’? It looks great also.
Coral M
Cooma, Australia
Baby Sophisticate is in the process of being test knit. I hope to have the pattern up soon!
Do you think you could get the entire sweater out of 1 skien of yarn if I did not want a contasting color?
Definitely! I wish I had figured the exact yardage before giving the sweater away, but I’m sure you could get it out of one skein as long as it doesn’t have abnormally low yardage.
Hi! great sweater. However I’m a little confused with how the pockets are done! Is it possible to explain in a bit more detail? Many thanks.
Hi! The pockets are worked by knitting a few stitches with waste yarn where the pocket will be while you are working the body. After you are finished with the body, you go back and take out the waste yarn you knitted, which will give you live stitches in the middle of the fabric. You then put these live stitches on double pointed needles and knit in the round with the contrasting color, creating a little pouch that can then be tucked back into the sweater to create a pocket. Hope this helps!
Ok. So it says k15 onto waste yarn, the put those stitches back on Needle and it says knit to last marker. Which marker though?
Also there are instructions for the next 2 WS rows. Do I just continue the normal knitting for the RS row in between? Sorry still, a little confused. Haven’t done pockets before and can’t find a good video online! Thanks for ur help
You should have a stitch marker on the side seams of the sweater – at the bottom of the armhole, where you joined the back to the fronts. So, you should work the waste yarn stitches then knit past one marker, then knit to the marker where the back meets the other front side of the sweater, then work the instructions for the other waste yarn. The instructions for the next 2 WS rows are just different to create a garter stitch edge on the pockets. You work the RS rows in the way you have been previously.
This pattern is hard to understand! Too bad, it looks like a cute sweater.
Hello, Linden, I am in the process of completing the little sweater, was just starting the button hole band and realized I should add 8 rows of garter stitch around the neck area first. I didn’t see that mentioned in the pattern, but noticed in the picture that’s what you had done. Not a problem for me, but thought you might want to add it to the directions. Thanks for the pattern, really cute!
Reblogged this on handmadestitchbystitch and commented:
Cute little 1 skein baby sweater. Makes a great gift for a new mom!
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Very cute pattern, thanks for sharing! Do you have a pattern for the hat that is in the picture? Would love to make that up too.
Thanks!
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Linden – I was hoping for clarification on the pockets and how many stitches there should be before each marker under the arm hole. I read an earlier post saying we should re-place the markers when we join the front to the back after putting 31 stitches on a holder for the arms, is it correct that there should be 21 stitches then before the first marker (right front) and 21 stitches after the last marker (left front)? If so and they are even at that point when you start with the waste yarn for the pockets you sl1 knit 2, then the 15 of waste (18 total) then it would only be 3 more stitches before the first marker…so when we get to the left front why do we knit 4 stitches after the marker, then 15 of waste, then only 2 knit stitches to the end? Are they supposed to be un-even at this point? Thanks!