Does anyone have this baby sweater pattern? It zippers in the back and I have seen it with cables and without.

Dear Joanna,

If you consider you have the skills to knit this item, then you don't need a pattern - the hard bit you have already done ie. having in your mind's eye what the finished item looks like.

These are considerations you need to make:

Texture of fabric. Work a swatch in your chosen yarn so you can count rows and stitches.

Measurements of final garment. Simple multiplication will tell you how namy stitches to cast on.

BUT [and there's always a "but"]

I am a very experienced Father of four and now a grandfather, so I can't imagine why anyone should want a back fastening garment on a baby. Poor Baby, I say, lying on a zipper up his spine. Perhaps that's why no-one responded to your question and why you can't find the pattern.

Furthermore, handknits on babies are particularly irksome; any cheap store-made item is a million times better. When they get ruined on first wearing by offensive liquids, you don't feel so bad.

And for my final thought, stitching a zipper into a handknit is VERY TIRESOME.

Sorry, Joanna. This project doen't get my vote!

Best wishes, John

Hi Joanna,

Not sure if you're still interested in making the sweater after reading John's comments, but I just came across this and thought I'd send it along....

http://www.knittingonthenet.co...s/babyswezipback.htm

Yikes!!! I agree with you John that a zipper down the back of a baby sleeper is awkward. The baby has to lay on his face while zipped and unzipped. The baby might even get dizzy if you had to flip him/her to unzip, flip back to change the diaper, and then another flip to re-zip back up again.

But as I mentioned on another topic I am planning to knit a multi-cabled (Aran style) bulky yarn sport vest for my son (who is now long past diapers) -- just turned 21 on St. Pat's Day -- and I plan to sew in a separating zipper all the way down the front. Yes I suppose it is time consuming to do, but I hope it will look nice. However, as I haven't even started yet I welcome any suggestions from John or anyone else here.

I really think this pattern is for a sweater that would be worn by a child that wasn't going to be wearing it lying down. I think the idea is to be able to put it on easier while the child is sitting up. I don't think it's intended for an infant.

Of course I looked at the link supplied by ddl. This is size newborn, and current advice is lie newborns on their back, and in this case on the zipper. And the zipper goes right up the hood, so I reiterate - poor baby.

It is interesting in the picture, that the knitter couldn't get the zipper in properly - the two parts of the neck ribbing are way out of alignment, and where one side is stretched more than the other the zipper curves.

My advice is always the same:
DO NOT ATTEMPT FREE PATTERNS.
I haven't read it all through, but if the picture is of very poor finishing, don't expect much of the pattern writing. I wouldn't have the nerve to publish a picture of bad workmanship like that, and it says a lot for the editorial standards when it gets on to a website.

What a palaver for a totally useless item.

Got that off my chest!

Best wishes, John

I'd never put a thing like that on a newborn-I don't think newborns need any kind of sweater.You're right about the free patterns-worth what you pay for them in some cases.

And I'll bet that whoever made that sweater, (which I haven't seen yet, but don't seem to need to), is so proud of it and probably doesn't even realize that the finishing is so poor on it. They probably think it's normal for the zipper to curve and the ribbing to not match up. Look at what's commercially available and the fact that so many new knitters probably don't have someone to show them the proper techniques. That's all some people can go by.

This Englishman apologises.

First to Joanna, who registered with TKGA to ask this question, and I immediately slammed in with a denunciation of her item choice.

Secondly sorry to Barbara Breiter,"Knitting on the Net," no votes in favour of this item. [BTW I dislike the inference of her book title as well.]

If I may be permitted to comment on Diana's comment:

quote:

so many new knitters probably don't have someone to show them the proper techniques

In these days of the internet, I can't imagine anyone taking up knitting without a google search and turning up TKGA, which sensibly Joanna had obviously done.

Anyone who is actually reading this is already hooked here, I know, but freely available is endless advice and encouragement from many of us who are really experienced and willing to help others; totally focused on the craft without any commercial considerations; unbiased, except in the case of a few of my regular pet hates. I even demonstrate on webcam!


Best wishes to you all, John

Will just add my 2 cents on this subject. We got a layette set for our oldest and I was thrilled to put the baby in it. But, within a short time it was taken off. She got scratches on the back of her neck from the zipper and kept tossing and turning, obviously in distress. Have seen many of these sweaters at thrift shops and almost every one looks like it has never been worn, or at least for a very short time. My advice would be to make a sweater, but please put the zipper in another seam.It's a great idea, but not one that is nice for the baby.
I'll just sign as been there and sorry I did it.