The once and future Olivia

So now that I'm halfway through the Noro scarf, that means- right, time to start ANOTHER project. This time, it's a baby sweater for an upcoming Olivia due in April. Making a baby sweater is more complex than people sometimes realize.

First of all, I have learned there is no point in wasting the effort on a sweater if the baby's parents don't really appreciate hand knitted gifts- it's smarter then to just give the gift card or registry item (these parents appreciate it).

Next, except in very very rare cases there is no point in giving cashmere or other high maintenance sweaters. I find cotton or cotton blends work well for babies and kids no matter what the season- people tend to over-bundle babies, it seems to me, and with this one being born in April, a light sweater might be best.

Then, color- in this case, I know the baby to be is already overloaded with pink and purple, so I wanted something NOT pink or purple, but something that would coordinate, so I chose green. I had several options on hand, so next I chose pattern.

I had been planning to design something original, but sometimes, you have to ask yourself, why reinvent the wheel? Some patterns are perfect- and sometimes it's easier to foll

ow a tried and true recipe. One of my favorites (and knitters in general) is Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Sweater on 2 Needles- I first saw and used it years ago when it appeared in Vogue Knitting; it's also in her book Knitter's Almanac, and Vogue's American Collection (I think)- it's a true classic. I've made it dozens of times in dozens of yarns and it still never bores me.

As for the yarn choice, I had originally planned to use a light green, but it was too thick for the pattern. Then I remembered I had some Cotton Fleece from Brown Sheep in holly green. I

love the hand of this yarn- nice and soft for a baby; a little wool for warmth, a lot of cotton for comfort. The bright green will look great with pinks and purples all summer and into fall- this sweater tends to fit babies almost all of their first year, depending on the baby- and I love bright colors on babies. And the funny thing? I had originally gotten the yarn for a friend to make a hat for another friend's baby Olivia- and that Olivia is now no longer a baby. So, apparently, this yarn was always destined for SOME baby Olivia....

And so it begins....