I finished my first Baby Surprise Jacket last night. What a feat! Elizabeth Zimmerman is a true genius, and how she ever came up with this amazing little gem of a pattern will forever mystify most of us. It is a project not only in knitting, but in origami.
Tackling this iconic project with a "just wing-it" attitude was my first move. I didn't need the jacket to be a specific size, so I chose some yarn from my stash (Patons SWS in Natural Pink, #70415) which I felt would accentuate the unique pattern and dove right in--casting on with size US9 needles and knitting the garter-stitch with abandon. Sure there were plenty of head-scratching, what the hell just happened moments, countless recounting of stitches and frogging, but ultimately I was very pleased with my results. Here are a few links which proved inspirational and turned out to be VERY helpful to me in those dark "what the hell?" moments:
- http://boiknittech.blogspot.com/2008/01/baby-surprise-jacket-spreadsheet.html
- http://doulicia.blogspot.com/2007/04/baby-surprise-jacket-and-notes.html
- http://www.knitting-and.com/wiki/Baby_Surprise_Jacket
The sweater came off the needles quite a bit larger than I had imagined. My finished project is about a size 4T, which turns out to be perfect for my niece's upcoming birthday. I think the self-striping yarn works beautifully to highlight the sweater's lines. Finding the sleeves a little short for a size 4T sweater, I grabbed a crochet hook and added some length, along with a few eyelets and a ruffled cuff. All and all I'm quite happy with this sweater and can't wait to see it on my lovely little model.
