When my friend Rebecca told everyone she was going to have a little girl – 10 years after having her son! – I was pretty excited to do some baby knitting. I asked her what her favorite color was, because I wanted her to have a special connection to the knits. Her reply? “Pinky-salmon.”
Pinky. Salmon.
Knitters – you and I both know that this was no. easy. task. So after combing the yarn stores – both virtual and brick-and-mortar – for pinky-salmon yarn, I finally settled on Filatura di Crosa’s superwash Italian wool in the 1741 colorway. It is half-way between a pinky-salmon and a vintage rose, but I think the real reason I chose it is because it matches my favorite Chanel lipstick: Rogue Coco in Mademoiselle:
We all have our inspiration, right? I chose this particular pattern after seeing Alicia’s version in blue. The pattern as written only calls for one row of eyelet lace at the bottom, but the two rows are much prettier, I think. There are 20 rows between each button hole, so while knitting the rows for button hole 5, here’s what I did for the bottom of the sweater:
- Row 1: k4, p to last 4, k4
- Row 2: knit
- Row 3 (ws): knit
- Row 4 (rs): k5, *yo, k2tog* across, ending k5
- Row 5: knit
- Rows 6-10: continue in stockinette (keeping first and last 4 stitches in garter) until row 11.
- Row 11 (ws): knit.
- Row 12 (rs): k5, *yo, k2tog* across, ending k5.
- Row 13: knit.
- Rows 14 – 18: continue in stockinette (keeping first and last 4 stitches in garter)
- Row 19: knit
- Row 20: (button hole row) knit across to last 4 stitches, k1, yo, k2tog.
- Rows 21-22: knit. Bind off all stitches loosely.
It was difficult to find buttons that matched this yarn color, so I chose creamy, winter-white buttons, which compliment the hat and socks that I also knit as part of this set:
The sleeves were knit to be a little shorter than normal; babies like to chew on their hands, and despite the yarn’s softness, I didn’t want her chewing on wool. This sweater will be a nice, warm layer over a soft t-shirt.
I am in love with this yarn. I would knit with it again in a heartbeat! Here are the project details:
- pattern: Eyelet Yoke Baby Cardigan, by Carole Barnys {free knitting pattern!}
- yarn: Filatura di Crosa Zara (2 skeins in colorway 1741)
- needles: size US 4 32″ circulars used as straight
- size made: newborn
Hopefully Rebecca will love her pinky-salmon sweater as much as I enjoyed making it. ~J
