Sweet Caroline – Finally
Posted on | December 7, 2008 | 16 Comments
I know, I know! This was supposed to be finished ages ago. (We are birthday twins after all – Did I tell you that already? Making for one of the coolest birthday memories ever.) The only way I could feel worse about that is if my fears are realized and little Caroline has grown out of it before it could be worn. Fingers crossed. With a promise to her mom that there will be a one-size-fits-all knit in her future if that turns out to be the case. Hopefully sometime before she turns 10.
This little sweater has previously had at least two different kinds of buttons and closures attached to it, and a very badly matched purple thread used for sewing. I didn’t document any of them because they frustrated me so much. I wanted it to be perfect, but in the end, I think this is the closest thing I can manage. And it is close….
The button loops are a little too green in real life, but from a distance I rather like them because they bring out the very light green of the striping (or at least in my mind!).
At any rate, it’s still an adorable little sweater; I love the combo of the lavender with the pale green, as I’ve discussed before, a good choice for Caroline I think. And finally, an FO. It’s been a long time since I’ve had one of those around here! I’m glad you’re still here despite the apparent lack of productivity! 
Oh yes, stats:
Sweet Caroline
Pattern: Drops b14-27 Jacket (free pattern here at Drops Design; Check out all the beautiful versions on Ravelry)
Size: 1-3 months
Yarn: Green Mountain Spinnery Cotton Comfort – Exactly one skein of violet, 1.5 skeins of Mint
Needles: US3
Gauge: 28 sts/4 inches
Now, someone please commiserate and tell me a story about knitting something for a special baby and not finishing it in time to fit. And what was the fate of the garment? I can’t be the only knitter out there who has ever done this!
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Now playing: Bela Fleck – The Lights of Home
Thanks to Rachel for introducing me to the bluegrass master… How did I make it through so many years without hearing this??
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16 Responses to “Sweet Caroline – Finally”
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mel
I knit, I spin, I hike, I love,
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December 7th, 2008 @ 1:37 pm
You’re right, it is adorable! And I love how the lavender stripes are reminiscent of spikes of lavender flowers. Fingers crossed re the sizing!
December 7th, 2008 @ 2:06 pm
uhm… the sweater that never got finished (for me) and that my mum finally finished for my niece (who’s 6 yrs. younger than me?)
December 7th, 2008 @ 2:34 pm
Beautiful!
My mother started a sweater for my brother, who’s three years me younger. The sweater was size 6 months. She had knitted about 35% when I found it five years ago when looking for needles in her attic. I finished it just in time for my brother’s daughter to wear :) It suited her very well!
December 7th, 2008 @ 2:57 pm
Lucky for me all I’ve ever knit for babies are blankets ans hey they can go to anyone. LOL
December 7th, 2008 @ 4:25 pm
That sweater is adorable!!! I’ll definitely be making this the next time one of my friends/family has a baby. So far there have been sadly few babies in my immediate friends/family but I have hope that as I grow into my mid-late twenties there will soon be lots more babies.
December 7th, 2008 @ 7:01 pm
So cute and absolutely perfect looking from here!
December 7th, 2008 @ 9:24 pm
That’s adorable!
December 8th, 2008 @ 5:35 am
i’ve never knit for a baby, so i can’t tell you a story about a belated knit – but there are about 100 stories about belated sewn items. quilts mainly. so… no need to worry. crafters might not be punctual, but i guess the love and labour in our pieces make up for this.
and… the cardy isn’t nearly perfect. it definitely IS perfect! ^-^
(someone says something different? send him here!)
December 8th, 2008 @ 10:33 am
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I love this little sweater!!!!!
I’ve got a 3/4 finished BSJ that I was knitting for my cousin’s baby who was born in June. A few days ago I saw a picture of the chubby little guy, I guess this one will have to go to an as yet unborn baby, because it will never fit the little guy it was intended for.
December 8th, 2008 @ 2:26 pm
It’s beautiful Mel! I love the colors together and you did a great job pulling it all together…right down to your green loops and beautiful buttons! Fantastic!
So far, though I LOVE all the little baby clothes I see, I’ve resisted the urge to knit anything that has to be worn. For that very reason! Currently working on some Elijah’s for new babies and there is no worry that they will grow out of them too soon!
Glad you like the banjo master. He may have slipped your radar because he mostly has been involved in some rather ‘strange’ new age bluegrass and some jazz-grass the past decade. On occasion he returns to his old traditional bluegrass roots, but not often. The stuff I sent is older stuff and I think definitely showcases his skill!
December 8th, 2008 @ 8:33 pm
I love it.
I knit three different things for the same little girl, and she has received none of them. They range in size from 3 months to 2 years and are all languishing in various states of unfinishedness, while the child continues to grow and I continue to delude myself that I will give her a handmade garment at some point. She’s now 2.5 years old.
December 9th, 2008 @ 11:09 am
That is absolutely gorgeous. I also am happy to see where you got the yarn. I have wanted to support the Green Mountain Spinnery, so I was glad to see that you did.
December 9th, 2008 @ 4:33 pm
The sweater turned out beautiful! I’ve added it to my queue as I know a few new baby girls I could knit it for.
On the outgrown project front, my husband and I went to USC for undergrad, it’s where we met. I really wanted our baby to have an ‘SC hat, but they didn’t have knit beanies that small with the logo. So I created my own graph of the logo by pixelating a picture of the logo I found online and much manipulation to get it just right. Then, to avoid seaming, I learned to work intarsia in the round (not easy). By the time I finished my kiddo was several months old it and was way too small. Broke my heart.
But on the happy side our friends, that also went to ‘SC, had a baby a couple months later, so we gifted the beanie to them. At least a very dear baby to me used it, even if it wasn’t my own.
December 10th, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
ohhhh… it’s just lovely!! The little button loops are great… did you crochet over a loop of yarn to achieve that effect? The colors are just lovely together, and the striping is wonderful. I just bought a few skeins of Koigu to knit this one up for a good family friend who is due with a baby girl in January, but we’ll see if I get all my holiday knitting done in time to churn out the sweater for them or not.
And, uh, I’m still not done with my daughter’s BSJ… but maybe I get some slack since I had to knit it twice :) I’m really hoping it will fit her when I’m done… I made it pretty tiny. Fingers crossed!!
December 10th, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
absolutely beautiful!
and sweet. sweet sweet!
December 10th, 2008 @ 10:39 pm
Love your button holes, what do you call them when they are not holes? They worked out beautifully!