Knitting Sweet Baby Sweater - Instructions for sizes 56-86

• Material and preparation
• swatch
• Knit baby sweater
  • cuffs
  • belly
  • sleeve
  • Put together
  • upper body
  • recess
  • collar
  • cover
  • stitch

Even passionate knitters often shy away from knitting a sweater. The effort seems too great and too unmanageable the procedure. Since offers a baby sweater, to practice the basic principle once. The work is manageable, you do not need so much wool and in the end there is a nice gift for fresh parents in the circle of acquaintances or relatives.

To keep it as simple as possible, this guide is limited to the basics of a sweater. Intricate patterns are deliberately omitted. Nevertheless, the color play of the wool creates a sweet result. In addition, this guide dispenses with the often complicated sewing together of the front and rear parts and the arms. It is simply knitted together! The procedure itself is described for a size 56 baby sweater. The following table allows you to adapt the manual to your desired size between 56 and 86.

Clothes size	Circumference upper body	Back length	arm's length	Arm circumference below	Circumference head	Circumference neck
56	45 cm	20 cm	14 cm	10 centimeters	40 cm	22 cm
62	48 cm	24 cm	15 cm	12 cm	41 cm	23 cm
68	50 cm	28 cm	16 cm	13 cm	43 cm	24 cm
74	52 cm	30 cm	17 cm	14 cm	47 cm	25 cm
80	55 cm	32 cm	19 cm	15 cm	49 cm	25 cm
86	58 cm	34 cm	21 cm	16 cm	51 cm	26 cm

Material and preparation

Material for a baby sweater size 56:

• 100g wool (50 g on 120 m run length) in green
• 50g wool (50 g on 120 m run length) in color
• Circular knitting needles 80 cm size 4
• Pin game size 4
• wool needle
• possibly crochet hook size 4

The material specifications refer to the wool used in this manual. Of course, you are free to choose another yarn for your baby sweater. Accordingly, choose the knitting needles in the appropriate size. It is important that you make a stitch test before you start with the actual sweater. On the wool is usually indicated how many stitches and rows are needed for a knitted square of 10 x 10 cm . But experience shows that everyone knits with a different firmness and thus receives different values ​​individually. The data in the table for this manual are in centimeters and not in stitches. This will allow you to calculate the number of stitches and rows you need for a specific section. In the instructions is calculated by way of example, how the sweater was used on the photos.

Previous knowledge for a baby sweater:

• right stitches
• left stitches
• right-hand stitched stitches
• circular knitting
• decreases

To knit a sweater is certainly not rocket science. If you feel reasonably safe in the basics of knitting, a baby sweater is quite feasible. The only difference with simple knitwear is that you have to think about it before knitting. It makes sense to make a simple sketch with the sweater and enter the measurements according to the instructions.

The dimensions are approximate. If you have the opportunity, it is worth taking the sweater directly to the baby. But do not forget that it can take a few days, depending on the knitting time, until the baby sweater is ready. As babies grow fast, you should measure generously. On the other hand, it is the beauty of knitted clothing that grows with it, so to speak. The sweater will last for a while, even if the little owner has a growth spurt.

swatch

Knit a square with 10 cm edge length on the right side. This tells you how many stitches you need for a width of 10 cm and how many rows you need for a height of 10 cm. In the example, these are 24 stitches and 32 rows.

Knit baby sweater

cuffs

The sweater is knitted from the bottom up. This means that you begin with the cuff around the hips. On the circular knitting needles, hit the required number of stitches for the circumference of the upper body. In the example here the green wool was used. But it is also conceivable a colorful cuff. In this baby sweater, 108 (= 4.5 x 24) stitches were struck for a circumference of 45 cm. Round up your result to a number of stitches divisible by 4.

Knit 2 stitches on the left, 2 stitches on the right. So knit until the cuff is between 2 and 3 inches wide.

belly

Now knit your rounds smooth right. This goes on until the knitted piece, including the cuffs, is about half the length of the back. See the table at the beginning of this manual. In the example, this is a good 10 cm, which corresponds to a total of 32 rounds. In the example, the last 2 rounds of the abdominal part are knitted with the colorful wool. Now put this part of the pullover aside.

sleeve

The arms are knitted by the hands. To do this, use the number of stitches on the needlepoint to indicate the number of stitches corresponding to "Arm circumference below" in the size chart. Here 24 stitches are struck for 10 cm circumference. The mesh size must be divisible by 2. For the cuffs, knit the first round a stitch on the left and a stitch on the right alternating.

After about 2 cm it goes on smooth right. Now the increases begin. Over the sleeve length the circumference should approximately double. This means in this example that over 14 cm 24 stitches must be increased. That equates to 45 (= 1.4 x 32) rows. Now you have to work it out a bit, that the increases remain clearly countable. In the example we therefore take 22 stitches in 44 rows. This corresponds to the increase of one stitch in every 2nd round.

To keep the sleeve even, it alternates between the beginning and the end of a round. This means that you first knit 2 stitches out of the first stitch. Knit a right stitch and an interlaced right stitch into the same stitch. Finish this round. Knit a round without increasing. Then knit a round to the last stitch. In this one right and one right-hand knit stitch are knitted again. It follows a round without increases.

Put together

When the first arm has reached the desired length, it is taken to the circular needle of the abdominal part. Take stitch by stitch from needlepoint to the circular needle. Start with the first sleeve stitch so that the stitching seam on the finished pullover lies on the inside of the arm.

If the whole sleeve is on the circular needle, take half of the stitches of the belly piece from one end of the circular needle to the other. The goal is to get to the other side of the body, where the second sleeve is taken with the circular needles. Knit this as described in the instructions under 4. and thread it on the circular needle in the same way.

First knit a round on the right with the colored thread of the body part over all the stitches on the circular needle. Since the turn around the sleeves is very tight, it's best to pull the leash of the circular needles halfway out here. Be sure to knit the first stitch firmly to avoid holes.

In the first round it is worthwhile to work on the markings from sleeve to body. These show later, where is removed. Also on the middle of the front there is a mark, where later the aperture is worked.

Under the arm in the armpit, a small hole will be created. This can not be avoided and it must be simply sewn in the end.

Finish the first round on the front 2 stitches in front of the left sleeve from your perspective (later this will be the baby's right arm).

upper body

In total, in the example now exactly 200 (= 2 x 46 + 108) stitches on the circular needle. It should now be knitted another 10 cm (= 32 rounds) to achieve the desired back length for the baby sweater. In these rounds so many stitches have to be taken off that an adequate collar is created. This should be larger than the neck circumference, but may be smaller than the circumference of the head. For easier putting on and taking off, a button will be incorporated later on the front. In the example, 30 cm collar circumference are desired. This corresponds to 72 stitches. In each round, 2 stitches are taken in 4 places. So you take 8 stitches in one round off. If you take off every second round in 32 rounds, the number of stitches is reduced by 128 (= 16 x 8) stitches. Of the 200 meshes, exactly the desired 72 remain.

The decreases always take place according to the same principle at the transition from the body part to the sleeve. To do this, knit the two stitches in front of the marker on the right side. The stitch after marking lift it off to the right. The 2nd stitch after the marker knit it normal right. Then pull the next to last stitch over the last one knitted. After a round of deduction follows a round without declines.

recess

Depending on how long the aperture should be, you must interrupt your rounds after a certain number. In the example the aperture should be 3 cm long. Therefore, the withdrawal rounds are interrupted after 23 rounds. For the panel, knit 2 stitches before and 2 stitches after the mark on the center of the sweater front right. From the next round you can not continue in a round on the right, but have to knit back in the other direction.

If you have to take another repeating pattern, for example every 3rd round, now also on the left knitted back row, this works in the same way: Knit the 2 stitches in front of the marker on the left, then lift the following stitch on the left, knit the next left and pull the penultimate stitch over it.

collar

It is advisable to knit the last 2 cm in cuff pattern 2 left, 2 right. A smooth right-hand knitted collar rolls in gladly. In the example the colorful wool is used for the collar. The acceptance will continue at the marked points. Depending on how the stitches appear, work the decreases, left or right.

For a good stretch of the collar knit the first 2 stitches on the right. Insert the left needle into both stitches and knit both together on the right side. Knit the next stitch on the right side and knit together with the existing stitch on the right needle.

cover

For the panel, knit out 4 rows of 3 stitches each. If it is too difficult with the knitting needle, you can also use a crochet hook. In addition, at the bottom of each stitch, make a stitch on the knitting needle as a border stitch.

Kick so many rows of smooth right that the piece closes the recess. In one of the two panels you have to work in the hole for the button. To do this, chain the stitches according to the button size without knitting them to the right. With the working thread you immediately hit the number of chained stitches on the right needle. Work through the rows as usual. Now the panels only need to be sewn at the bottom and a button attached.

stitch

Especially with a baby sweater you should make the effort to sew the threads well. It is already difficult to put a baby in his sweater anyway. If there are still threads in the way, where the little fingers get tangled, this will unnecessarily take extra effort.