Baby Breathless: Another Free Baby Sweater (French Sailor Edition)
The perfect baby gift for my cineaste friends, Inga and Chris, would really be a baby ones-y silkscreened with the New York Herald Tribune logo. However, since this item doesn’t seem to exist…yet, and I have exactly zero dollars to spend on a baby gift, but plenty of free leftover black and white wool yarn in my stash and some vintage bakelite buttons, I decided that I would knit the next best thing: An A BOUT DE SOUFFLE-inspired sweater vest.
Because it’s never too early to expose your child to French New Wave Cinema.
Inga and Chris decided that they wanted to be surprised, so they won’t know if they are having a Jean Seberg or a Jean-Paul Belmondo until Inga actually pops the le petit chou out…sometime this week. So, a black and white sweater that doesn’t have a gender-specific button placket, is a handy solution for those mystery babies.
There seems to be a dearth of free knitting patterns for toddlers. Although I think the original pattern looks oddly frumpy in the Crystal Palace finished project photographs, with a few modifications and good button choices, the pattern can be transformed from “dated” to “retro” very easily. I based this version of the sweater vest on the Breton–the classic French sailor sweater, adding stripes and modifying the neckline, and I think it turned out pretty cute. I jammed this out in about 8 hours from start to finish. This is also a terrific stash busting project, as it takes just under 300 feet of worsted weight yarn to complete.
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One Comment
That is one fantastic baby gift! As you know, I am a birth doula and I make a little sweater or blanket or something for each of my clients. So I am always on the prowl for new ideas.
You did a great job there on the knitting and the being resourceful and creative. Two thumbs way up for you!
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