Zimmermania

Saturday, July 14, 2007

What Yarn to Chose?




It looks like this Tomten had a hard time chosing too!



I need help choosing yarns for each of these Tomten and Baby Surprise Jackets.

~Tomten Jacket for a Boys Size 3
~Tomten Jacket for a Boys Size 5
~Baby Surprise Jacket for a Girl 1-2 years.

Does anyone know how to make a BSJ in Kids Size 3? I know EZ says to knit the adult version with larger needles and bulkier yarn. One of my concerns is that Malabrigo might be too soft and pile. At the same time I don’t want the garment to be too itchy. It was good for me to do this collage of photos because I forgot that had some of these yarns.



6 Comments:

  • Sorry, I am too busy drooling over the Malabrigo yarn to answer any questions rationally. YUM!

    By Blogger becky c., at 11:49 AM  

  • i think it is a very difficult question since size and gauge goes together. there are some prescriptions in the opinionated knitter. i made one in dk wool that fit the baby from she was 4 mths old till now when she is almost one. i am presently knitting one in aran weight that will probably fit a 15 month old or so. happy knitting.

    By Blogger knititch, at 12:07 PM  

  • I used worsted weight and US size 8 needles to make a BSJ that fit my cousin's 2 1/2 year old, with some room to grow. Gauge was 4 sts/inch, and I used the numbers from the pattern, except that I didn't do the increase row for the sleeves.

    By Blogger Julie, at 2:25 PM  

  • Meg Swanson has published in a book called "The Opinionated Knitter" all of the patterns that EZ published in her newsletters. The original formula for the BSJ is in there with the "magic formulas" for making it in any size. If you don't have it or can't get it from the library, contact Schoolhouse Press and Meg can sell you just that pattern for a nominal fee (a couple of bucks). The Opinionated Knitter is a charming book that is well worth having in your personal library and the patterns are great. I think this will solve your sizing issues.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6:44 PM  

  • Thank you for all the suggestions. I got a Black Forest Naturwolle handspun to mix with some malabrigo. I doubled the Malabrigo worsted and next to the Black Forest Naturwolle they both are 4 stitches to an inch. Which will hopefully give me a larger jacket. I have the book Opinionated Knitter but it helps to hear from those who have experience in making a Baby Surprise Jacket. Aparently, some who have made up to 25!

    By Blogger www.goneknitting.typepad.com, at 12:55 PM  

  • I wanted to make a couple of sweaters in a toddler size (to fit one year olds next winter) and spent a lot of time trying to find out how. The best I have come across is to follow the instructions for the AdultBS. It's presented similar to the Elizabeth percentage system (EPS). You just need to know how wide the sweater needs to be, a bit of math and voila. It looks simple and once the markers are in place I don't think you need to bother with the numbers.

    The pattern is available in The Opinionated Knitter book and in the original Woolgathering format from Schoolhouse Press. I think you have to get the BSJ instructions for $3 to go with the Adult instructions, which are only about a $1. That's a good deal for a sweater that can be made in many sizes.

    The Woolgathering patterns came in the mail yesterday. I had already started rethinking the use of a variegated yarn with the wider garter rows and now I've seen this beautiful Malabrigo and remembering I have some in orange, pink and red……

    I wonder how the soft mohair/silk yarns would work with a larger needle for a bigger sweater without the thickness of a bulky weight yarn.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:13 PM  

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