yet another baby surprise.

just finished this bsj for my friend shannon's baby shower.  we don't know whether her little bundle is a boy or a girl, so i went with orange.  i had to go overboard with the dog buttons because shannon has a dog that she absolutely loves and dotes on, so this seemed to me the perfect combination.

these are both cotton yarns, for ease of washing.  also, i am proud to say that they are both stash yarns - leftover skeins from other projects!  despite being somewhat oddly disappointed every time i am forced to reduce my stash, i think it turned out quite lovely.  i even managed to pull myself together enough to single-crochet a border around the sleeves and collar.  you can see it a bit closer in this picture:

i really can never get enough of knitting baby surprise jackets.  the buttons always put me over the edge.

when in doubt, bsj

i was looking through my flickr account the other day and realized that there is always one knitting pattern that i can count on:  elizabeth zimmermann's baby surprise jacket.

now, of course, i shouldn't make this sounds like some big revelation, because it's no news at all that i have made this pattern so many times i can probably do it in my sleep.  it is also no news at all that i've taught this pattern so many times, i could probably walk someone through it in my sleep.  BUT, no matter how familiar i am with the pattern, it still amazes me every time!

After knitting the pattern, you end up with this floppy looking square type of thing.  

Then you just fold it up and it becomes this darling little sweater!

and FINALLY:  sew on some buttons and you are done!

some other pretty neat-o things about this pattern are (1) you can use the same pattern for a wide range of yarns:  fingering, dk, or worsted.  its the same pattern no matter what, you just get a different size sweater!  (2) in anticipation of a mystery baby, you can pick a gender-neutral color and you make button holes on both sides of the sweater, so when the baby is born, you can pick some buttons, sew them on the correct side (buttons go on the right for girls, buttons go on the left for boys)* (3) the entire thing is done in garter stitch!  no purling!  and (4) once you get the hang of ms. zimmermann's minimalist pattern-writing style, this is quick, quick, quick!

here are some more BSJs for your viewing pleasure:

and one more!

*don't ask me why, i don't make this stuff up.  if you are an anarchist, feel free to f*** it and put your buttons wherever you damn well please.