POTD: Easy Baby Cardigan

Hi everyone, Happy Friday!!! Hope you are all well. Ultrasound went well and I am all healthy in the Kidney department, so all my family can rest assured that there is always a spare. I was also very shocked to be in and out of the appointment before I was even supposed to be going in- well done NHS! Now if only they could tell that to my GP!!

So POTD today has to be that incredibly cute little baby hoodie that I showed you in yesterday's YOTD post. I am absolutely loving the pattern, and since it is all knit in one go, hood, buttonhole rows, the lot, it is the perfect knit. It is also pretty quick, so a great project for a couple of evenings work.

These cardys need the use of stitch markers. If you haven't used stitch markers before, don't be put off. And don't think just because you haven't got any you need to buy them either. Now, when I first started I used bits of scrap yarn tied in a circle. Now I use ones I got free with a magazine. But I have been known to use whatever is around me at the time, including paper clips. They work remarkably well!!!! Give it a go, and simply follow the instructions. You use stitch markers to mark an area of your work normally where you are going to increase (in this case) or decrease. What you normally do is knit up to the stitch before the marker, increase, slip the marker over to the other needle, and then increase again. They save you from counting every time and just make things easier. Especially when your husband is shouting out numbers just to bug you!!. (yep, the Blattman thinks that's funny)

The other thing that is not necessary but to be honest so much easier for this knit is circular needles. No you are not going to knit in the round, as I see some of you shirk away and say Is she mad?. You just need a bit of movement in your work to help as you increase. Don't be afraid everyone, you knit exactly the same way as you would on straights. Now I have what my Step Dad calls the most expensive knitting needles in the world- they aren't of course but I do work on Knit Pro Rosewoods, so they aren't exactly the cheapest either, but any circs will do. I have free ones from magazines and a pair of Pony ones aren't expensive either.

What happens in this pattern is you start from the hood, then knit down, increasing for the shoulders and then you put the stitches for the sleeves onto stitch holders. These look like great big safety pins, and are again unnecessary too, you can use a bit of old yarn and just put the stitches onto it. Basically it just holds the stitches until you need them again. You knit the rest of the body, cast off, and then put those spare sts back onto the needles and knit the sleeves. Do them flat, its easy, you can and just sew em up later!!

Give it a go. What have you got to lose? Don't be scared, just try it. Its only knitting and purling right? Plus, I'm only a comment away if you need a hand.