Beach Baby
By Christine H. Wilkins
Beach Baby was designed for my little boys who have a love for all things water related. The “fishy” motif was designed to reflect their ever present excitement about going to the beach. After completing the first sweater for my toddler, my 5 year old asked me every day to make one for him.
Sizes
Child Sizes: 0-1 yr[1-2 yrs, 2-4
yrs, 4-6 yrs]
Size Shown in Picture: 2-4
Finished Measurements
Chest: 20[21, 23, 26] inches
Body Length: 12[13, 14 15] inches
Sleeve Length: 11[13, 15, 17] inches
Beach Baby is a classic fit garment with 1-2 inches of negative ease.
Materials
Brown Sheep Company Nature Spun [100% wool; 245 yards/223 meters per 100 gram/3.5 ounce skein];
#110 Blueberry (MC); 1[1, 2, 2] skeins
Cascade Yarns Cascade 220 [100% wool; 220 yards/200 meters per 100 gram/3.5 ounce hank];
#8010 neutral; 1 hank
#8891 aqua blue; 1 hank
Recommended needle sizes
US #5/3.75 mm dpns (set of 4)
US #6/4 mm circular needle and dpns (set of 4) (or size needle needed
to obtain gauge)
Notions
Stitch marker
Scrap yarn
Tapestry needle (for weaving in loose ends)
Note: Using scrap
yarn for holding the
sleeves is easier than using stitch holders for this pattern. Working
in the round with the stiff stitch holders can be a bit more
cumbersome.
Gauge
18 sts and 24 rows = 4 inch square (unblocked)
Pattern Notes
Beach Baby is knit in the round from the top down with a fair isle motif in the yoke of the sweater. I designed Beach Baby to have a non-uniform method of increasing to provide a round yoke as opposed to a square or octagon shaped yoke. The increases are not made at given places. You will be instructed how many stitches to increase evenly on an increase round, but not exactly where to increase on that particular round. Increases are made by lifted increases.
It is important to remember to lift your increases in the same color as your working yarn and in pattern. The second thing to remember is to stagger your increases. You should vary where your increases are placed on each increase round, keeping them evenly (but not necessarily perfectly) spaced. You will also utilize the technique of short rows in this pattern. Short rows are placed at the back of the neck to bring the back higher than the front. This is a great project for someone who wants to learn to knit a circular yoke sweater from the top down and learn to do some short rows.
Skills Required
Short rows (wrap and turn method), knitting in the round, three stranded color or Fair Isle
INSTRUCTIONS
Yoke
Using MC and smaller size dpns and beginning at the neck, cast
on 84[86, 88, 90] sts loosely.
Join, being careful not to twist and work in k1, p1 rib for 1 inch.
Change to larger size needles.
Rnd 1: Knit around increasing 16[16, 17,
17] sts evenly spaced: 100[102, 105, 107] sts.
Rnd 2 (Short row round): K10, w&t
(pull yarn to
the front, slip following st knitwise, pull yarn to the back, place
slipped st back on left needle and turn work), p20, w&t (pull
yarn
to the back, slip following stitch purlwise, pull yarn to the front,
place slipped stitch back and turn work), k20 increasing 5[8, 5, 8] sts
evenly spaced, w&t (wrap same st as previous), p25[28, 25, 28],
w&t (wrap same st as previous), knit to the end of the round:
105[110, 110, 115] sts.
Rnd 3: Knit around, when you come to your
wrapped sts,
pick up the wraps and knit wrap and wrapped st together as in k2tog to
close the hole.
Rnds 4-13: Using chart “A”, work
rows 1-10 of chart over the next 10 rounds.
Rnd 14: With MC knit around increasing
15[16, 16, 17] sts evenly spaced: 120[126, 126, 132] sts.
Rnds 15-18: Using “Fishy” chart,
work rows 1-4 over the next 4 rounds.
Rnd 19: Row 5 of “Fishy” chart is an
increase round. Knit around increasing 15[18, 18, 21] sts evenly
spaced: 135[144, 144, 153] sts.
Rnds 20-23: Work rows 6-9 of “Fishy” chart
over the next 4 rounds.
Rnd 24: Row 10 of “Fishy” chart is an
increase round. Knit around increasing 15[18, 18, 21] sts evenly
spaced: 150[162, 162, 174] sts.
Rnds 25-28: Work rows 11-14 of “Fishy”
chart over the next 4 rounds.
Rnd 29: With MC knit around increasing
16[18, 20, 21] sts evenly spaced: 166[180, 182, 195] sts.
Rnd 30: Knit around.
Rnd 31: With MC knit around increasing
12[8, 14, 19] sts evenly spaced: 178[188, 196, 214] sts.
Knit 3[6, 9, 12] rounds.
Divide for Body and Sleeves
K 23[24, 26, 30] sts, slip next 44[46, 46, 48] sts to a long
piece of scrap yarn for sleeve, join and K 45[48, 52, 59] sts, slip
next 44[46, 46, 48] sts to a long piece of scrap yarn for sleeve, join
and K 22[24, 26, 29]sts.
Knit around on 90[96, 104, 118] sts until the front measures 11[12, 13,
14] inches from cast on edge.
Work k1, p1 rib for 1 inch.
Bind off all sts loosely in rib patt.
Sleeves
Slip sts from scrap yarn to circular needle or larger dpns.
Join to knit in rounds and knit for 2 inches.
Decrease 1 st at underarm by knitting first and last st in the round
together every 8th round until sleeve measures 10[12, 14, 16] inches
from cast on neck edge. If you have an odd number of sts, k2tog at the
beginning of the next rnd.
Work in k1, p1 rib for 1 inch.
Bind off all sts loosely in rib patt.
Repeat for second sleeve.
Finishing
Use scrap yarn for stitching up holes at underarm.
Block.
*Tip: If you find any unsavory interruptions in your yoke after blocking take the same color thread as the interrupted pattern stitch and make an “over stitch” in pattern. You should understand that a jog in the pattern isn’t the fault of your knitting. It is the nature of knitting fair isle in the round. There will always be a slight “jog” or interruption at the point of intersection.
Christine H. Wilkins resides in Virginia with her husband, five children, two Poodles and a Great Pyrenees. She also enjoys taking ballet classes, oil painting and refurbishing old furniture. You can find her on Ravelry as GertrudePerkins or on her blog
Pattern & images © 2010 Christine H. Wilkins.