Merriment Cardigan & Bonnet Set

I know, you’re all wondering why I wouldn’t make use of the local cute baby to model this little set. Well, for one, both sweater and bonnet are a little big, and second, they are going to be a 1st birthday gift for Alice and we believe in surprises around here. I saw this pattern, Merriment Cardigan, from French Press Knits and decided right away that Alice needed it. The matching bonnet just completely sealed the deal. You know how I feel about babies in bonnets.

I decided to knit the bonnet in size 18 months but made the sweater in the 12 month size. I’m glad I went with the smaller size, as I think it will fit Alice in a month or so but should still be plenty roomy for the winter. The bonnet may be large for a while, but that’s fine. It’s a little hard to gauge how well it fits because Alice is currently throwing fits when I attempt to put her in anything that involves socks, pants, sleeves, or hats. It’s going to be a rough adjustment when onesie weather ends in a few weeks.

Once again, I decided to use Quince and Co. yarn, this time trying the worsted weight wool, Lark. As Philip can tell you, I dithered about what colors to get for days…I just love their color palette. I ended up with Wasabi, Chanterelle, and Rosa Rugosa and am very happy with my choice. I think it looks bright and fun without being too bright and fun. Lark is great yarn and it made this cardigan plenty soft but definitely warm. I would say that this is an outerwear-weight cardigan. I had to go from the recommended size 6 to a size 4 needle to get the correct gauge, and it’s quite dense.

One of the most exciting bits of these patterns is that both the cardigan and bonnet are steeked (knit in a tube and then cut- yes, cut!). The only other time I steeked a sweater it started unraveling, so this time I did two rows of machine stitching before cutting  and then I hand stitched down the folded edge and sewed ribbon over the ends. It worked beautifully and I absolutely love the look of the ribbon. I found the ribbon when we were in Maine a couple weeks ago, and it matches perfectly and is just adorable.

The only tiny gripe I have with this pattern is that the fairisle design doesn’t start in exactly the same place on either side of the button band, but other than that, I love it. I’m even more enamored of the bonnet design. I particularly like  the garter stitch on the back and the i-cord trim along the bottom edge. I’m thinking of making another bonnet from this pattern without the fairisle design to go with whatever winter coat I come up with for Alice.

I had a great time whipping up this little set and I’m excited for Alice to wear it later this year. Now it’s back to the sweater I’m making for myself, and I’m hoping to somehow squeeze in some fall sewing too. We’ll see!