Newborn Crochet Letterman Sweater - Pattern

I shared this vintage-style V-neck Letterman sweater here on Friday.

Today I thought I'd share the pattern in case you (1) love to crochet, (2) love little babies in old-man clothes, and (3) wanted to make your own!  It is pretty straightforward, worked from the bottom up, with seams around the armholes and finishing rows at the neck and waist.

Newborn Crochet Letterman Sweater
This pattern is for personal use only. Please do not sell finished items or reproduce any portions of the pattern. Feel free to link back to it here, though!

Hook size: G
Gauge: 4 dc = 1"

Ch 66
Row 1: dc in third chain from hook, continue 62 dc across (64 dc, first chains count as one dc), turn
Row 2-7: ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in each st across (64 dc), turn
Row 8: ch 3, dec, 59 dc, dec (62 dc), turn
Row 9: ch 3, dec, 57 dc, dec (60 dc), turn
Row 10: ch 3, dec, 55 dc, dec (58 dc), turn
Row 11: ch 3, dec, 53 dc, dec (56 dc), turn

beginning of right chest panel (a)
Row 12a: ch 3, dec, 8 dc, dec (11 dc), turn
Row 13a: ch 3, dec, 6 dc, dec (9 dc), turn
Row 14a: ch 3, dec, 4 dc, dec (7 dc), turn
Row 15a: ch 3, dec, 2 dc, dec (5 dc), turn
Row 16a: ch 3, dec, dec (3 dc)
finish off


left chest panel (b)
Begin thirteen stitches from the end of row 11 (shown by the green stitch marker in the photo below)

Row 12b: ch 3, dec, 8 dc, dec (11 dc), turn
Row 13b: ch 3, dec, 6 dc, dec (9 dc), turn
Row 14b: ch 3, dec, 4 dc, dec (7 dc), turn
Row 15b: ch 3, dec, 2 dc, dec (5 dc), turn
Row 16b: ch 3, dec, dec (3 dc)
finish off



back panel (c)
Begin in the stitch directly after the right chest panel ends (shown by the green stitch marker in the photo below)

Row 12c: ch 3, dec, 27 dc, dec (30 dc), turn
Row 13c: ch 3, dec, 25 dc, dec (28 dc), turn
Row 14c: ch 3, dec, 23 dc, dec (26 dc), turn
Row 15c: ch 3, dec, 21 dc, dec (24 dc), turn
Row 16c: ch 3, dec, 19 dc, dec (22 dc)
finish off

sleeves (make 2) - contrasting color, if you choose
ch 17
Row 1: sc in second ch from hook, sc across (16 st)
Row 2: ch 2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in next two st, *2 hdc in next st, hdc in next two st* 4 times, hdc in next st (20 hdc), turn
Row 3-10: ch 2, 19 hdc (20 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 6 hdc, dec, 7 hdc, dec (17 hdc), turn
Row 12:  ch 2, dec, 5 hdc, dec, 5 hdc, dec (14 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 3 hdc, dec, 4 hdc, dec (11 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 6 hdc, dec (9 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 4 hdc, dec (7 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 2 hdc, dec (5 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, dec (3 hdc)
finish off

Attach the sleeves to the sweater body, and finish the sleeve seem from armpit to wrist.

Neck finishing rows - contrasting color if you choose
Pick up stitches around the neck from the chest panels, sleeves, and back panel.
Row 1: ch 1, sc in same st, 2 sc, dec, *4 sc, dec* 4 times, 2 sc (26 sc)
Row 2: ch 1, sc in same st, sc, dec, *3 sc, dec* 4 times, 2 sc (21 sc)

Waist finishing rows - contrasting color if you choose
Pick up stitches around the waist
Row 1: ch 1, sc in same st, *dec, 4 sc* 10 times, dec, sc (53 sc)
Row 2: ch 1, sc in same st, 52 sc (53 sc)

Attach your letter of choice, and you are all set!

Crocheted Newborn Take-home Sweaters

Not knowing the Babe's gender has been so fun and exciting. I haven't hit that point [that everyone keeps telling me I will hit] when I wish we just knew.  I am hoping that excitement carries through to the delivery room, but just in case, I made these little sweaters as a visual reminder of the amazing impending surprise.

I want the Little One to have a special handmade memento from the newborn phase (or maybe I want it to remind me how tiny he or she once was), and I want a special heirloom for that momentous trip home from the hospital.

Thanks to a routine trip to the mechanic, I had plenty of time to wrap these up this week.  I made them with leftover yarns I already had on hand. The newborn baby girl sweater is based on this pattern from ravelry, but I used a smaller hook (G) and chose not to do the picot edge on the sleeves.

I made my own pattern for the newborn baby boy sweater. I wanted it to like an old-fashioned V-neck letterman's sweater, like something fresh out of the 50s.  The T is for Team Thomas :) I will be sharing the pattern next week!

Nursing Cover Scarf & Tutorial

I am so intimidated by all the STUFF that comes along with having a child. I'm naturally not a "stuff" kind of gal, and a lot of what I have serves me in multiple ways. Enter: the multi-purpose Nursing Cover Scarf.

I am linking this project to Quiltstory's Fabric Tuesday this week! 

Pop on over there and see what everyone else has been up to!

Baby arrives in November - prime scarf season. Chances are, when we finally get around to exiting the house, I will be more likely to wear a scarf than to pack a nursing cover.  Just one more thing the diaper bag doesn't need.  I used a combination of voile and lawn because they are so buttery soft and lightweight with lots of drape, and I think Baby's heat will be cozy enough for me.

I love this scarf just as a scarf. I made it extra long (71" around) because I like my scarves to have some roominess. And bonus - just unwrap it, throw it over one shoulder, and you have a nice cozy nursing cover. I think it also looks a little more natural, and I won't have to search around for a blanket or something else to use. And if the whole nursing thing doesn't work out as planned, I still have a cute scarf.

Here's how to make your very own!

Nursing Cover Scarf Tutorial
This pattern is intended for personal use only - please do not sell finished products or reproduce the pattern or portions of the pattern. Feel free to link back to the tutorial here, though!

Finished Size: 22.5" wide & 71" around
Fabric requirements: 2 yards voile or lawn. I used 1 yard of Notting Hill Kaleidoscope voile in Poppy by Joel Dewberry (front), and 1 yard of coordinating aqua lawn (back). You can use quilting cotton, but please note that your finished scarf will be slightly narrower in width and slightly bulkier.

Seam allowance is always 1/4"

Step 1:
(A) If you are using a continuous 2-yard piece of material, cut a rectangle 45.5" x 72", and skip to step 3.

(B) If you are using two coordinating 1-yard fabrics, cut two 23" x 36" pieces from each.

Step 2: 
With right sides together, sew the two front pieces together along one of the 23" sides, creating a 23" x 71.5" piece. Press this seam open. Repeat for the back. (for my scarf, the front is the Kaleidoscope print, and the back is the aqua solid)

Step 3:
(A) Following step 1, with right sides together, fold your rectangle in half lengthwise (72" side to 72" side) and sew along the long open edge, creating a 22.25" x 72" tube.

-or-

(B) Following step 2, with right sides together, sew the front to the back along both long edges, creating a 23" x 71.5" tube.

Step 4: 
Turn your tube right sides out.

Step 5: 
This is the trickiest part. With right sides together, matching side seams to side seams, begin sewing around the tube ends. Continue sewing around, leaving a 3" - 5" opening (following the dotted arrows and bold lines in the diagram below).  As you sew around the tube, you may have difficulty with the seam closing in on you. If this is the case, just leave a larger opening.

Step 6: 
Press the seam allowance of the remaining opening toward the wrong side, and close this opening with a blind stitch (or if you want it done quickly, edge stitch the remaining opening).

Step 7:
Topstitch around the long edges of the scarf to help keep the width in tact through washing cycles without having to press it.

And there you have it! Your very own nursing cover, or scarf, or nursing cover scarf :)

Hide-oscope Baby Quilt Finish

I started this quilt over two years ago with Elizabeth's Kaleidoscope Quilt Along at Don't Call Me Betsy.  I finished making the blocks with the quilt-along, but I fell off the wagon after that because, in true budget fashion, I didn't want to buy the batting. The finished blocks made three moves with me, and when we found out we were expecting, I knew I had to wrap it up.

I chose to use my bundle of Hideaway by Lauren & Jessi Jung - a line I had loved from the moment I laid eyes on it.  Since we are not finding out Baby's gender, these prints set the tone for our neutral nursery style. Maybe they lean a little boyish, but I like how the aqua-teal blue balances that out.  I also like how they pack a little bit of whimsy without being in-your-face baby.  I backed the quilt with a large piece of the green House print, along with the yellow and green Deer prints.

I quilted this little number with an all-over squiggle. I really liked doing the squiggles since this baby-sized quilt was so much easier to manage than other quilts I have made. The quilt will probably hang out on our antique-dresser-turned-changing-table-with-towel-rack while we await Little One's arrival.

Hideoscope Baby Quilt
Finished size: 36" x 48"
Pattern: Kaleidoscope from Elizabeth / Don't Call Me Betsy
Fabric: Hideaway by Lauren & Jessi Jung
Quilting: All-over squiggle (no loops)
Binding: Clocks in blue from the Hideaway line

Back at the Helm

Hey there! There has been no shortage of sewing and crafting around here - just a shortage of talking about it! But I have really missed the community of all you fellow sewists and creators out there. I have so many projects to share, but I have been focused on two most recently.

First, I have been working on redesigning my blog. If you are reading through a feed reader, click on through and check it out! Nothing like a little spring cleaning to reenergize the blog. It is definitely still in process, but it's getting there.

The other project is a real doozy. It's taking a lot of planning and energy. Here is a little preview.

That's right, that is our little bit, trying to suck its toes! Baby is set to arrive in November, just under three months away. We won't be finding out the gender until he or she arrives, so a lot of neutral baby projects have been in process around here.  More on those later.

Have a great weekend!