I have never been the crafty one in my family. If I need a new dress or shirt, I’d buy one. My mother would make herself one, which is easy for her since she is a tailor and dressmaker. We grew up not having really bought any prêt-à-porter clothing. Everything we owned and wore from day 1 to early teens were sewn by my mother. Sometimes my sister and I even wore identical clothes so we were mistaken for twins.

The best were the house clothes, you know the shorts or skirts you wear around the house which get dirty real quick because you’re climbing trees, playing outside and sitting on the dirt. Even so, I certainly never had any knitted garments like this!


A colleague at work asked me if I would knit her baby girl a sweater and a hat. That is music to a knitter’s ears! We both looked at patterns and she settled on the Cabled Raglan Baby Sweater from Knitting Daily. But I didn’t have any baby-friendly yarn, nothing easy-care anyway.

Then comes Jackie to the rescue with her stash of Sirdar Snuggly DK Acrylic/Nylon! She gave them to me as a gift and I cast on rightaway. I may have been too harsh in judging the lowly acrylic yarn so I take it back.

This yarn is so soft, you’d have to look at the ball band to remind yourself that this is man-made. It feels good on the hands, easy to work with and very light. The only thing Chidi asked for was that it was easy to take care of,  which is perfect since you can throw this in the washing machine and not worry about it shrinking or growing.

I gave her the cardigan last Thursday and she promised to send me pictures of baby Divine wearing my hand knit. I made this cardigan a few inches larger so that she would grow into it, plus I think it could stand a few inches more of stretch so I’m hoping this will see her through for a good 6 months. If not, then I can knit her another one.

Project: Green Cables (Raveled!)
Pattern: Cabled Raglan Baby Sweater by Rebecca L. Daniels
Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly DK acrylic/nylon blend, about 2.5 skeins
Needles: 3.5mm
Cast on: 23 Sept 2010
Cast off: 26 Sept 2010
Notes: I changed the cables on the right front to mirror the one on the left. I added a bit more to the sleeves. I also improvised on an I-cord edging for the hem, which I hope was done the right way. Pop snap on the neckband with a button for aestethic purposes. It’s a very quick, instant gratification knit!

Last minute addition, just got this from Chidi: a photo of Divine wearing the cardigan. Awww. It looks big but she will surely grow into it soon.