5 Hour Baby Sweater - revisited

I'm knitting another 5 hour baby sweater, this time for my 6 month old grandson, Bean. I knit slower than I did when I made a 5HS in 6.5 hours. This one will take 8 or 9, I'm sure.

The picture shows my progress after Saturday night's hockey game, minus time for a sandwich, then popcorn. I guess it's about 1.5 hours and 119 stitches. I'm not knitting on these dpns. My #8 circ is small and the stitches were mushed together, so I slipped it onto the dpns for the progress picture.

As usual, I'm not following a single pattern, I'm combining ideas from 2 or 3 patterns to get what I want. I am writing it down in my notebook, so I can reproduce it if Diametrag wants another.

I started with Gail Bable's Baby Boy Style 5 Hour Sweater, and took another idea from a 5HBS knitted as a pullover. I liked the purl ridge on Gail's sweater, but expanded it so I have 3 rows of reverse stockinette stitch, separated by 5 rows of stockinette. This spacing allows me to do my increases on a knit row, and avoid increasing on a purl row.

I also widened the 3 stitch border to 5, and changed it from garter to seed stitch. A regular 5HBS starts with 33 sts, increasing to 139 sts over 30 rows. Since Bean is 6 mo. old, with an 19" chest, I started with 49 stitches and plan to increase to 143 stitches, but am keeping the same 30 rows. I may have to change that plan, but I will measure him next weekend and decide then.

I plan to knit the yoke in rows, and knit the body in the round for a little pullover. I will bind off one of the 5 stitch borders and sew it down, making a little placket. It will give enough room to slip over his head; I have plans to knit 3 buttonholes in the placket.

I'm using TLC Essentials, Barn Red and #8 needles. I'm getting about 4 sts/inch, which should make a sweater big enough to go through the winter.

I also got a hint from Diametrag that Bean needs a new hat, preferably one with earflaps. Seems my little Travelling Man needs warm duds for the early morning ride in the car. Knitting Gramma to the rescue! I'll start an earflap hat this afternoon, 5HBS can wait a week.