Using the Force for a second time...

Yesterday I finished my second baby cardigan for the Saunders-Young clan.

The first cardigan went to Archie, now nearly 2, and this one will go to their newest addition, Olive Honey, born in December 2009.

Using the same pattern, a similar yarn (different colour this time!) and another short deadline, I've been hurriedly knitting through my lunch breaks this week. I've checked the pattern once, then twice, then downloaded it from Ravelry a third time to check again, worried that the 5 week old recipient will notice that I didn't exactly follow the pattern for the collar...

The proud parents were really pleased with their first-born's handmade sweater; apparently very few people knit for babies any more, and my cardigan for Archie was their first (and only) knitted gift:

Archie wearing his blue version

The pattern is Cari Luna's "Baby Yoda" found here on Ravelry. I really enjoyed knitting it up; as quite a distracted knitter, the pieces knit up quickly and before you know it, it's finished! The wrap design is perfect for wriggly littluns, as a quick pull on the I-cord ties removes the sweater easily. I did make some modifications: erring slightly from the ways of the force, both versions were made in machine washable yarn for ease, and on version 2, I left out the last 3 rows of garter stitch for a neater edge. You'll also notice that in Archie's version I omitted the outer I-cord ties and used a small button - this was due to a yarn shortage more than anything. Olive's version does include I-cord ties, though at the time of photographing (while pressing it on the Aga!), the ties were yet to be sewn on...

Graham & Katie have promised action shots of Olive in her new clothes, so I'll keep you posted!