BSJ

I realized today that I never posted about the Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket I made for my cousin's baby boy. He's her first baby, so it's made in a neutral color so that it can be used for any future siblings, girl or boy. (All of the technical details are Ravelled here.)



It wasn't until today, when I was looking at the pictures I took of it in June, that I realized how pleased I am with how this turned out. It's certainly not perfect, but the pattern is so great, it's hard to not like the finished product, flaws and all.


I didn't do a very good job of sewing up the shoulder seams. They're kind of a 'decorative' finish, a-hem. 

In case you've never heard of the Baby Surprise Jacket, it's called that because it looks like a somewhat flattish lumpy nothing as you're knitting it, but when you're done and you fold up two corners--surprise!--it's a jacket. It's really quite amazing. I kept pausing every few rows to fold it up and check the progress (not the wisest choice for someone who knits as slowly as I do, since that didn't exactly speed me up).



The knitting itself is quite easy, just simple increases and decreases in garter stitch; it's the directions that can be a bit...shall we say interesting? Elizabeth Zimmerman was a knitting genius, no doubt about it, but it can sometimes be hard for those of us who are decidedly not genius-inclined, knitting or otherwise, to perfectly understand her chatty directions. Or maybe it's just that I prefer a cut-and-dry approach to instructions. In any case, I made sure to thoroughly peruse the Baby Surprise Jacket Wiki on Ravelry before beginning so that I could wrap my brain around the gist of the construction and decide on my approach to the increases. I also made notes on the pattern so that when I make this again (and I most certainly will), I don't have to think as much. ;)


I hand-wrote a label with a fabric pen on pinked muslin and tacked it on the inside, because I figured a new mother didn't really need to try and figure out what size an item is or how to wash it. It gets the job done.

I used an organic cotton yarn that I bought when a local yarn shop closed their storefront. It's somewhat splitty, but so soft. I probably could have used bigger needles, but the finished knit is pleasantly squooshy, so it's fine.



I found the perfectly-coordinating vintage buttons at the thrift store. I was so pleased with them. I like the detailing that the shaping gives in this solid color. I wasn't able to go to the baby shower, but I heard that the BSJ seemed to go over well. I hope it gets plenty of use. :)