I finished knitting this itty bitty top for Pon Pon! This is sort of a hybrid between a vest and a short-sleeve cardigan, so I guess I’ll call it … well …. a cardigan vest! Very creative, I know!

I was initially going to knit a long-sleeve cardigan, but realized that Pon Pon will be here in the spring, and she’ll only have a few short months to enjoy a warm and cozy sweater, before summer sneaks up. I figured a shorter sleeve may have a longer shelf life.

I’m particularly proud of this cardigan vest because this is my own, original design!    I took things I liked from other patterns and incorporated them into this one-of-a-kind garment. It’s a very simple pattern but I absolutely adore it.  I used Rowan Belle Organic DK by Amy Butler in Basil (if I’m not mistaken, this color is discontinued).

I wanted to make sure that I knit this in one piece to avoid as much seaming as possible, so I knit the back, right, and left panels together using a 29-inch circular needle in size 5, from the bottom up. This is a much better method for me so I don’t have to worry about armholes not matching or accidentally knitting one side longer than the other, etc.

This is what the panel looks like when front pieces are folded. Once the panel is complete, I sewed the shoulders (this was the only seaming I had to do for the entire garment) and picked up stitches around the neck (garter stitch), as well as sleeves (stockinette stitch).  I used the magic loop method for knitting the sleeves in the round (I wish I knew about this fabulous method before I purchased all the circular needles in different lengths when I first started knitting). 

I still need to sew on buttons. I’m thinking cute, flower-shaped buttons so that this green vest can look a little more girly.

Knitting for a baby is so much fun and extremely satisfying because you can knit a garment really quickly. This vest only took two days for me to make, which may be long for some, but I consider it a quick knit considering that I’m not a particularly fast knitter.

I can’t wait to put this on Pon Pon in a few months!