Big Little Davy Sweater, Part 2

I bet you'd like to see how the real baby "Davy" liked his sweater ... 

Hurrah!!  Success!! Happy baby in a handknit!  

When I visited them in Chicago back in April (which should give you a sense of what a backlog of posts I have, sheesh) the sweater fit little Davy perfectly.  It was soft and stretchy, just right for this wiggly 6 month stage. 

Best of all, his parents really do use the sweater. It became the go-to cardigan to grab when buckling him into the stroller/carseat thing. The wide sleeves made it easy to put on, and it was still big enough to fit over a couple layers of pj's, shirts, etc.  I snapped this with my iPhone the first night I got there -- I was so tickled to see them using the sweater that I wanted to send Mountain Man a photo. 

As for the vintage book that was the inspiration for the sweater (see the last post for that story), little Davy liked that, too.  See him happy in his mama's lap as she reads him the story ... 

so happy he wants to get a little closer ... 

a little closer ... 

CHOMP!! 

heh heh. Maybe asking too much for him to like it just yet, but we had a good laugh about it.  

Big Little Davy Sweater, Part 1

It's been (yikes) two months since I've posted here. I never meant to be gone so long.  But I come back to you with knitting and a good story to share.

This spring, I finally put the finishing touches on a baby sweater for a friend's little boy.   It's a simple top-down raglan with stripes -- the Little Coffee Bean Cardigan -- knit in worsted weight yarn.  Simple, I say, though goodness knows that it took me months to finish!

I bought the yarn back in November from JP Knit & Stitch when I was still living in Boston.  It's Spud & Chloe 'Sweater,' which is a cushiony, machine-washable organic cotton and wool blend. It's the same yarn I used in my Sprout Blanket.

I love everything about this cardigan. The yarn. The stripes. The thick ribbing. The buttons.

I especially love the story that goes with it.  Two years ago, I went to a friend's wedding in Washington, DC (posted about it here since I knit a shrug to wear).  We had to walk from the ceremony to the reception, and of course Mountain Man and I got there early because we're fast walkers.  So we passed some time in a used bookstore around the corner.  

I found a wee book there. It was a children's book from the 1940s, Big Little Davy, with a linen cover and a darling story about a boy growing up.  I had no need for such a book, but I was really taken with it.  I told Mountain Man that someday I'd have a friend who would have a baby boy and would appreciate this book.  So I bought it, put it in my purse, and carried it through the rest of the evening's festivities. 

In a poetic turn, that friend turned out to be my first good friend to have a baby boy. I knit this sweater for her son with colors to match the book.  Isn't that lovely?

As you can see, the whole book is in colors of sepia and teal. It's utterly charming.  On each page you see Davy growing bigger and doing more things: bringing in the milk bottles, taking care of the pets, helping his father in the garden, and so on.   I love to imagine a mother in the 1940s reading this to her son, and I was so happy to share it with my friend.

I wrapped up the book and the sweater in paper, tied with a bow of the blue yarn.  Mailed them off to my friend ... who you shall meet in Part 2 of this post!