I've Chosen a Baby Knitting Pattern - Now What?
Congratulations! You've found a baby knitting pattern you'd like to make - maybe it is booties, or a baby blanket. It could be a layette set, with a sweater and diaper cover that match, for the baby to wear for a blessing service. Maybe you are knitting diaper covers from wool. Whatever the situation, you can handle it if you know a few things.
What To Check Before You Begin
The first thing you need to do, after deciding that you want to put the time and money into the project, is to look at the baby knitting pattern. It probably looks like a foreign language, with code that you may be unfamiliar with. What are all those k, p, yo, co and (k2,yo)twice? They are part of the abbreviations and code used when writing a knitting pattern. Once you understand them, reading the baby knitting pattern will be simple.
First of all, the basics. You want to know what type of yarn the baby knitting pattern is designed for, whether very thin baby yarn, like to make a layette set for the youngest and smallest babies, or a worsted-weight yarn, which works well for crib blankets. If you are making a diaper cover, you probably will want to use a wool yarn.
You will also need to know how much yarn the project needs. This will generally be written in how many skeins (assuming you are using the same yarn the original pattern writer did) or in yards or meters (so you can translate that into whatever type of yarn you are using, depending upon how many yards/meters come in a skein.
There will also be information about the gauge of the baby knitting pattern. This is important if you want your baby item to fit the baby! To check your gauge, just knit a swatch of a few inches square, then measure to be sure you get the same number of rows and stitches per inch that the pattern calls for. Use the size and type of needles that the pattern calls for, unless you find on your swatch that a smaller or larger size would get you the gauge you need.
What Do They Mean?
Most of the "code" are easy to learn, like k means knit and p means purl. The abbreviation "yo" tells you to do a yarn over, and k2tog means knit two together. There should be a master list at the beginning of the pattern explaining every abbreviation you will come across in that particular pattern. Some patterns call for things that the basic beginning baby knitting patterns don't, like for cabling, but if you follow the pattern it will turn out how it should.
If You Still Can't Read The Code…
If the abbreviations still make no sense to you, check online at a knitting website for that particular abbreviation or for instructions of how to do the stitch you're struggling with. You can also ask at a yarn or craft store - chances are they have someone who knits and can explain it to you. Take your baby knitting pattern in the store with you and they'll be glad to help sort it out.
