This is Doreen Marquart’s “Comfy Hoodie” from her book Grammy’s Favorite Knits for Baby. That title is a hint about who, in my family circle, has been wearing this hoodie during chilly spring weather. Isaac likes it! There’s a pouch for stashing little toys. It’s oversized, with room to grow. A definitely successful knit.

It’s possibly the yarn that makes this bottom-up Cottage Creations Wallaby clone really stand out. Marquart’s pattern is designed for DK weight (instead of the Wallaby worsted weight). And it’s sized for 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, which includes smaller sizes than the Wallaby.

I knit my hoodie in Merino Extrafine Color 120 by Schachenmayr original, in the Amsterdam Mix colorway. It’s a superwash, self-striping, 8-ply wool. The yarn has a wonderful bounce to it and knits up very evenly.

I knit my 24 month size at 6.5 stitches per inch rather than the 6 stitches per inch the pattern calls for. The fabric felt better to me at that gauge and Isaac didn’t need the 24 month size yet. I used 733 yards rather than the 455 yards that the pattern calls for. Hmm. It shouldn’t have needed that much more yardage. A few other Ravelers have commented on running out of yarn. Good thing I had an extra ball on hand. There was enough left over to knit that…that thing sitting on the hoodie’s shoulder. More on my Army of Caterpillars in the next post.