She Shells Sweater

Sally sells seashells by the seashore.
The shells Sally sells are surely from the sea.

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Well, actually, Sally doesn’t sell these Sea Shells, Deborah Newton does. It’s her pattern for “Sea Shells Cotton Striped Pullover,” included in “Heirloom Baby Knits.” The book cover says “24 classic designs refreshed for today’s tots.” This one’s been refreshed to recommend Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted Cotton. I happened to have some in my stash, so that’s what I used.

Blue Sky Alpaca Worsted Cotton has no alpaca in it. It’s a 2-ply twist, 100% certified organic cotton. Even for the wee babes, I’m not rabid about organic fibers, but this yarn is very nice to work with. And my purchase had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that, when a local yarn shop closed, I picked up 4 skeins at half off the typical $14/skein price.

This particular yarn is not the best choice for a new babe because the yarn requires hand washing. But since my yet-to-be-born grand daughter is never going to spit up, I’m sure hand washing will not be an issue. Hmm. Maybe I should gift this one accompanied by a few return envelopes addressed to me so I can relieve baby’s parents of the washing chore.

I knit the smallest size: six months. It took just under 2.5 skeins (370 yards).

You are probably thinking my stripes in this Cotton Striped Pullover are a tad subtle? I only bought “dandelion” at the sale. So the 3-color stripes that line up with each “fan” change made way for a uni-color version.

This is a pretty hefty weight sweater for a teeny one, even in cotton. But I’m still quite pleased with it. Coming or going, you’ll like this one, since the back and the front are exactly the same. And if a grand daughter spits up on the front, you can twirl the sweater around and she can spit up on the back before you need to hand wash it.

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