Tomten Jacket (#3) by Elizabeth Zimmerman FO

Pattern: Tomten by Elizabeth Zimmerman

Source: Knitting Without Tears

Yarn: 2.5 balls Rown Pure Life British Sheep Breeds Chunky

Colour: Steele Grey Suffolk

Source: Romni Wools Toronto

Needles: 7mm

Modifications: Button Bands Added Prior to Completion of Hood

The recipient of this little knit was born Friday so no wonder when I sat down to embellish it just for her yesterday morning I had Valentine's on my mind.  Details on that below but first, a bit of gushing about this pattern.

This is my third run at this for an infant gift and it once again has my mind racing to work up a bigger, me-sized version. Selfish, selfish knitter!

The modular formula is so fun to play with - especially in chunky-sized yarn - boy is this one going to be warm! This time I left the hood stitches on a holder while I knit on two wide, 4 ridge garter button bands (one with two button holes) from the hem to the hood edge.

Then I continued the knitting across the hood over top of the ends of those additional ridges before seaming it up to create a bit of detail just over the forehead. No reason really, just felt like it.

The buttons are mother of pearl and big-for-a-baby-knit but I think it matches the gauge of the knitting nicely while the shine of the buttons offsets the mat, woolly warmth of the undyed yarn. They would have worked for a boy or a girl but I'm very pleased with the girly impression given by the soft rose embroidery wool bisecting them.

Taken together, yarns and buttons, natural and un-messed-about-with, do just what I want in a baby gift - give the new parents something that shows off their miraculous creation without competing with it (not that mere knitting ever could but you know what I mean).

This little girl is a first born so she'll likely spend more time being held than anything else.

My hope is they's use this as a little cocoon around the house rather than a jacket for going out. Imagine a wee thing swaddled in flannel, wrapped up warmly in chunky wool with her head all cozy in the hood. (The sleeves can just hang ornamentally at the sides!)

And then there are the Valentine's "features". First off, softest blush "hugs" and a "kiss" across the brim of the accompanying hat...

...A little pink heart just where the hood shaping begins behind the head...

And another inside the jacket on the reverse of that point, this one embellished with a little "j" (new baby's first and second initials).

Finally a card  I made tucked into the hat and hood...

I've pinned the whole thing into this arrangement so it looks like this when they open it (I hope!)

I'm going to miss this little one when she heads off in the mail tomorrow morning!

P.S. 'Had to create this post 4 times today - something was up with Blogger so apologies if you get various versions a bunch of times on your feeds!