Playground Shirt (Unisex)
This is a re post of the pattern I have started more than a month ago (I removed the original pattern due to numerous changes). I was caught up in between real life events and lots of birthday projects. Also I was trying to perfect the pattern...yes I did knit this shirt 3 times!!! till I was satisfied with the result. As most of you have noticed, I create my designs for girls only. At least this was true till last night. I am a girly girl myself, so it is easy to think in those terms and make hand knitted girly clothes for my daughter and all the other little girls I have in my life. And I have a lot of them aging form 1 year old to 4 year old. It just happened that everyone I have close relationship with had baby girls one after another. In my circle of friends we have 8 girls and only 2 boys at the moment. And seeing how I have a girl myself, it is just so easy to make something girly. Somehow I get the creative block when it comes of thinking boy clothes. What happened last night made me fel terrible. I went over to my friend's place and brought yet another dress for her 3 year old daughter. Gabi wanted it on her right away, and was dancing an evening away in her brand new twirly summer dress. Some time latter her 5 year old brother asked how come I don't knit anything for boys. Gabi was quick to answer that auntie Lena knits dresses for girls she loves very much. Nathaniel was about to start crying, and kept saying that I don't love him anymore. So I had to give him lots of hugs and kisses and promise to bring him something next time I visit. Here you have it, a story behind my first attempt at designing an item for boys.
$\copyright$ Elena Nodel 2009
Sizes:
6-12 months (16-18 inch chest), 1-2T (20-22 inch chest), 3-4T (22-24 inch chest), 5-6T (24-26 inch chest)
Materials:
3, 3, 4, 4 balls of Callista yarn from Elann (130 yards per ball) or any dk weight yarn $3.5\;\mathrm{mm}$ circular needles (60, and $80\;\mathrm{cm}$ $3.5\;\mathrm{mm}$ double-pointed needles or $30\;\mathrm{cm}$ circular ones Stitch marker 3 mm crochet hook 2-4 fun shaped buttons (eg, baseball, leaves, flowers, dog paw, bee etc.) Gauge: 22-23 sts to 4 inches knitted in stockinette stitch in the round
Abbreviations:
kfab $=$ increase by knitting into the front and back of the stitch $\mathbf{m}1=$ make one, increase by knitting into the stitch bellow of the following stitch. pm $=$ place marker slipm $\equiv$ slip the stitch marker from the left needle to the right needle yo $=$ yarn over the needle k2tog=knit 2 stitches together ssk $\equiv$ slip one stitch, knit the following stitch, pass the sliped stitch over.
$\copyright$ Elena Nodel 2009
Last on 43 (o5, o3, /3) sutcnes, I wouiu suggest using ue long tall cast on methou. Row 1 (rs): In this row, you will be adding stitch markers to show you where to increase. 6-12 months: k4, pm, k7, pm, k21, pm, k7, pm, k4. 1-2T : Knit 6, pm, knit 8, pm, knit 25, pm, knit 8, pm, knit 6. 3-4T: Knit 7, pm, knit 11, pm, knit 29, pm, knit 11, pm, knit 7. 5-6T: Knit 9, pm, knit 13, pm, knit 31, pm, knit 13, pm, knit 9. Row 2 (ws): knit
Method:
Row 3 (rs): In this row you will start shaping the raglan as well as the front neck.
$\copyright$ Elena Nodel 2009
kfab, knit to one stitch before the marker, yo, k1, slipm, k1, yo,knit to one stitch before the marker, yo, k1, slipm, k1, yo, knit to one stitch before the marker, yo, k1, slipm, k1, yo, knit to one stitch before the marker, yo, k1, slipm, k1, yo, knit to the last stitch and kfab. Eg, for size 1-2T: kfab, knit 4, yo, k1, slipm, k1, yo, knit 6, yo, k1, slipm, k1, yo, knit 23, yo, k1, slipm, k1, yo, knit 6, yo, k1, slipm, k1, yo, knit 4, kfab. (63 stitches in total). Essentially, you increase in the first stitch of each row, before and after each stitch marker and in the last stitch of therow. Row 4: kfab, purl to last stitch, kfab Repeat row 3&4 till you have: 6-12 months: 12 sts, marker, 13 sts, marker, 27 sts, marker, 13 sts, marker, 12 sts 1-2T : 14 sts, marker, 14 sts, marker, 31 sts, marker, 14 sts, marker, 14 sts 3-4T: 18 sts, marker, 19 sts, marker, 37 sts, marker, 19 sts, marker, 18 sts 5-6T: 19 sts, marker, 21 sts, marker, 39 sts, marker, 21 sts, marker, 19 sts Sizes 6-12 months and 1-2T only: Repeat Row 3 only. Next row purl. 6-12 months: 14 sts, marker, 15 sts, marker, 29 sts, marker, 15 sts, marker, 14 sts 1-2T : 16 sts, marker, 16 sts, marker, 33 sts, marker, 16 sts, marker, 16 sts All sizes: Next row continue with raglan shaping only. You won't be knitting into the front and back of the first and last stitch on the needles anymore. However, you will be increasing before and after each stitch marker as before. Row1 (RS): Eg, for size 1-2T: knit 15, yo, k1, slipm, k1, yo, knit14, yo, k1, slipm, k1, yo, knit 31, yo, k1, slipm, k1, yo, knit14, yo, k1, slipm, k1, yo, knit 15. Row2 (WS): Purl. Repeat last 2 rows 5 (7, 8, 9) more times. 6-12 months: 19 sts, marker, 25 sts, marker, 39 sts, marker, 25 sts, marker, 19 sts (127 sts) 1-2T : 23 sts, marker, 30 sts, marker, 47 sts, marker, 30 sts, marker, 23 sts (153 sts) 3-4T: 26 sts, marker, 35 sts, marker, 53 sts, marker, 35 sts, marker, 26 sts (177 sts) 5-6T: 28 sts, marker, 39 sts, marker, 57 sts, marker, 39 sts, marker, 28 sts (191 sts)
$\copyright$ Elena Nodel 2009
Do not purl a row after the last set of increases. Once you come to the end of the row, cast on 1 st, join in the round and knit 19 (23, 26, 28) sts. The marker there will be a marker to mark the beginning of the round. Knit a round. Next round is an increase round. Increase as before. Knit the following round. Repeat last two rounds 3 (5, 5, 5 ) times. Each section is increased by 6 (10, 10, 10) sts. Next round, put 31 (40, 45, 49) sts on a waste yarn, knit next 45 (57, 63, 67) sts, put next 31 (40, 45, 49) sts on a waste yarn, cast on 3 (4, 4, 5) sts, knit next 45 (57, 63, 67) sts, cast on 3 (4, 4, 5) sts, and join in the round. Knit till the piece measures 8(9, 11, 12) inches from the underarm. Bind off loosely.
Sleeves:
Pick up 31 (40, 45, 49) sts from the waste yarn. Then pick up additional 5 (6, 6, 9) sts from the cast on ones. You should have a total of 36 (46, 51, 58) sts. Place a marker inthe middle of the undearm to mark the beginning of the round. You will be knitting a total of 10 (15, 15, 15) rounds The decreses will be done as follows: knit1, k2tog, knit to last 3 sts and ssk, knit1. Do decreses on the 6-12 months: 5th round 1-6T: 3rd, 7th, 11th round Bind off loosely. Collar: Version 1 (simplest one): (RS facing) Start with where the right sleeve joins with the back and work a single crochet stitch all the way around twice (collar and the shirt opening). Then you can either choose to leave it as is or make the lapels by folding the front halves outwards. If you are making lapels, sew a button on each side (sew through the lapel and the shirt front).
$\copyright$ Elena Nodel 2009
Version 2: (RS facing) Starting with the top of the straight section of the left front opening work a single crochet stitch to the top of the right front opening. Don't break the yarn. Work one more single crochet stitch on to the sloped section, then transfer the stitch to the needles and pick up 52 (64, 78, 90) sts. You will be picking up stitches across the sloped section of the right front, then all the way around to the left front slope and on the left front slope. If you are off by 2-3 stitches one way or the other, it is ok. Then work 12 (14, 14, 16) rows in garter stitch. Bind off loosely. Do not detach yarn, but switch back to a crochet hook and work single crochet stitch across the collar side, front opening and all the way up the other collar side.
