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The kids’ cousin L recently turned one year old. So of course, that means I had to knit something for her! I bought the Ice Cream Sundae bolero pattern by Dani Sunshine years ago, and now I had someone to knit it for. You work this sweet child’s shrug from the top down, beginning with the collar. Short rows are worked to shape the neckline; then the short sleeves and body are worked in the round. Lastly, the edging is picked up and worked in one piece.
In these photos, the kids’ other cousin Kaito is modelling the Ice Cream Sundae bolero. Kaito is just one month younger than L but lives one street over from us, so she is a great fit model for me!
The pattern includes seven sizes, from 6 months to 8 years. I wanted baby L to have more opportunity to wear her Ice Cream Sundae, so I knit the size 2 years. Depending on the size you knit, you’ll need 169 – 329 m (185 – 360 yards) of DK-weight yarn, in two colours. The contrast colour is for the collar, sleeve hem, and body edging. I chose a pale blue cotton-merino blend yarn for the main colour. I had the same yarn in white for the contrast colour. Both yarns are Classic Elite Yarns Song from my stash. Unfortunately Classic Elite Yarns closed down a few years ago.
The pattern calls for 3.75 mm needles, but I used 3.0 mm needles to get gauge. In the end, I used 215 m of yarn. Knitting for babies is a great way to use up small balls of yarn!
As I mentioned above, you start knitting the collar from the top down. The scallops are in 1×1 ribbing separated by garter stitch. I found the instructions a bit tricky when they refer to the stitch markers, but I was able to figure it out. Stitch markers are essential when working the raglan sleeve increases.
Once you divide for the sleeves, the body knits up really fast. The front of the Ice Cream Sundae has decreases on each side to create a bolero shape. As usual, I kept track of all the decreases with copious amounts of stitch markers.
The Ice Cream Sundae bolero calls for 2 buttons to close the front. I had a few button options that I got from The Workroom, and I ultimately chose the two large yellow buttons. Overall, I love how they nicely complement the blue body of the shrug.
The Ice Cream Sundae bolero is a perfect little shrug for spring. It is such a cute little garment that uses up a small amount of yarn. I might need to knit one for Kaito and another for Sayuri!
If you want to knit for a baby in your life, take a look at other baby knits here:
- Teddy Bear Sweater by Marta Porcel
- Gartrell Crew Sweater by Tanis Lavallee
- Campfire Pullover by Tin Can Knits
- Marshmallow Baby Set by Lilia Vanini
- Binic Pullover by Solenn Couix-Loarer
- Oliver Sweater by EweKnit Toronto
If you want to knit this yourself, get the Ice Cream Sundae bolero pattern on Ravelry here.
