Bunting for Gage

I became a grandmother two weeks ago … and you were all right. It’s every bit as amazing as you all told me it would be.  If I had known it would be this fantastic, I would have become one long ago.

My favorite activity is now holding Gage and memorizing his little face. But when I can’t do that–say, his parents ignore my pleading and begging and take him home–I comfort myself by knitting for him. Here’s a bunting I imagined he might like.

Gage is so long I thought it best to just keep knitting until it looked right.

My plan was to make pompoms to use as buttons (or just use big buttons) to close the opening, but so far it’s been nice to peel it back or pull it up and tuck it under his chin. I’ll probably add something later.

I looked at about a dozen patterns searching for just the right one, but all were either too short, too tight, too bland, or too something else. So here’s a hybrid, suits-me-better pattern I came up with while playing around:

Bunting For Gage

Yarn: Patons Bohemian Super Chunky, 2 + skeins (68 yrds each)

Color: Peaceful Plum

Needles: size 17 circular (for Magic Loop) or dpns

CO 56 stitches. Knitting back and forth (do not connect), begin seed stitch:

Row 1 & 3: k1, p1, repeat across row

Row 2: p1, k1, repeat across row

Row 4: begin k2, p2 ribbing. Knit in ribbing pattern every row until piece measures 7″ from top.

Next row: add place marker and join in round. Knit this row in k2, p2 ribbing pattern.

Next row: begin stockinette stitch (k every stitch)

Next row: begin decrease. K5, k2tog, repeat across row for a decrease of 8 (48 stitches remain)

Next row: k across

Next row: k4, k2tog, repeat across row (40 stitches remain)

Next row: k across

Next row: k3, k2og, repeat across row (32 stitches remain)

Next row: k across

Continue knitting in stockinette stitch (k every row) until piece is as long as you want. I wanted mine fairly long so he could grow into it, so I knit it 24″ long in total.

Drawstring: either knit an I-cord with leftover yarn or buy a cord from the fabric store. I opted to do that because I was in a hurry. I simply wove 1 yard of string through the bottom of the bunting and tied the two ends together in a strong knot.

Buttons: either make two large pompoms or buy 2 large buttons and sew those along one open edge of the bunting. Pull the other side as tightly as you want and slip the pompom/button through one of the purled rows.