A BSJ Attempt

I am at last making an attempt on the venerable Baby Surprise Jacket. This pattern was written by Elizabeth Zimmermann in 1968 and has apparently been knit in great numbers every year since then. It's still very popular, which I find amazing. It is in fact so popular that it's known by its initials (the BSJ) which is sort of like being Madonna. Or Cher, if you're old enough to remember her. Mostly what I remember about Cher is that scandalous outfit she wore in the video for "If I Could Turn Back Time." Understand that I grew up without a television, and did not see music videos. Then we went to a hotel, and I turned the TV on and saw a woman dressed in fishnets and ... belts, maybe? dancing around a bunch of sailors. It was all rather shocking, and I've yet to figure out what the Navy has to do with that song. You may still be trying to figure out what Cher has to do with the BSJ, and thinking that I don't have much of a leg to stand on if I'm going to get all snotty about relevance. I'll try to reign myself in.

Anyway, having recently fallen rather hard for the Heartbreakingly Cute Baby Kimono and knit three of them in quick succession, I've had a few people mention the BSJ to me as an even more fantastic baby pattern. One of the yarn shops I visited had the pattern in stock, so I snapped it up. I'm about 40% done right now, although the picture below doesn't show quite that much progress, since it was taken yesterday and I've been working a bit since then.



I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, "Uh, that doesn't look like a baby jacket." You are so right. Hence the surprise. This is such a clever pattern. Basically, you knit a blob, fold it a certain way, and you get a baby jacket. It's great motivation to keep knitting. I keep thinking, "Really? This is actually going to work?" so I keep knitting along to get to the surprise.

Aren't the colors cute? My friend Beth (the Fetching recipient) helped me pick them out the other night. I'm calling it the Lil' Punkin jacket. Heh.

I know Elizabeth Zimmermann is probably spinning in her grave, but I'm not knitting this up in the strongly recommended wool. It's in Berocco Comfort, which is a very nice quality acrylic/nylon. I have not yet been able to bring myself to knit a baby garment in something that has to be handwashed. I know what babies get on their garments.

There's an adult version of this jacket as well. Perhaps I should knit one for Cher. That outfit can't be very warm.