Machine Knit Baby Rib Warmer

It's been a while.  I actually did get my machine knitting mojo back and have been doing a ton of charity knitting, but not blogging.    I've been making baby rib warmers.  They are cute cute cute and really easy.  I'm sharing the pattern here and you can use a midgauge, bulky or standard gauge machine to knit these.  Mine will be going to a church in Arkansas that distributes things to needy people.  Hopefully you'll make some for charity too, but I don't mind if you knit for a gift for a special baby.

Baby Rib Warmer ©2015

by Mar Heck  

NOTES:  Directions are given for Midgauge or Bulky with Standard gauge machine in parenthesis.  There is no shaping required because the ribbing pulls in the knitting to make the yoke shape and armholes. So if you have a ribber, this is a fairly fast knit. If you need to hand manipulate the ribbing, it will take a little longer.  Because I have a ribber for my Silver Reed 860 midgauge, I used a 2 x 2 rib in the yellow pictured example.  I used a Brother 970 with ribber for the standard gauge blue example pictured.  If you need to hand latch the ribbing, it would save a little time if you did a 2 x 1 rib.  Check your manual or You Tube for how to latch ribbings. Note that the rib tension is the same as the stockinette.  I think the pattern would be suitable for a boy or girl baby.  I didn’t attempt to do the sweater in mock rib, but that might be worth a try too if you don’t possess a ribber.

Yarn-  whatever yarn gets the same gauge as listed or your garment may come out a completely different shape,  For the sample I used Lion Brand Pound of Love pale yellow, just a few ounces.  On the standard gauge machine, I used Mary Lou’s Symphony, also a small amount.

Machine – midgauge or bulky with standard in parenthesis, ribber if you have one

Gauge- on mid or bulky 4 stitches and 6 rows to one inch; for standard 7 stitches and 10 rows to one inch.  Tension dial will depend on the yarn you use to get this gauge.  Knit a swatch to determine that.  For both samples I used tension 7, but your machine may be different.

Finished Size – about 10 inches wide and 10 inches tall for a 6 to 12 month baby.  For other sizes add or subtract an inch each direction.

Directions

BACK

Cast on 40 (70) stitches in your favorite method for ribbing doing 2 x 2 rib at  (T7/7). Use the same tension as you will use on the stockinette part.  If you have a smaller rib cast on comb, use that so that it doesn’t pull down so hard. Because there are fewer stitches than on an adult garment, you won’t need so much weight but still some so that the stitches knit off.

 RC 000  Knit 6 (10) rows rib.  Transfer rib stitches to main bed and change to regular carriage for stockinette.  Knit stockinette stitch to RC 38 (66).  Change to rib carriage and transfer every other 2 st to ribber for ribbing,.  Knit to row 60 (100), transfer rib stitches to main bed and bind off (not too tight).

LEFT FRONT

Cast on 20 (36) stitches in your favorite method for ribbing doing 2 x 2 rib at (T7/7). RC000  Knit 6 (10) rows rib.  Transfer rib stitches to main bed and change to regular carriage for stockinette.  Knit stockinette stitch to RC 38 (66).  Change to rib carriage and transfer every other two stitches to ribber for ribbing,.  Knit to RC 47 (79).  For neck, bind off 10 (16) stitches.  On remaining 10 (20) stitches knit to RC 60 (100).  Transfer rib stitches to main bed. Bind off these 10 (20) shoulder stitches.

RIGHT FRONT

Same as left front except knit to RC 48 (80) to bind off neck stitches so that the carriage is on the correct side for binding off.

FRONT EDGING

I used what I call the “2 Row Wonder” for the front edges.  It is nice for baby cardi’s because it’s dainty and helps the edge lie flat.  It’s easy to incorporate buttonholes by skipping stitches from the garment as you are hanging garment stitches. 

Hold the edge up to the machine without stretching to get an estimate of how many stitches you’ll need.  With the wrong side of the edge facing you, pick up whole stitches from the garment and hang on the needles.  You may need to skip a garment stitch now and then because you are matching stitches to rows.  Also, for girls, put a button hole (or evenly spaced button holes) on the garment’s right front and on the left for a boy.

 After you knit one front’s edge, write down the number of stitches you picked up so that the other side turns out the same.  Also, try to get to the very edge of the ribbings on both sides so that the edge extends all the way. 

Push the needles all the way out on the first row to aid the carriage in knitting.  After the first row, when a loop is formed for the buttonhole, hang it on the needle above.   Knit two rows total at garment tension.  Carriage is on the right.  Bind off around the gate pegs.  If your machine doesn’t have gate pegs, pull a needle out to act as a gate peg to even out the stitches and make the rope-like stitch.  The yarn goes to the right of this needle.

FINISHING 

Stitch shoulder seams.  Mattress stitch side seams up to the point where the yoke ribbing starts.  Hide yarn ends and sew on a button (buttons) securely.  If the fronts need a little steam to lie flat, be sure to not touch the yarn if you are using an iron.

If you can’t achieve my gauge, use this schematic and some math to achieve the same size as I did.

  Interesting note…now that I have taken pictures, I see that my midgauge machine knits at a different tension every other row!!! Not too happy about this, but I don’t know if there is anything to be done about it.  It’s too consistent to be my fault, right? Reminds me of hand knitting where the knitter uses a different tension on purl vs knit rows.  Actually, in person it doesn’t look so noticeable.  Cameras can be mean sometimes.  Truth hurts.  OH WELL…

Back view

I hope you enjoy the pattern.  Would
love to see a picture if you do knit it.