Baby Surprise Jacket--including a class

This is the Baby Surprise Jacket--I'll be teaching this class on Thursday nights from 6-8 pm. The design was created by Elizabeth Zimmerman--back in the 60's. The first time I took this class we had about 20 people in the class. Lynn was our teacher--she's a nurse and just loved this pattern. I was a teacher's helper and I was flitting around so I didn't learn much, but I continued to be a lover of this project because it has such a beautiful finished product. You follow a few esoteric instructions and you end up with some amoebic form which becomes a jacket if you sew two seams together. The buttonholes are also made while you create this wonder so you don't have to worry about boy sweater or girl sweater until you sew on the butttons.

So, this year, while my mother was dying and my daughter was planning her wedding, I decided to return to this project. But, my objects of affection had grown into three year olds, so I didn't need no silly baby jacket. Since I am lazy, I decided to see how a simple substitution of yarn would fit my three year olds. At three stitches per inch, I figured my baby surprise would fit my little twins. After the death and wedding I finished my first sweater with an added surprise--one side had 4 button holes and the other had 6! So I frogged to the point of error (probably the rehearsal dinner) and reknit the baby. Then I made two more just to show I could including the one in this picture which I had to recalculate since the yarn was way too big (2 st per inch). I did all three within ten days so now I'm ready to teach. I did start another one but I have to keep it at the shop and knit when Ruthie isn't around because all she can say is "Not another one of those."

I can hardly wait until she gives me a baby surprise. Sweet revenge.