Sleepy Sheepy Sack

Rowan in his new sleep sack

I finished Rowan’s sleep sack this week. I finished the knitting one night and the very next day headed out to buy a zipper and then sewed it in the same day after dinner. I finished about 2 minutes before bath time which was cutting it close but I really wanted to test it out. It fit well and I think kept Rowan toasty warm that night. The last 2 nights have been far warmer so we haven’t used it again but it won’t be long now before it becomes a necessity. I’m not the greatest at sewing in a zipper so it looks a little wonky but I’ll get it right on the next one. The pattern can be adjusted in any part of the length. To make it larger, CO more stitches and/or do fewer decreases for top.

SLEEPY SHEEPY SACK

Materials
3 skeins (573 yards) of Plymouth Homestead
long 5mm circular needle (for magic loop; 32-40″)
shorter 5mm circular needle (if you want to knit in the round)
2 stitch markers
1 zipper (35 or 40 cm)

Gauge
18 st = 4″ in st st

Pattern

1. CO 130 sts using figure-eight cast-on and longer circular needle.

(If you really don’t want to do this cast-on, cast on as usual – I prefer long-tailed. When finished, you will have to sew up the seam at the bottom. You also won’t need to magic loop the first few inches and can just knit in the round as usual)

2. Knit in the round using magic loop. Because of the cast-on you won’t be able to knit in the round using a smaller circular needle until you get to about 6-7″ of stocking stitch unless your needle tips are really short as you’re forming a sort of purse and need to get far enough from the cast-on edge to be able to move the circular needle through the stitches. At 6-7″ switch to shorter circular needle (you can continue in magic loop if you prefer) and place marker to denote beginning of the round. Continue until work measures 15″ from CO edge

3. K11, k2tog around (120 sts)

4. k 6 rounds

5. k10, k2tog around (110 sts)

6. k27, k2tog, k26, place 2nd marker, finish round

7. k27 turn and purl; from now on work back and forth. markers denote transition from fronts to back (27, 55, 27 sts)

8. k 9 rounds

9. dec evenly 2 sts in fronts and 4 in back (25, 51, 25)

10. k 9 rounds

11. dec evenly 2 sts in fronts and 4 in back (23, 47, 23;

12. continue in st st until 9” from opening ending with ws row

13. knit until 4 before marker, BO 8 sts, knit until 4 before 2nd marker, BO 8 sts, knit to end (19, 39, 19). Work each piece separately now.

14. fronts

• continue in st st for 2”
• next row: BO 3 sts at next edge (16 sts remain)
• next 6 rows: dec 1 st at next edge (10 sts remain)
• 4 more rows st st (end with a rs row), slip remaining onto stitch holder

15. back

• work until measures length of the fronts ending with a ws row.
• next row: knit 10, BO 19, knit 10

16. graft shoulder seems

17. sew in a zipper

Trying on the sleep sack to test the fit

Notes: I designed this pattern as I knit, trying it on when it was convenient to do so. For that reason, the decrease rows are somewhat haphazard and unevenly spaced. You can do them any way you like and the finished product will still work well. I decreased until it fit snuggly but not tightly on the upper body so that it wouldn’t twist around too badly. If you need to make it bigger, do one less (or more) decrease and adjust the armhole/neck shaping as needed. Also, the armhole depth should be adjusted to fit your baby. You may want to leave it slightly longer than required so it will fit for longer. You can also divide for the zipper earlier if required. The pattern is knit for a baby who isn’t changed during the night so if you need to do nightime changes you may want to divide for front and back after only 2″ or so and use a longer zipper.