Third Times The Charm

This is my 3rd round with knitting Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket, which can be found in her book, The Opinionated Knitter or in a download from Ravelry.

The first time I knit this, I didn't quite believe it would work.
"You knit it flat??" Imagine me turning a skank eye on the pattern in utter disbelief. And sadly, yes, I do talk to myself like this.
"And then do some origami and it turns into a sweater?" Shake head.
"Okey Dokey." Get the yarn and needles out.



You cast in a sort of blind faith that is will all work and just follow the directions exactly as they are written. Until all of a sudden you can start folding it and you get a tantalizing peek as to how it works.



Then you can't knit fast enough and suddenly it is time to do the bind off. This time I did an i-cord finish, which I'd never done before and I'm convinced now is the best way to finish this jacket--leaving the edges smooth and, well, finished.



Then came a trip to the store for buttons. I wanted ones that would pick up the bits of purple in the color and just pop off the jacket and say, "Hey, you might not be able to tell just yet, but I am a boy." And happily I found exactly what I wanted.



And ta-da you have a beautiful, washable, (thanks STR!) made-with-love baby present.



Particulars:
Needles: Knitpicks Options Size 4
Yarn: Socks that Rock, Medium weight
Color: Algea
Buttons: The racks at JoAnne's
Knit For: Jamie's Baby

Have you ever knit one of these? What yarn did you use?