Louis & Lilly Slipovers in West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep Pure DK - FP0004 - Downloadable PDF

Louis & Lilly Slipovers by Jenny Watson

What is Being Made

The Louis & Lilly Slipovers are a collection of sleeveless knitted garments designed for babies and young children. These slipovers are crafted as pullover-style vests, offering a versatile layering piece suitable for various seasons and occasions. The pattern includes sizing for multiple age groups, ranging from newborns through toddlers up to 24 months old.

Sizing and Fit

This pattern provides five different size options to accommodate growing children:

• Tiny Baby: To fit chest 31cm (12 inches), with full length of 17cm (6½ inches)
• 0–3 Months: To fit chest 36cm (14 inches), with full length of 20cm (8 inches)
• 3–6 Months: To fit chest 41cm (16 inches), with full length of 24cm (9½ inches)
• 6–12 Months: To fit chest 46cm (18 inches), with full length of 28cm (11 inches)
• 12–24 Months: To fit chest 51cm (20 inches), with full length of 32cm (12½ inches)

Techniques Used

The slipovers employ fundamental knitting techniques suitable for intermediate-level crafters. The construction utilizes 1x1 ribbing as a key structural element, which provides elasticity and a refined finish. The ribbing pattern alternates knit and purl stitches in a regular sequence, creating a classic textured appearance that is both decorative and functional for maintaining garment shape.

The pattern incorporates standard shaping techniques including increasing and decreasing stitches to create the garment's silhouette and armhole shaping. Crafters will work from written instructions using standard knitting abbreviations and will need to manage multiple stitch counts across the different size options provided.

Stitches Used

The primary stitches featured in this pattern include:

• Knit (K): The fundamental stitch creating the base fabric
• Purl (P): Used in combination with knit stitches for textured ribbing
• Slip Stitch (s1): Employed for edge finishing and stitch manipulation
• Increase (inc): Used to expand stitch counts for shaping
• Decrease (dec): Used to reduce stitch counts for armhole and neckline shaping
• Pass Slipped Stitch Over (psso): A decrease technique creating a refined left-leaning decrease

Materials and Yarn

The Louis & Lilly Slipovers are designed to be knitted using West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep Pure DK, a premium yarn crafted from 100% Falkland Islands Wool. This high-quality natural fiber is prized for its softness and durability, making it ideal for delicate baby garments.

The yarn is worked at DK (Double Knit) weight, a versatile medium weight that creates a fabric with good drape and structure. Yarn requirements vary by size:

• Tiny Baby and 0–3 Months sizes: 1 x 50g hank of West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep Pure DK in Mist (colorway 166)
• 3–6 Months, 6–12 Months, and 12–24 Months sizes: 2 x 50g hanks of West Yorkshire Spinners Bo Peep Pure DK in Mist (colorway 166)

An alternative colorway option is also provided: Blackcurrant (colorway 319), available in the same quantities as Mist for each size range.

Knitting Needles

The pattern requires two pairs of knitting needles to accommodate different sections of the garment:

• 4mm needles (UK size 8 / US size 6): Used for the main body fabric
• 3.25mm needles (UK size 10 / US size