Little Gansey Sweater and Gansey Beanie Review

First off, I am not pregnant, these are gifts.

So many of my friends have had babies within the past year. Naturally, this means a lot of knitting. I came across Marie Greene’s patterns from her book Knit a Little, which I tragically can’t get in Europe, and fell in love with them. I think a hat and a sweater make the perfect combination for a baby gift. I decided to make The Little Gansey Sweater and a matching Gansey Beanie…. and then I made another one for my nephew because these are just too cute.

When making baby gifts for someone who doesn’t knit I tend to veer towards a machine washable yarn. I feel like unless they’re the type of person who does a lot of handwashing anyway it’s kind of like saying, “hey, just because you’re not busy enough…” I used Hayfield Bonus Aran Tweed*. It’s an acrylic/wool/viscose blend. I find it super soft, but also very warm, and it washes well.

*This post contains affiliate links, for more information, check out my Affiliate Link and Sponsorship Disclaimer.

The pattern itself is amazingly well written. It goes through everything super clearly. I like that you do a loose row of ribbing before you join in the round- it assures that that bottom edge is super stretchy- perfect for wriggly babies.

The only change I made was I used a german twisted cast on for the bottom and bound off with a k2,p2 sewn cast off. Changing up your bind off and cast-on techniques can make such a huge difference in making a project look extra professional. Also, especially for a baby, I wanted maximum stretchiness in the edges

The cabling looks super complicated, but it was actually very easy. it’s a simple four-row repeat pattern that’s super quick to memorise- perfect for tv knitting.

This is one of those patterns that’s so good it’s tough to have a lot to say about it. I’ll definitely be making it again- I think this is my new go-to baby boy gift.

I’ve also done a video about this project: