Modern Cabled Baby Bib Pattern

As more and more of my friends are beginning to bring little bundles of joy into the world, I've been turning my attention to baby knits. Small, sweet, machine-washable projects are my preferred gifts of choice (I'd much rather sew or quilt a baby blanket before making a knitted one, as I can't imagine sitting with a lap full of yarn in the middle of the summer). I'll be back soon with another post highlighting the wee knits flying off my needles these days, but for now, I wanted to share a pattern that I designed for my LYS, the Modern Cabled Baby Bib.

The Modern Cabled Baby Bib is currently available as a free Ravelry download (if you're a member, here's a link to the pattern page). I'm also including the pattern below for non-Ravelers, and I'll update this page with any pattern modifications as well.


This little bib, my variation of the Simple Baby Bib by Colleen Kadleck, is a quick and easy baby knit with both modern (asymmetric styling) and classic (cable and seed stitch) elements. You can get two bibs out of one 100-yd. skein of worsted- or aran-weight cotton, and each bib requires only a few hours of knitting (making it a great project for first-time cable knitters!). Customize the bib by choosing a yarn color and button to fit the recipient -- for example, this pattern would be quite cute in a green yarn with a bright flower or ladybug button. If you’re worried about little ones chewing on buttons, you can omit the buttonhole/button and sew on a bit of velcro to fasten the bib.

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MATERIALS:
Size US 8 (5mm) needles
1 skein of Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton (100% worsted-weight cotton, 95 yds per skein, machine-washable; possible substitutes: Lily Sugar ‘n Cream, KnitPicks Shine Worsted, Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, etc.)
3/4" to 1" button (preferably machine-washable)

GAUGE: approx. 5 sts/in and 7 rows/in. in seed stitch

PATTERN:

Cast on 28 stitches.
Row 1 (rs): (k1, p1) 10 times, [k1, p1, k4, p1, k1]
Row 2 (ws): [k1, k1, p4, k1, k1], (p1, k1) 10 times
Row 3: repeat row 1
Row 4: repeat row 2
Row 5: (k1, p1) 10 times, [k1, p1, C4B, p1, k1]
Row 6: repeat row 2
Continue with this 6-row repeat until length of bib is approx. 6", ending with a ws row.

Next row (rs): Bind off 20 stitches in k1, p1 pattern. On the remaining 8 stitches, continue working the six-row cable repeat (the sections above in brackets) until strap is 9" long from cast-off edge. End with row 6 of the cable repeat.

Next row (rs): Work buttonhole as follows: k1, p1, k1, yo, k2tog, k1, p1, k1.
Work two more rows (rows 2 and 3) of cable repeat, then bind off loosely and weave in ends. Sew a cute button with coordinating thread to the top corner of the seed stitch square, and you're done!

ABBREVIATIONS:
rs = right side
ws = wrong side
C4B = slip 2 stitches onto a cable needle and hold to back of work. Knit 2 stitches off the left needle, then knit the 2 stitches off cable needle.

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Questions, comments, corrections? Don’t hesitate to contact me here on the blog (http://string-theory.blogspot.com) or on Ravelry (username: gibsongirl).