While preparing for an upcoming guest post, I contacted Linda, leader of The Preemie Project, to check in on the organization’s most urgent needs. She replied that she can never have enough sleeper sacks for their bereavement program. The organization has recently updated their sizing guidelines and has a fantastic new pattern to follow. Unfortunately, some knitters avoid making them because they dislike knitting the sleeves in the round.
Here’s an adaptation of the Bereavement Sleeper Sack Pattern by Marcia Williams for knitting the sleeves flat and seaming them later. Let’s get to work making many of these and sending them along to Linda! You can learn more about about The Preemie Project, acceptable yarns, etc, on the organization’s website.
Some things to note… In my pictures and instructions I am making the medium bereavement sack. The technique is easily adapted to all of the sizes. I use circular needles, although this can be done on straight needles if that is your preference.
Work the pattern as written until the row that divides the stitches for the sleeves.
Work as follows instead.
Knit across to first marker. Cast on stitches for underarm (for the medium size this is four stitches). Drop yarn.
Attach new yarn and knit across to the next marker. Cast on stitches for underarm (again, 4). Turn, purl across.
Work in stockinette stitch on these stitches (for the medium size this is 26, plus the 4 underarm for 30 stitches total) until sleeve is the length indicated on pattern (for the medium this is 6″ from neckline). Work in K1, P1 rib for rows indicated, then bind off loosely. Tie off, leaving a long tail for seaming.
Return to the stitches still on the needles. Pick up the yarn that was dropped and knit to the next marker, across the stitches that make the back.
Cast on 4. Drop yarn again.
Attach new yarn and knit across to the next marker. Cast on stitches for underarm (again, 4). Turn, purl across. Work in stockinette stitch on these stitches (for the medium size this is 26, plus the 4 underarm for 30 stitches total) until sleeve is the length indicated on pattern (for the medium this is 6″ from neckline). Work in K1, P1 rib for rows indicated, then bind off loosely. Tie off, leaving a long tail for seaming.
Return to the stitches still on the needles. Knit to end.
Now continue with the pattern as written originally.
When you have finished knitting the garment, turn it inside out and seam the sleeves using the long tail. Weave together the stitches of the underarm.
Thanks for contributing to The Preemie Project’s Bereavement Program! I hope you find this tutorial helpful. I am happy to help by answering questions in the comments section below.
P.S. The quilt in the background of these photos is from free tutorial that I made long long ago… You can find it here.
