If you've been searching for an easy top-down sweater I would highly recommend the Flax Light sweater by Tin Can Knits. I decided to knit this pattern because not only is it a free download on Ravelry it has almost 12,000 reviews and a nearly perfect rating.
I've now knit 3 of them in the newborn size and it makes a great 1 skein fingering weight project. I love the idea of making this project for a newborn gift because you can splurge on some nice yarn as you only need 1 skein! What's more newborns are squirmy and overheat easily. The lighter yarn weight makes it a great fit for babies, especially because they will most likely wear an undershirt or onesie underneath.
My only complaint in knitting this pattern, which has pretty much nothing to do with the pattern itself, is that I had to purchase an additional pair of needles for the ribbing. Unfortunately my addi click tip needle set (and most other needle sets from the popular needle manufacturers) don't come with the ability to click in smaller lace size needles into their standard cord sets. I usually try to stay away from patterns that require additional needle purchases, but for this one I'm happy to have made an exception.
The newborn sweater size probably took me a total of 5-6 hours to make, so if you're really disciplined you can whip it out in a day. You can see part of the process captured on video on my instagram.
I'm sure that I will continue making this pattern as a baby gift for years to come (especially now that I have invested in the required needles)!
Ready to get knitting?
Find the free pattern on Ravelry.
Yarn Used: Fingering weight 80% Superwash Merino, 10% Cashmere, 10% Nylon blend by indie dyer Knitting it Yarns.