SNUGGLES was designed to be fully ribbed to ensure precious premature babies are cocooned snugly and that the vest will stretch as the little ones grow. The vest is 14cm wide (unstretched) and 20cm long to fit a premature baby from the time they leave the incubator until they are big enough for newborn-sized clothes.

SNUGGLES is knitted seamlessly from the top down, back and forth on circular needles. Both 4ply (sport) and 8 ply (DK/light worsted) pattern descriptions are given, as well as some tips for striping and adding sleeves. The pattern is suitable for a confident beginner.

I used my experience as the Mum of a premmie born at 25 weeks gestation to design SNUGGLES. I was inspired by Pekapeka Design’s Puerperium Cardigan which has super practical buttons down the side to make it easy to dress newborns.

If you are knitting for a NICU or charity please check their requirements for yarn type. In New Zealand it is requested that only 100% pure wool is used when knitting for premature babies because these precious babies have difficulty regulating their body temperature. I recommend using a superwash merino or similar for ease of washing.

I look forward to seeing all the SNUGGLES people create to keep premmies warm. Happy knitting everyone!

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THANK YOU DISCOUNT!
As a thank you for all the wonderful people crafting SNUGGLES vests for premature babies, I am offering a 50% discount on the full SNUGGLES pattern. Create a project page for your SNUGGLES vest, and I’ll send you a THANK YOU discount code.

SNUGGLES baby and toddler vest

• Five sizes from newborn to 2 years
• Made to stretch as baby grows to make your handcrafted garments last longer
• www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/snuggles-baby-and-toddle...