Baby Surprise Jacket Spreadsheet

I've had a few people ask me about my spreadsheet for the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmermann. Since the spreadsheet is basically the pattern, I can't share it, but I can give some tips on how to create your own! It's incredibly simple, but so helpful.

Make a spreadsheet with three columns. Column one is simply the row number (I made row #1 the cast on), row two keeps track of how many stitches you should have on the needle at the beginning of the row, and column three is where you put what you should be doing during the row.

For instance, one row says:
73/147/bo 5 start of row, inc 4

On that particular row, you need to do two things at once; you need to bind off stitches, and also follow an in-progress increasing pattern.

I recommend creating the spreadsheet before you even cast on. This will allow you to read through the entire pattern and give you an idea of what you'll be doing, so you can keep your spreadsheet pithy (as EZ would say). Once I had the sheet finished, I didn't even need the pattern again until it came time to fold the sweater.

This sweater is well worth the extra effort. I've yet to see one that wasn't utterly adorable. Good luck!