Everyone knows how difficult it is to dress a newborn baby - harder still to tackle a wriggling, giggling bairn!

With this in mind I set about designing a modern heartwarmer pattern which would be quick and easy to make and super easy to use.

Knitted in one piece up to the armhole divide (with integral button placket), the back and front are worked separately up to the neck and shoulder shaping. With the right shoulder joined using the 3 needle bind off method.

There is no shaping in the yoke. Instead, I have let the stitch pattern hug the baby’s body, resulting in relaxed comfort and a perfect fit. As the baby grows the rib will grow too, ending as a true waist-length tank top towards the end of its cycle.

There are buttons along the left shoulder and body seams, so the garment can be opened out flat before laying the baby on top, leaving just one armhole to tackle and enough buttons to function without detracting from the garment itself.

Knitted in DK weight yarn you will need 2 (3: 3: 3: 4) x 50 gm and 4 (5: 6: 6: 6) buttons.