Sometime in the 50s or 60s, Janice Straker, a knit shop owner, decided to write down the pattern that she had been knitting for her own children. She sold the typewritten pattern in her shop for a decade or so until her daughter Penny decided to make it available world wide along with other classic patterns under the name "Penny Straker Designs". Both Penny and Janice have passed away, and while there was an effort to keep the pattern company alive so the designs could be reprinted or sold as PDFs, as far as I've been able to tell, that hope was abandoned a decade ago. This is very sad because so many of her patterns are lovely and her original owl cardigans are classics. If you are looking for the pattern and are having no luck, please contact me though private message, my email is on my website, I think I can help you. 

The pattern is traditionally written, meaning that it's knitted flat, bottom up, in pieces with sewn seams and the finishing that goes along with that sort of pattern. To modernize it a bit I knit the sleeves in with the "set-in, top-down" technique", and if you have not tried this technique yet, please do, you'll never go back to sewing in sleeves again! But let's face it, this pattern is old-fashioned and that is part its charm. Many knitters and designers have since used the cabled owl to make top down patterns (Kate Davies and her popular adult Owls) and I love them too, but this sweet and charming pattern from a bygone era just tugs at my heart and is the most fun baby sweater to make. 

The pattern is knit in fingering weight and comes in three baby sizes. Penny also wrote a pattern in sport weight with four sizes for children. I cannot tell you how many times I have knit this, maybe a dozen or two? I love each one. I will be attending a baby shower in May and I cannot wait to give this to the new mommy.  My Ravelry pattern page is here with all the details. I used Debbie Bliss Rialto 4 ply and was very happy with it. I have also used Baby Ull several times and loved it. I also understand that Cascade makes a 220 Superwash fingering version and they had some pretty baby colors and I would be comfortable trying that too. When gifting a baby sweater I feel it's important, no, necessary, to knit with a superwash wool. I've never known a young modern mother who does not throw everything into the washer so it's important that your hand knit doesn't come with a list of fussy instructions. It will last longer and look nicer if hand washed and patted into shape to dry flat, but the reality is something different from that, so superwash it must be!