I went away to summer camp just once. We bunked in a dusty, canvas-sided tent, carved soap, and learned songs that lodged in my head for months to come. Even though I was gone only a week, my mother and I corresponded faithfully by mail, and several days I picked up her letters at the commissary, covered in scratch-and-sniff Strawberry Shortcake stickers. Looking back, she must’ve posted those day after day in the week before I left. This sweater is my own love letter to my daughter’s love of camping.

Note - many of you have requested an adult version of this. An adult sweater with the same stitch pattern and welts is here: https://onewilddesigns.com/products/letters-from-the-open...

Work the fronts, back, and set-in sleeves flat and seam them together. Stitches are picked up for the hood and a three-needle-bind-off is used to close the hood. Stitches are picked up for the welt border and the ribbed button band. Instructions are given for placing the buttons on either the left or the right side of the garment.

The main color is held double, and the contrasting colors are all held single. If you prefer to use a heavier weight yarn for the main color that meets the same gauge you can - doing so will halve your yarn requirements for the main color.

Sizes: 18 mos (2 yrs, 3 yrs, 4 yrs, 6 yrs) (8 yrs, 10 yrs, 12 yrs, 14 yrs)

Body chest measurement: 19 (21, 22, 23, 24) (26, 28, 30, 32) inches / 47.5 (52.5, 55, 57.5, 60) (65, 70, 75, 80) cm

Finished chest measurement: 21 (23.25, 24, 26, 26.75) (28.25, 31, 33.75, 35.5) inches / 52 (59, 60.5, 65, 67) (71.5, 77.5, 84, 89.5) cm

Finished upper sleeve circumference: 8 (8, 8.25, 8.5, 9.25) (9.5, 10.5, 10.75, 11.5) inches / 19.5 (19.5, 20, 21, 22.5) (23.5, 26, 26.5, 28) cm

Picking a size:
Choose a size with 2 - 3.75 inches (5 - 9.5 cm) of positive ease in the chest and 2-2.75 inches (5 - 7 cm) of positive ease in the sleeves. Smaller sizes should have a closer fit

Yarn
Main color: 1080 (1320, 1490, 1675, 1910) (2190, 2610, 2870, 3140) yd / 990 (1205, 1365, 1535, 1745) (2005, 2385, 2625, 2870) m

Contrasting color 1, 2, 3, and 4, each: 50 (60, 60, 65, 70) (80, 85, 85, 90) yd / 45 (55, 55, 60, 65) (70, 75, 80, 80) m (perfect for minis!)

Sweater is shown modeled in a size 3 using Cascade Yarns Heritage Sock. Sweater is shown flat in a size 18 months using Serendipitous Wool’s Vajra (main color) and Vayu (contrasting colors) bases. Vajra is a little heavier than the Cascade, and creates more dense, jacket-like garment (you may wish to size up if this garment will be worked up as a jacket for outerwear).

Notions
Stitch markers
Tapestry needle
Waste yarn
4 (5, 5, 5, 6) (7, 7, 7, 8) buttons (5/8 inch / 15 mm)

Techniques
Working directional increases
Working a sloped bind-off
Working a tubular cast-on
Slipping stitches
Working a three-needle bind-off
Working a buttonhole
Picking up and knitting stitches

Step by step instructions are given for the cast-on, the sloped bind-off and the buttonholes.