Nouveau-né simply means “newborn” in French, and this is exactly who this little set is for. Designed in a newborn size, it will fit newcomers for about the first 10 weeks or so, depending on their birthweight, and how fast they grow! For me, this is the perfect layette, and has all the things I like. This top-down seamless sweater has a larger-than-usual neck opening, since newborns are so curled, they don’t really have a neck. Wider arms, armholes and cuffs make it easy for parents to get it on and off, and the arms are a little shorter, so that baby doesn’t get the sleeves in their mouths. The bonnet is classic and warm, and the bootees stay on with ribbons. There’s a tiny bit of sewing in just the bonnet and booties, but it’s worth it, for the sake of tradition.

Note: this set used all but 11g of the two skeins of yarn. If you don’t get gauge, you might run out. If you’re not the sort to be precise, then you might want an insurance skein.