Where's Buttercup?

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away... 

My sister-in-law, my sister and myself were in the same carpool. We spent HOURS in the car together every week, shuttling between ballet lessons, art lessons, swimming lessons. When you have that much time hanging on your hands, you tend to turn to odd things for amusement. In between singing endless rounds of "His Cheeseburger," my sister and sister-in-law had a little performance piece they liked to tease me with. If it had a name (which it probably didn't), it would have been called "Where's Buttercup?"

At this time, one of my favorite movies was The Princess Bride. I adored it. Everything about it, and when I read the book I was crushed to find that it was written as a satire, and not the sweeping romance I believed it to be. My sister and sister-in-law, being less romantic or possessing better senses of humor (both equally possible, in that period of teenagerhood), immediately seized on the more satirical aspects. From the the (I thought) thrilling scene where Wesley wakes from being mostly dead and immediately his thoughts go to his lady love, they developed a little comedy routine wherein one of them would pretend to snore odiously and then suddenly pop awake with an Igor-like tilt of the head and demand to know "Where's Buttercup???" The other would laugh uproariously, and I (depending on the mood of the moment) would either roll my eyes or seethe inwardly at the outrage of such a desecration.

Fifteen years later, when I was knitting a very yellow little sleeper for my sister-in-law's first baby, I realized that there could be no other name for the pattern I was designing other than ....


Where's Buttercup? 

Note: When I designed this, I originally meant for it to be long enough to completely cover the feet and pull the drawstring closed. Unfortunately, not having a newborn handy at the time for reference purposes, I made it too short. I have corrected this in the pattern, but the pictures shown are of my own too-short version. Expect yours to be considerably longer.

Note #2: Due to fire hazards, I do not recommend using acrylic yarn for this project.

Size: 0-3 months

Materials: 

440 yards worsted weight yarn

Size 8 circular needles

Size 8 DPNs

Waste yarn or stitch markers 

Darning needle for weaving in ends

5 5/8" buttons 

Needle and thread

Neck

Cast on 52

Row 1: K5, (P2, K2) 10x, P2, K5, turn.

Row 2: Slipping this and all first stitches K5, (K2, P2) 10x, K2, K5, turn.

Row 3: Repeat row 1

Row 4: Repeat row 2

Row 5: K5, (P2, K2) 10x, P2, K1, K2tog, YO, K2, turn

Row 6: Repeat row 2

Row 7: Repeat row 1

Raglan Shaping

Row 8: K5, P6, pm, P1, pm, P5, pm, P1, pm, P17, pm, P1, pm, P5, pm, P1, pm P5, K5

Row 9: (K to marker, M1, pass marker, K1, pass marker, M1) 4x, k to end of the row, turn.

Row 10 passing markers as you go, K5, P to 5 st before end, K5, turn.

Rows 11-24: repeat rows 9 and 10

Row 25: (K to marker, M1, pass marker, K1, pass marker, M1) 4x, k to 4 st before end of row, K2tog, YO, K2.

Row 26: passing markers as you go, K5, P to 5 st before end, K5, turn.

Rows 27-32: repeat rows 9 and 10

Body

Row 33: (K to marker, transfer next 30 st onto scrap yarn, flip work over and using knitted on cast on, cast on 3 st. Flip work back over, remove marker) 2x, K to end. Total st on needles: 92.

Row 34: K to end, turn.

Row 35: K5, P to 5 st before end of row, K5.

Rows 37-44: repeat rows 34 and 35.

Row 45: K to 4 st before end of row, K2tog, YO, K2.

Row 46: K5, P to 5 st before end of row, K5.

Rows 47-64: repeat rows 34 and 35.

Row 65: K to 4 st before end of row, K2tog, YO, K2.

Row 66: K5, P to 5 st before end of row, K5.

Rows 67-84: repeat rows 34 and 35

Row 85: K to 4 st before end of row, K2tog, YO, K2.

Row 86: K5, P to 5 st before end of row, K5.

Row 87-94: repeat rows 34 and 35.

Row 95: K to 5 st before end, slip onto DPN. Knit together 1^st st from DPN and last st from beginning of the row. Knit together 2^nd st from DPN and next-to-last st from beginning of the row. Knit together 3^rd st from DPN and 3^rd from the last st from beginning of row. Knit together 4^th st from DPN and 4^th from the last st from beginning of row. Knit together 5^th st from DPN and 5^th from last st from beginning of row. From now on knitting will be in the round.

Rounds 96-142: K to end of round.

Round 143: K2tog, K1, (P3, K2) 8x, P3, K2tog, K1, (P3, K2) 8x, P3.

Rounds 144-145: (K2, P3) to end of round.

Round 146: K1, (SSK, YO, P1, YO, K2tog) to end of round.

Rounds 147-149: (K2, P3) to end of round.

Cast off in pattern. Finish off.

Sleeves

Transfer sleeve st from scrap yarn onto 3 DPNs. Using 3^rd DPN (the one to the right of the  underarm), join yarn and pick up and knit 2 st (1 to the right of the underarm CO st, then 1 of the underarm CO st) pm, pick up and knit 2 st (the other underarm CO st and then 1 st to the left of the underarm CO st). Total st: 34

Using 4^th DPN, join for working in the round and work in stockinette for 30 rounds.

Knit another round, decreasing 2 st. Total st: 32.

(K2, P2) for 8 rounds.

Cast off in pattern. Finish off.

Finishing

Cast on 3 st. K 20” of i-cord. Finish off.

Weave in ends.

Block gently, if desired. 

Weave i-cord through holes in bottom ribbing, going under K st and over P st.

Sew on buttons.