This sweater is initially knitted in the round from the cast-on edge up, every round knit, each round starts at the left side. The bottom edge uses a mock cable rib, while the neck and sleeve bands use a k1, p1 rib. The sweater is intended to have a 2.5-5cm (1-2in) positive ease throug tthe body, which should leave enough room for another thin layer underneath.

On 23 May 1746 a lone cotton baby’s sleeve was left with Foundling 235. Sleeves could be a detachable item in the 18th century, so this pattern imagines a garment it may have come from, a whole piece of clothing that the mother may have wanted for the child. It is a positive ‘what if’, one which knitters everywhere will recognize as an urge to clothe a loved one and to knit something lovely as well as practical, a keepsake for the children who wear it. The Foundling Hospital continues today as the children’s charity Coram (www.coram.org.uk).