Looking for a Pattern

[Buddhamom]

I am looking for a FREE pattern to knit an EASY toddler boat neck sweater. I am looking for on that is knit up in two pieces and then stitched together. All i have found is one where the front and back are done and then the sleeves. I was hoping to find one where the sleeves are knit at the same time as the body. Oh yeah and on straight needles, not circular. So ok mamas, throw the patterns at me!

[Sagesgirl]

1) Measure the kid wrist to wrist, torso width, & arm length.
2) Make a gauge swatch. Figure out your sts per inch.
3) Cast on the appropriate number of stitches to equal wrist-to-wrist measurement, plus maybe 2 inches for wearing ease (this is really variable, depending on the fit you want, but you have to add something in or it will wind up being too small). Knit enough to give you about a half-sized sleeve (hard to guess how much is appropriate here, but you might want ot measure one of her extant sweaters you like). Bind off at the front enough to equal your arm length (that way you leave the ease at the torso). Knit across torso measurement plus two (so, if her torso is 14 inches wide, you'll knit 16 inches). Bind off the rest.
4) Knit until it's long enough, plus a little more. Bind off.

Make a second piece like the first. Eyeball the neck opening, & clip it together (you can use stitch markers if you've got the open-and-close type). Pull it over her head. If you like the way it looks, sew up your seams.

Honestly, I wouldn't make a sweater in a t-shape. I'd be concerned that the drape wouldn't be right, and I'm always paranoid about making something like that big enough. (That, & I'm not fond of the aesthetics of a seam at the top of the arm.) But it can certainly be done, and you don't really need a pattern for it.

If you've got a sweater you really like the fit of, you can also use it as a template. Measure it from end-to-end and measure across the front of the sweater. You'll still need to add in a bit for a seam allowance, but not as much I don't think. And you'll have the plus of being able to lay your work on top of the sweater to check your sizing as you go.