Baby cardigan in trendy color blocks
As a magical gift for a birth, or for your own little one – this cardigan for the littlest ones is perfect for knitting fans.
What is needed?
- Cool Wool Baby, 208 light blue
- Cool Wool Baby, 323 shell
- Cool Wool Baby, 280 saffron yellow
- Prym knitting needles 33 cm, 3.00 mm
- Prym circular knitting needle, 80 cm, 2.5 mm
- Transparent laundry buttons, 15 mm
- Embroidery scissors
- Tapestry needle without a point
- Crochet hook 3 mm
- Optional: YOGA cable needles, prym, 4.0 mm, 2 pieces
How it works
Notes
The specifications are listed by size and separated by slashes. If only one specification is given, it applies to all sizes.
Sizes 50 - 56 / 62 - 68 / 74 - 80
The cardigan is first worked in three separate pieces using 3 mm straight needles and joined at the shoulders using a crochet hook. The sleeves are knitted on, and the side and sleeve seams are closed. Subsequently, the cardigan border is knitted on using the 2.5 mm circular needles.
The main pattern of the cardigan is the moss stitch. The accent stripe is knitted as a tube in stockinette stitch with slipped stitches using additional stitches.
The cardigan is knitted in three colors A, B, and C. The lower part of the body is knitted in color A, the contrast stripe and the final rows of the sleeve cuff in color B, and the upper part of the body and the sleeves in color C.
Gauge
Needle size 3 mm in stockinette stitch,
25 stitches x 34 rows = 10 x 10 cm
Edge stitches for reversible knitting
On the right side row, the first stitch is always slipped and not knitted. The last stitch is always purled.
Stockinette stitch
On right side rows, all stitches are knitted. On wrong side rows, all stitches are purled.
1x1 Ribbing
Right side row: edge stitch, repeat alternating 1 knit stitch and 1 purl stitch until the end of the row, edge stitch.
Wrong side row: knit all stitches as they appear.
Seed stitch
The repeat for the seed stitch consists of two rows.
Row 1: edge stitch, alternating 1 knit stitch through the back loop and 1 purl stitch, 1 edge stitch.
Row 2: edge stitch, alternating 1 purl stitch and 1 knit stitch, 1 edge stitch.
Italian cast-on
Unwind the yarn, about 3 times the desired cast-on length. Form the first stitch using the long-tail cast-on method. Tension the yarn ends from below with your index finger and thumb.
First, loop the thumb yarn. Guide the needle from below under the thumb yarn into the gap between your thumb and index finger.
1st stitch: Move the needle backwards over the index finger yarn and then bring it forward under all the strands. Then, guide the needle directly upwards so that a loop forms on the needle.
2nd stitch: Pick up the index finger yarn from below so that the needle tip is once again in the triangle formed by the yarn.
Alternately form the 1st and 2nd stitch until the desired number of stitches is on the needle.
Row 1: Slip the edge stitch. Knit the stitches that appear to slant to the right. Slip the stitches that appear to slant to the left onto the working needle without knitting them. Keep the yarn in front of the stitch. Repeat until the end of the row.
Row 2: Knit the knit stitches, slip the purl stitches without knitting them, keeping the yarn in front of the stitch.
After these two rows, transition to 1x1 ribbing.
Italian bind-off
1. Hold the knitting needle with the knitting in your left hand. With the tapestry needle threaded with the end yarn in your right hand, insert it into the edge stitch and the first knit stitch from the back. Pull the yarn through. Leave the stitch on the needle.
2. Insert the tapestry needle again into the edge stitch and then into the following purl stitch from front to back. Pull the yarn through and let the edge stitch slide off the needle.
3. Insert again into the previous knit stitch from front to back and let the stitch slide off the needle.
Insert from back to front into the following knit stitch and leave the stitch on the needle.
4. Now insert into the previous purl stitch from the back and into the following purl stitch from the front. Only ever let the first stitch slide off the needle.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the end of the row.
Casting on stitches
Wrap the yarn around the index finger from front to back. Insert the needle into the loop from below. Tighten the loop on the working needle. The yarn lies under the loop.
Decreasing stitches in seed stitch and ribbing
The stitches are decreased following the pattern sequence.
Two or three stitches are knitted together depending on the pattern sequence as follows: if a purl stitch follows, the stitches before it are knitted together as a knit stitch, and vice versa.
If a purl stitch is knitted before, the stitches after it are knitted together as a knit stitch, and vice versa.
Put stitches on hold
The stitches are put on hold either on the knitting needle, on a cable with stoppers, on a stitch holder, or on a piece of yarn.
st = stitch
row = row
p = purl
k = knit
yo = yarn over
edge st = edge stitch
tog = knit together
loop st = loop stitch
cast on = cast on
Step 1: Cast on for the back piece
Using color A and a 3 mm knitting needle, cast on 61 / 67 / 73 sts using the tubular cast-on method and knit the corresponding 2 rows.
Step 2: Knitting the cuffs
Knit 8 in 1x1 rib.
Step 3: Knitting the seed stitch
Switch to the seed stitch. Continue knitting with color A for 14 / 16 / 18 repeats in the seed stitch.
Step 4: Change color
Cut the yarn of color A and continue working with color B as follows:
Row 1: edge stitch, (k1, yo), repeat the pattern in brackets until the last 2 stitches, k1, edge stitch.
Step 5: Working the contrast stripe
Row 2: Edge st, p1, continue alternating (knit the slip st as k1, p1). Last st p, edge st.
Row 3: Edge st, continue alternating (k1, slip 1 p-wise without working it). Last st k, edge st.
Row 4: Edge st, continue alternating (p1, slip 1 k-wise without working it). Last st k, edge st.
Repeat rows 3 and 4.
Step 6: Change color
Cut the end of yarn B and switch to color C.
Row 1: edge st, repeat k2tog until the last 2 sts remain. k1, edge st.
Row 2: work the 2nd row of the seed stitch pattern.
Step 7: Seed stitch in color C
Start next row as row 1 of the seed stitch pattern.
Continue working 18 / 20 / 22 repeats in seed stitch with color C.
Step 8: Shaping the neckline
1st row: 23 / 25 / 27 sts in seed stitch, bind off 15 / 17 / 19 sts, 23 / 25 / 27 sts in seed stitch.
Left shoulder:
2nd row: Work sts as they appear up to the bound-off sts. Turn work.
3rd row: Edge st, k2tog, continue working the 1st row of seed stitch.
4th row: Work all sts as they appear.
Repeat rows 3 and 4 two more times.
Work 1 pattern repeat of seed stitch. Place the stitches on the left shoulder on hold.
Right shoulder:
Reattach the yarn and work the purl row of the seed stitch.
1st row: Continue in seed stitch until the last 3 sts, k2tog, edge st.
2nd row: Work the sts as they appear.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 two more times.
Work 1 pattern repeat of seed stitch. Place the stitches on hold.
Step 9: Right front section
Cast on 27 / 30 / 34 sts and knit the front piece up to color C in the same way as the back piece.
Step 10: Right front piece - Neckline
Knit 2 repeats of seed stitch in color C.
Row 1: edge st, k2tog, continue in pattern, edge st.
Row 2: Knit the sts as they appear.
Row 3: As row 1 of seed stitch.
Row 4: As row 2 of seed stitch.
Repeat rows 1 to 4 until only 20 / 22 / 24 sts remain on the needle.
Knit 7 repeats of seed stitch. Place the stitches on hold.
Step 11: Left front piece
Knit the left front piece in the same way.
The decrease here takes place in the same rows at the end of the row.
Step 12: Close the shoulder seam
Close the seam with the crochet hook as follows:
Place the open stitches of the left shoulder of the back piece and the front piece onto two knitting needles. Place the pieces right sides together and the needles parallel to each other.
Take one stitch from each needle and crochet them together.
Take one more stitch from each needle onto the crochet hook and pull a stitch through all three stitches. Continue to bind off all stitches according to this principle.
Cut the yarn and pull it through the last stitch.
Close the other side in the same way.
Step 13: Picking up sleeve stitches
Pick up evenly approx. 28 - 30 / 32 - 34 / 36 - 38 sts each from the front and back pieces. See the finished measurements chart for the positioning of the sleeves.
Knit the wrong side row in 1 x 1 rib.
Start the seed stitch pattern with the 1st row in the next row.
Step 14: Knitting the sleeves
Knit every 4th row as follows: edge stitch, k2tog, continue in pattern. Last 2 stitches together, edge stitch.
Knit a total of 19 / 21 / 23 repeats with these stitch decreases.
Step 15: Work the sleeve cuffs
1st row: edge stitch, continue alternating 3 sts in 1x1 pattern, 3 sts together. Last three sts in pattern, edge stitch.
Knit another 5 rows of 1x1 ribbing in color C and switch to color B. Knit 3 rows of 1x1 ribbing.
Bind off the sts using the Italian bind-off method.
Step 16: Sew sleeve and side seam
Close the sleeve and side seam using a ladder stitch. Work a zigzag stitch by alternating between the edge stitches on one side and the other.
Make sure that the sleeve seams and color blocks meet.
Step 17: Starting the jacket cuffs
Using color C and 2.5 mm needles, pick up one stitch in every stitch along the edge. The total is approximately 200 - 204 / 208 - 212 / 216 - 22
Knit 4 rounds of 1x1 ribbing.
Step 18: Knit buttonhole
Row 1: Knit 5 sts in pattern, k2tog, yo, 10 sts in pattern, k2tog, yo, 10 sts in pattern, k2tog, yo, 10 sts in pattern, k2tog, yo, continue in pattern.
For size 74 - 80, you can knit an additional buttonhole.
To do this, after the 4th yo, knit 10 sts in pattern, k2tog, yo, continue in pattern.
Row 2: knit all sts (including yos) in pattern.
Step 19: Completion
Knit 4 more rounds in pattern and then bind off the stitches using the Italian method.
Pull the yarn to the back.
Weave in all yarn ends into the knitting and trim any excess.
Hand wash the cardigan using a mild wool detergent and lay it flat to dry.
Then, sew the buttons onto the other band.