Leaf Lace Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Craft Gossip recently released a baby knitting pattern book, and while it’s not nice to pick favorites when it comes to patterns, I have to say my favorite pattern in the book is probably the leaf lace cardigan.

So many people love the leaf lace design used on this sweater. It’s a classic design that is commonly seen on blankets (like this pattern we have in our store) but I thought it would be fun to make it the back of a sweater instead.

It’s a slightly fiddly pattern because you have to knit each of the leaf pieces separately, then stitch them together, knit along each side of the finished square to make the rest of the body, then stitch the fronts and sleeves.

But I really think the result is well worth it for a special baby. I’m thinking about making one in my size, too.

This is one of the 10 easy knitting patterns for babies you will find in our 10 Easy Baby Knits ebook. There’s also a striped cardigan, a vest, two hats, a pair of socks, a blanket, a snuggle sack, and a pair of pants/shorts to knit for little ones up to a year.

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Sometimes I feel like knitters get intimidated to try new things because they think they need to start with a big project. Your first time working in the round doesn’t need to be a sock, and your first colorwork doesn’t need to be a sweater, for example. You can find little projects that use the skills you want to learn to build your confidence before you move on to something that requires more time commitment.

This adorable knit bunny, for example.

The colorwork bunny from Knit Picks was designed by Amy Munson and is a kind of bowling pin shaped bunny complete with a knit hat, contrasting inner ears and a little stranded colorwork on its body. Note that the ears are attached the the hat not the bunny, but you could stitch them to the bunny if you’d rather.

It’s worked from the bottom up and also has a tiny pompom tail you can’t see in the picture but it’s a really cute touch. There are a variety of little fair isle patterns to choose from to make the best bunny for you.

The bunny comes out about 8 inches tall (or just over 20 cm) and use several colors to complete the colorwork, depending on the design you choose.

You can purchase the pattern by itself from Knit Picks, or make a kit that includes sport weight yarn in all the colors you need for your creation. There are gray and brown options for the main body of the bunny, but of course if you’re using your own yarn you can make it whatever color you like.

Once you’ve tried colorwork (maybe also working in the round and shaping if those are skills you haven’t used before) in a little project like this you’ll be ready to take on something bigger in no time.

Check out the pattern on Knit Picks.

[Photo: Knit Picks]

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