Sweet Cardigan Knitting Pattern for Kids

I don’t know why I don’t share a lot of kids knitting patterns. I guess my daughter has aged out of them (I still knit for her occasionally but she fits in the smallest of the adult sizes these days) but for the most part they aren’t really on my radar.

(Unless I’m designing them, but that’s usually baby knitting patterns.)

But this cute little kids cardigan caught my eye the other day and I think it would be great to knit for little ones heading into fall. The K? Cardigan by Leila Raven is a top-down, circular yoke cardigan worked in one piece starting with an integrated garter stitch collar, with plenty of stockinette stitch for ease as well as some lacy shale stripes for extra fun. The button band is also garter stitch and worked as you go to make it faster and easier.

The pattern is sized for babies 3-6 months to kids 4-6 years, and it’s based on the Elizabeth Zimmermann Baby Sweater on Two Needles pattern from Knitter’s Almanac, as well as a design used in one of the designer’s other patterns. It’s a fun mashup that’s easy to knit and to wear.

The original design was worked in DK weight yarn, but the designer has expanded the sizing so that you can work the bigger sizes using worsted weight yarn, which makes them a little bigger. There are options for short sleeves and long sleeves, and the lace parts are both written and charted.

I love that it only has buttons at the top, which is great for knitters because you have to make fewer buttonholes, but also easier for kids to wear. It helps keep the sweater on their body but isn’t too constricting (especially when you’re working around a fat little baby belly).

You can get a copy of this pattern from Ravelry.

Generally I like knitting patterns where I feel like you can use whatever yarn you have (because my stash is big enough and I want to use it, thanks) and make a successful project. This is one of those times when a special yarn makes the process that much easier.

The Floral Bouquet Shawl from Xandy Peters uses a specific extended color pooling yarn from Feisty Fibers, which allows you to place the bobble flowers with increasing frequency as you knit the project.

It starts with a solid color yarn, then the two color yarn is added in, and you make a bobble whenever you encounter the color pops. This would be hard to replicate with other yarn that doesn’t have the extended color pooling built in.

The background of the shawl is ribbed, making the project reversible.

The shawl uses fingering/sock yarn and comes out to be an asymmetrical triangle that’s 54 inches/137 cm long and 36 inches/ 90 cm deep and 60 inches/150 cm across the top edge.

Xandy says the pattern is for intermediate to advanced knitters. Knowing how to work traditional bobbles would probably help, but there’s a great video tutorial for how to work the floral bobbles so you can practice on other yarn or even incorporate the bobbles into other projects.

The bobbles are five-petaled flowers but they also kind of look like starfish to me, which could be fun on a child’s cardigan or other pattern. They’d also be fun on the leg of a sock or around the brim of a hat for extra whimsy.

The pattern includes photo and video tutorials, and written and charted instructions. It also includes tips on what to look for if you choose to use different yarn for the project, and instructions on how to dye your own yarn to use in the project.

If you want to give it a try, you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Xandy Peters]

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