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KnittingDK (Double Knitting)
Terminology
Simple Baby Cardigan
A sweet little cardigan for a baby. Top-down raglan construction means you can try it on as you go — no seaming!
Yarn needed
2 x 100g balls
~150g · ~450 metres
Time
1-2 weeks
IntermediateFinished size
0-6 months (chest approx. 46cm)
What you'll need
- 2 x 100g balls of soft DK yarn
- A pair of 4mm (UK 8 / US 6) knitting needles
- A pair of 3.25mm (UK 10 / US 3) knitting needles (for button bands)
- A wool/darning needle
- 5 small buttons
Tension: 22 stitches and 28 rows to 10cm in stocking stitch on 4mm needles.
Abbreviations
kknit
ppurl
kfbknit into front and back of stitch (increase)
yfwdyarn forward
Step-by-step instructions
1. Yoke
- 1Cast on 50 stitches with 4mm needles.
- 2Place markers for raglan: 5 (left front), 1 (marker), 8 (sleeve), 1, 20 (back), 1, 8 (sleeve), 1, 5 (right front).
- 3Increase row (RS): *knit to 1 stitch before marker, kfb, slip marker, kfb* four times, knit to end (8 increases per RS row).
- 4Continue increasing on every RS row until the yoke measures 12cm.
2. Separate sleeves and body
- 1Put each set of sleeve stitches on waste yarn. Cast on 4 stitches at each underarm and join the body in one piece.
- 2Continue in stocking stitch until the body measures 14cm from the underarm. Work 4 rows of garter stitch. Cast off.
3. Sleeves
- 1Pick up the held sleeve stitches plus the 4 underarm cast-on stitches. Work in stocking stitch for 12cm, decreasing 2 stitches evenly every 6th row.
- 2Work 4 rows of garter stitch. Cast off. Repeat for the second sleeve.
4. Button bands and finish
- 1Using 3.25mm needles, pick up stitches along each front edge. Work 5 rows of garter stitch, adding evenly spaced buttonholes (yfwd, k2tog) on the third row of one band.
- 2Sew on buttons. Weave in all ends.
Top tip: Work a lifeline (thread a length of waste yarn through all the stitches) before starting the yoke shaping — it makes ripping back much less stressful.