Pattern Description:
This free, wonderfully simple striped cardigan is designed for the fleeting newborn moment.
Knit from the bottom up in one piece entirely in garter stitch, it features no shaping, easy inset sleeves, and minimal sewing, making it straightforward to knit.
It is designed to be made with Purl Soho’s Quartz, a soft merino wool and suri alpaca yarn.
Materials Needed & Measurements:
- Yarn: Purl Soho’s Quartz, a blend of 65% merino wool and 35% suri alpaca.
- Main Color (MC): 1 skein (approximately 215 yards required). The pattern used Peony Pink as an example.
- Contrast Color (CC): 1 skein (approximately 60 yards required). The pattern used Autumn Oak as an example.
- Each skein contains 420 yards / 100 grams.
- One set of MC and CC skeins is enough to make two oppositely colored sweaters.
- Yarn Weight: Fingering-weight yarn.
- Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm), 16- or 24-inch circular knitting needles.
- Notions:
- Four 3/8-inch buttons. The pattern used Small Corozo Buttons in Kiln Red as an example.
- Tapestry needle (for seaming sleeves and weaving in ends).
- Measurements:
- Size: Newborn-6 Months.
- Finished Chest Circumference: 18¼ inches, buttoned.
- Finished Length from Bottom Hem to Top Shoulder: 9 inches.
- Finished Length from Bottom Hem to Underarm: 5½ inches.
- Gauge: 28 stitches and 56 rows (28 ridges) = 4 inches in garter stitch.
Stitches & Abbreviations Used:
Stitches:
- Garter stitch
- Knit
- Cast on (specifically Long Tail Cast On and Cable Cast On)
- Bind off
- Pick up and knit
- Yarn over (yo)
- Knit 2 together (k2tog)
Abbreviations:
- MC: Main Color
- CC: Contrast Color
- yo: yarn over
- k2tog: knit 2 together
- k: knit
Instructions for Making the Baby Sweater Pattern:
Body
- With MC, cast on 124 stitches using the long-tail cast on.
- Starting with a wrong-side row, knit 5 rows in garter stitch.
- Work the stripes as follows:
- With CC, knit 2 rows.
- With MC, knit 6 rows.
- Repeat this sequence 7 more times (you’ll have 9 MC stripes and 8 CC stripes).
- Add one more CC stripe (2 rows), then knit 5 rows in MC. By now, the piece should measure about 5½ inches from the cast-on edge.
Divide for Fronts + Back
On a wrong-side row, still with MC:
- Knit 15 stitches, bind off 31 (left underarm), knit 32, bind off 31 (right underarm), knit to end.
- You’ll now have 62 stitches total: 15 for Left Front, 32 for Back, and 15 for Right Front.
Right Front
- Work only the 15 stitches of the right front:
- CC: knit 2 rows.
- MC: knit 6 rows.
- Repeat sequence twice more (3 MC and 3 CC stripes total).
- Bind off knitwise on a right-side row. Cut yarns.
Back
- Work across 32 stitches of the back:
- CC: knit 2 rows.
- MC: knit 6 rows.
- Repeat 5 more times (6 MC and 6 CC stripes total).
- Bind off knitwise on a right-side row. Cut yarns.
Left Front
- Work across 15 stitches:
- CC: knit 2 rows.
- MC: knit 6 rows.
- Repeat twice more (3 MC and 3 CC stripes total).
- Bind off knitwise on a right-side row, but leave last stitch on the needle (you’ll use it for the button band).
Button Bands
- Left Button Band: Rotate sweater, pick up and knit 50 stitches along Left Front edge (51 stitches total). Knit 2 rows. On WS: k11, [yo, k2tog, k10] 3 times, yo, k2tog, k2 to make 4 buttonholes. Knit 2 more rows, bind off.
- Right Button Band: Rotate piece, pick up and knit 51 stitches along Right Front edge. Knit 2 rows. On WS: k3, [yo, k2tog, k10] 4 times. Knit 2 rows, bind off.
Sleeves
Both sleeves are worked by picking up stitches along the armholes, then adding cast-on stitches to shape.
- Right Sleeve: Pick up 24 stitches along Back armhole, cast on 12, then pick up 12 along Right Front (48 stitches total). Work stripe sequence (MC 6 rows, CC 2 rows) until 5 MC and 4 CC stripes are complete. Bind off, leaving an 18-inch tail.
- Left Sleeve: Pick up 12 along Left Front, cast on 12, then pick up 24 along Back (48 stitches). Work same as Right Sleeve.
Finishing the Sweater
- Seam sleeves using mattress stitch in garter stitch.
- Weave in all yarn ends.
- Sew buttons on opposite the buttonholes (traditionally left side for girls, right side for boys).
- Gently block the sweater for a neat finish.
Download Free PDF:
