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© Knitty 2002-2006. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. This means you.

 



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This special sweater for a special baby packs a lot of bang for the effort buck.

On the body of the sweater, the fresh colorwork and texture are made easy with basic garter and slip stitches and no yarn to carry. The sleeve cuffs are more open than usual so they're easy to put on fidgety hands and will look good at a 3/4 length as the child grows.

The button band looks like the stem of the flower, and another vertical green stripe at the back of the sweater continues the effect from behind. Butterfly buttons complete the storybook garden look. In cotton, the sweater is washable and sturdy, and just warm enough.

It was made for my brother and sister-in-law's first child, and my first niece.

It is sized for a one-year-old (because babies turn 1 in a nanosecond) and toddler sizes 2 and 3.

model: Cecilia Mesa photos: Brian Zola, Nilda Mesa

SIZE
To fit a child aged 1 [2, 3] years (shown in size 1)
 
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Chest: 24.5 [27, 28.5] inches
Length: 12.5 [14, 15.75] inches

 

MATERIALS

Tahki Cotton Classic [100% mercerized cotton; 108 yds/100 m per 1.75 oz/50g skein]
[MC] #3003 Off White; 2 skeins
[CC1] #3715 Pea 1 [2, 2] skeins
[CC2] #3532 Light Lemon Yellow 1 [2, 2] skeins
[CC3] #3471 Light Pink 1 [2, 2] skeins
[CC4] #3458 Azalea Pink 1 [2, 2] skeins

1 24-inch US 6/4.25 mm circular needle, or size to obtain gauge
1 set US 6/4.25mm double-point needles
Stitch markers
Row counter
Stitch holders or waste yarn
Tapestry needle
5 butterfly-shaped buttons (I used La Mode; 3/4")

GAUGE

18 sts/31 rows = 4 inches in stockinette st

 

PATTERN NOTES

[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations can be found here]

The body is made in one piece, working back and forth on a circular needle up to the armhole. The back and front sections are worked separately up to the shoulders, which are grafted to join. The sleeves are picked up at the armhole and knitted down to the cuffs on circular or double-pointed needles. The buttonholes are simply yarnovers. The only seams are for the buttonhole band, the shoulders, and collar. The petal collar is made with individual petals worked separately on a circular needle, held on the needle while the other petals are made, then worked across all for a few rows, before grafting to the neck to create an invisible seam.

When working intarsia section (stem up center back of sweater), remember to twist yarn strands to avoid creating holes.

DIRECTIONS

Body [worked in one piece to underarms]:
Using circular needle and CC4, CO 113[125, 129] sts.
Row 1, 3 & 5 [WS]: [K1, p1] to last st, k1.
Row 2 & 4 [RS]: K all sts.
Row 6 [RS]: P all sts.
Rows 7 & 8: Using CC1, [k1, p1] to last st, k1.
Row 9 [WS]: K to end. Break yarn.
Rows 10 - 12: Using CC3, k54[60, 62], k5 using CC1, k rem sts using CC3. This row begins the stem motif up the back of the sweater.
Row 13 [WS]: Using MC, p 52[58, 60], place marker, k2, p5 using CC1, k2 using MC, place marker, p to end using MC

IMPORTANT: For all following rows, work sts between markers as set above: 2 sts in reverse stockinette st using same color as rest of row, 5 sts in stockinette st using CC1, 2 sts in reverse stockinette st using same color as rest of row. Work all OTHER sts as directed.

Cont in stockinette st using MC until work measures 8[9, 10.75] inches, ending with a WS row.

Divide for Fronts and Back:
Next row [RS]: Using CC3, k 26[30, 30] sts, BO 4 sts, k 22[24, 26], work sts between markers as set, k 22[24, 26], BO 4 sts, k 26[30, 30].
26[30, 30] sts rem for each side Front, 53[57, 61] sts rem for Back. Place sts for Back and Right Front on holders or waste yarn.

Left Front
Work through 31 rows of Yoke Pattern Chart. (For Left Front, chart will begin and end on a WS row. For Right Front, chart will begin and end on a RS row. This will make the fronts symmetrical, and will help the neck shaping to line up evenly.)
Next Row [RS]: K all sts.
Next Row [WS]: BO 5[7,7] sts, p to end.
Next Row [RS]: K all sts.
Next Row [WS]: BO 3[5,5] sts, p to end. 18 sts rem.
Work 6 rows in stockinette st, ending with a WS row. Place sts on holder or waste yarn.

Right Front
Replace sts for Right Front on needle. With RS facing and CC3, rejoin yarn.
Work through 31 rows of Yoke Pattern Chart, beginning an ending on RS row.
Next Row [WS]: P all sts.
Next Row [RS]: BO 5[7,7] sts, k to end.
Next Row [WS]: P all sts.
Next Row [RS]: BO 3[5,5] sts, k to end. 18 sts rem.
Work 6 rows in stockinette st, ending with a RS row. Place sts on holder or waste yarn.

Back
Work through 31 rows of Yoke Pattern Chart, maintaining sts between markers in patt as set.
Work 10 rows in stockinette st.
Place center 17[21, 25] sts on holder or waste yarn. Graft fronts to back at shoulders.

Sleeves
Using double-point needles and CC2, pick up and k 54 sts around armhole. Join to begin working in the round.
Work in stockinette st until work measures 1.5[2.25, 3.75] inches.
Work through 43 rows of Sleeve Chart.
Work 2 rows in k1, p1 rib.
BO all sts loosely.
Repeat on other side for other sleeve.

Petals (Make 5)
Petals are made separately and left on the needle without binding off as next petal is worked. Make sure they're all facing the same way (right side up). See petal chart (to row 20 below).

Using CC4, CO 9 sts.
Work through 19 rows of Petal Chart, beg with a WS row (Row 1).
NOTE: Petal chart includes shaping as well as colorwork.
At the end of Petal Chart, each petal should have 19 sts.
After all petals have been worked, there should be 95 sts on the needle.

Size 1 Only:
Next Row [RS]: [Using CC4, k1, k2tog, using CC3, k3, using CC2, [k1, k2tog] twice, k1, using CC3 k3, using CC4, k2tog, k1] for each petal. 75 sts rem.

Size 2 Only:
Next Row [RS]: [Using CC4, k1, k2tog, using CC3, k3, using CC2, k2, k2tog, k3, using CC3 k3, using CC4, k2tog, k1] for each petal. 80 sts rem.

Size 3 Only:
Next Row [RS]: [Using CC4, k1, k2tog, using CC3, k3, using CC2, k7, CC3 using k3, using CC4, k2tog, k1] for each petal. 85 sts rem.

All Sizes Continue Here:
Next Row [WS]: Using CC2, p all sts.
Next Row [RS]: [P1, k1] to last st, p1[0, 1].
Using CC2, pick up and k 75[80, 85] sts around neck.
K 1 row.
Graft collar to neck sts.

 

FINISHING

Button bands
Left Front Band:

Using CC1, CO 7 sts.
Work in K1, p1 rib until work, when slightly stretched, measures the length of the front from hem to neck opening.
Mark places for 5 buttons, equally spaced.

Right Front Band:
Work as for Left Front Band, working buttonholes opposite buttons (as marked on Left Front Band).

Work buttonholes as follows:
Rib 3, k2tog, yo, rib to end.

When work measures same as Left Front Band, BO all sts.

Sew both bands to fronts of cardigan.
Weave in all ends.
Block by soaking, gently rolling out excess water in towel, and laying flat to measurements given. Let dry completely.
Sew buttons on left front band.
Rejoice and kvell.

 

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Nilda is an artist, writer and designer living in NYC for most of the year
with her husband, 2 daughters and 2 cats.  The rest of the year she and her husband run an artist residency program in Brittany, France.  Her Spanish grandmother taught her how to knit and crochet when she was 8, and she hasn't stopped.

She is working on a bilingual (English-Spanish) learn-to-knit book for kids and those who knit with them, to be published soon. Her work is also in StitchnBitch Nation, KnitLit 2 and soon to be in KnitLit 3.

Read about her adventures at her blog, Waltzing Knitilda.