Knitted merino baby cardigan

The cardigan is worked from top down, back and forth on circular knitting needles. Increases form the pattern. The increasing is described below. The cardigan neckline, fronts and wrists are edged with garter stitch. The sleeves are worked in the round on double-pointed knitting needles from the armhole and down. The cardigan has three snap fasteners at the front. How to increase (inc): Skip 3 stitches (sts), insert the right needle into the space between the 3rd and 4th sts and work 1 stitch knitwise (take care that this “new” stitch does not slide off the right needle), knit (k) the 3 skipped sts = you have increased 1 st (= 4 sts).

Using circular knitting needle size 2.5, cast on 78 (82) 90 sts. Work 5 rows (rs) back and forth on the needle. Switch to circular knitting needle size 3. R 6 (Wrong Side, WS): k4, purl (p) to 4 sts before end of r, k4. R 7 (Right Side, RS): k5, *inc 1, k1*, repeat from * to * 17 (18) 20 times, knit 2 together (k2tog), k4. R 8: As r 6. R 9: k to end. R 10: As r 6. Repeat rs 6-10 a total of 8 (9) 10 times, increasing the number of stitches by 1 between all incs. The number of stitches between the increases should correspond to the number of times you have worked r 7. Make sure that the increases are aligned (over each other). There are now 214 (244) 280 sts on the needle. Now work RS rs: k to end and WS rs as r 6 until the work measures 11 (12) 14 cm from the neck edge. Make sure that the last r is a WS r.

Now work the front and back. In the meantime, you leave the sleeve stitches on the needle. k36 (40) 46 (left front), leave 37 (40) 46 sts on the needle (left sleeve), cast on 6 (6) 6 sts, k68 (84) 96 (back), leave 37 (40) 46 sts on the needle (right sleeve), cast on 6 (6) 6 sts, k36 (40) 46 (right front). Now work RS rs: k to end and WS rs as r 6 until the cardigan measures 22 (25) 28 cm from the back neck. Switch to needle size 2.5 mm and finish with 6 rs of garter stitch. Cast off.

The sleeves: Using double-pointed knitting needles size 3, pick up 3 sts from the armhole, k over the 37 (40) 46 sleeve stitches on the needle and then pick up the remaining 3 sts from the armhole. Set a stitch marker (sm) at the start of the round (rd). To continue, k to end of every rd until the sleeve measures 10 (12) 14 cm. Sleeve shaping: Decrease (kn2tog) 4 (7) 10 sts evenly in the next rd. Switch to double-pointed knitting needles size 2.5 and work 6 rds: In rds 1, 3 and 5: k to end and in rds 2, 4 and 6: p to end. Cast off knitwise.

Weave in ends. Sew 3 snap fasteners to the front edges, evenly spaced and adjacent to the pattern increases.