Windy Day Baby Cardigan

Windy Day Baby Cardigan by Ginny Sturdy

What is Being Made

The Windy Day Baby Cardigan is a knitted cardigan designed for infants, available in three size options to accommodate babies from newborn through nine months old. This garment features a button-front closure with gender-specific buttonhole placement, making it a versatile layering piece for babies in their early months.

Sizes and Yarn Requirements

This cardigan pattern is offered in three graduated sizes:

• 0-3 months: 100g of Double Knit wool
• 3-6 months: 120g of Double Knit wool
• 6-9 months: 150g of Double Knit wool

Materials and Equipment

The Windy Day Baby Cardigan is worked in Double Knit weight yarn, a versatile yarn weight suitable for baby garments. The pattern recommends 4mm needles for working with this yarn weight. Specific yarn recommendations include James C Brett Baby Marble Double Knit or Rico Baby Classic Double, though any quality Double Knit wool will work for this project.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several fundamental knitting techniques and abbreviations:

• Kfb (Knit Front and Back): An increase technique where you knit into the front and back of the same stitch to add width to the garment
• K2tog (Knit Two Together): A decrease method that combines two stitches into one by knitting them together
• Pfb (Purl Front and Back): An increase technique using the purl stitch, knitting into both the front and back of a single stitch
• P2tog (Purl Two Together): A decrease method that combines two stitches into one using the purl stitch

Buttonhole Construction

The cardigan features button closures with buttonholes strategically placed for gender-specific styling. For the girl's version, buttonholes are positioned on the left front of the cardigan, while the boy's version features buttonholes on the right front when viewing the finished garment. Buttonholes are created using a simple cast-off and cast-on method: stitches are cast off on one row, then cast back on during the following row. The pattern provides specific instructions for each size indicating which rows to work the buttonholes and how far in from the edge to position them.

Tension and Gauge

Achieving the correct tension is essential for proper fit in this intermediate project. The recommended gauge is 24 stitches and 45 rows over 4 inches when working with 4mm needles in Double Knit weight yarn. Knitters should swatch and measure their tension before beginning the cardigan to ensure the finished garment matches the intended dimensions for the selected size.

Pattern Structure

The pattern is organized by size, with detailed instructions provided for the 0-3 months, 3-6 months, and 6-9 months options. After dividing stitches to work the front and back pieces separately, each size section includes specific row numbers and measurements for buttonhole placement, allowing knitters to customize the closure for either a girl's or boy's cardigan.