This pattern makes a cardigan for a premature baby. The cardigan has raglan sleeves and 4 buttons down the front. It is a 'no sew' pattern, as the cardigan body and sleeves are knitted as a whole piece and do not require sewing together. The yarn ends will need weaving in when the cardigan is finished and the buttons will need to be attached, so a needle will be required still.
You will need:
Double knitting (DK) yarn (Light worsted in US)
2.5mm needles (UK size 13, US no.1), both straight and double pointed
3mm needles (UK size 11, US no.2) both straight and double pointed
2 x stitch holders
4 x stitch markers
4 x 1cm buttons
Abbreviations:
K - Knit
P – Purl
y/o – Yarn over
K2 tog – Knit two together
PM – Place stitch marker in last stitch knitted
M1 – Make one (picking up from bar between stitches and knitting into it)
DPN – Double pointed needles
Starting at the neck edge, using single pointed 2.5mm needles, cast on 51 stitches.
Row 1: K 4, (K1, P1 rib to last 4 stitches), K4
Row 2: K4, (P1, K1 rib to last 4 stitches), K4
Row 3: K2, y/o, K2 tog (makes buttonhole), (K1, P1 rib to last 4 stitches), K4
Row 4: As Row 2
Row 5: Knit to end of row
Shape Raglan Sleeves
Change to single pointed 3mm needles (Stitches will be added either side of markers)
Row 6: K12 (pm), K4 (pm), K20 (pm), K4 (pm) K11
Row 7: K11 (up to first stitch marker), (M1, K1, M1), K3, (M1, K1, M1), K19, (M1, K1, M1), K3 (M1, K1, M1), K11 (8 stitches added - 59 stitches total)
Row 8: K4, P to last 4 stitches, K4
Row 9: K12, (M1,K1, M1), K5, (M1, K1, M1), K21, (M1, K1, M1), K5, (M1 ,K1, M1), K12. (8 stitches should be added, 67 Total).
Rows 10, 12,14,16, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26: K4, P to last 4 stitches, K4
Row 11: K13, (M1,K1, M1), K7, (M1, K1, M1), K23, (M1, K1, M1), K7, (M1 ,K1, M1), K13. (8 stitches should be added, 75 Total).
Row 13: K14, (M1,K1, M1), K9, (M1, K1, M1), K25, (M1, K1, M1), K9, (M1 ,K1, M1), K14. (8 stitches should be added, 83 Total).
Row 15: K15, (M1,K1, M1), K11, (M1, K1, M1), K27, (M1, K1, M1), K11, (M1 ,K1, M1), K15. (8 stitches should be added, 91 Total).
Row 17: K16, (M1,K1, M1), K13, (M1, K1, M1), K29, (M1, K1, M1), K13, (M1 ,K1, M1), K16. (8 stitches should be added, 99 Total).
Row 19: K2, y/o, K2 tog, K13 (M1,K1, M1), K15, (M1, K1, M1), K31, (M1, K1, M1), K15, (M1,K1, M1), K17. (8 stitches should be added, 107 Total).
Row 21: K18, (M1,K1, M1), K17, (M1, K1, M1), K33, (M1, K1, M1), K17, (M1 ,K1, M1), K18. (8 stitches should be added, 115 Total).
Row 23: K19, (M1,K1, M1), K19, (M1, K1, M1), K35, (M1, K1, M1), K19, (M1 ,K1, M1), K19. (8 stitches should be added, 123 Total).
Row 25: K20, (M1,K1, M1), K21, (M1, K1, M1), K37, (M1, K1, M1), K21, (M1 ,K1, M1), K20. (8 stitches should be added, 131 Total).
Row 27: K21, (M1,K1, M1), K23, (M1, K1, M1), K39, (M1, K1, M1), K23, (M1 ,K1, M1), K21. (8 stitches should be added, 139Total).
There should now be 25 stitches between each stitch marker.
Complete body
Row 28: K4, P19, place next 25 stitches onto a stitch holder without working them. Cast on 3 stitches to form the underarm. P43, place next 25 stitches onto a stitch holder without working them. Cast on 3 stitches. P19, K4.
Row 29: Knit
Row 30: K4, P to last 4 stitches, K4
Repeat rows 29 and 30 to row 47 (remembering to add buttonhole on row 35 as on rows 3 and 19)
Row 48: Knit (wrong side)
Change to single pointed 2.5mm needles
Row 49: K4, (K1, P1 rib to last 4 stitches) K4
Row 50: K4, (P1, K1 rib to last 4 stitches) K4
Repeat rows 49 and 50 2 more times. Cast off.
Continue Sleeves
Using 3mm double pointed needles pick up the 25 stitches from one of the stitch holders and the 3 underarm stitches that were cast on when ‘shaping the raglan sleeves’ (28 stitches total on 3 DPN). Using a fourth DPN, knit 16 rows around, continuing the stocking stitch pattern down the sleeve.
Purl 1 row round
Switch to 2.5mm dpn and Knit 1 row round.
Continue to form the cuff by working (K1, P1 rib) for 4 rows round. Cast off.
Repeat for 2nd sleeve.
Weave in loose yarn ends and sew on buttons to complete the cardigan.