Blake Cardigan Jumper Knitting Pattern

Blake Cardigan in Berroco Vintage Chunky

What Is Being Made

The Blake Cardigan is a children's cardigan sweater designed by the Berroco Design Team. This knitted garment is available in six children's sizes ranging from size 2 through size 12, with finished chest measurements from 25 inches up to 30 inches and lengths from 16 inches to 20 inches. The cardigan features a button-front closure with five 1-inch buttons and includes a distinctive lower section that turns up for added design interest.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several fundamental sweater construction techniques. The cardigan is worked primarily in stockinette stitch, the most common knit fabric used in garment making. Knitters will work garter ridges as turning ridges to create the folded lower section of the garment. The pattern requires shaping at the armholes through bind-offs and decreases worked on right-side rows to create a fitted sleeve opening. The construction method involves working the back piece first, then shaping the armhole edges by decreasing stitches at regular intervals to taper the shoulder area.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary stitch throughout the cardigan, created by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side to produce a smooth, flat fabric
• Garter Stitch: Used for turning ridges, created by knitting every row to form horizontal ridges that mark fold lines in the garment
• Knit Two Together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used during armhole shaping to reduce stitch count and create fitted edges

Materials and Tools

The Blake Cardigan is designed to be knitted with Berroco Vintage Chunky yarn in the main color (MC), requiring 3 to 4 hanks depending on size, in colorway #61176 Fuschia. A single hank of Berroco Vintage yarn in the same colorway #51176 Fuschia serves as the contrasting color (CC) for the lower section. Knitters will need straight knitting needles in two sizes: US size 8 (5.00 mm) for the contrasting color ribbing and initial cast-on, and US size 10 (6.00 mm) for the main color body. The pattern requires checking gauge before beginning: 14 stitches and 21 rows equal 4 inches in stockinette stitch with the main color yarn on the larger needles, while the contrasting color on smaller needles yields 18 stitches and 24 rows over the same measurement.

Skill Level and Difficulty

The Blake Cardigan is rated as an intermediate knitting project, making it suitable for knitters who have mastered basic cast-on, bind-off, and stitch techniques and are ready to tackle garment shaping. The intermediate difficulty reflects the armhole shaping requirements and the need to work with two different yarn weights and needle sizes within a single project.