Juniper Moon Farm Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Juniper Moon Farm Skye Baby Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Skye is a baby cardigan designed by Melissa Leapman as part of The Pasadena Collection. This garment is a raglan-style cardigan sized for infants ranging from 3–6 months through 12–18 months. The finished chest measurement ranges from 20½ inches (52cm) for the smallest size to 25 inches (63.5cm) for the largest size, with corresponding lengths from 10¼ inches (26cm) to 12½ inches (32cm). The cardigan features a button front closure with three 5/8-inch (15mm) diameter buttons.

Knitting Techniques

This cardigan employs several key knitting techniques to create a well-constructed garment:

• Top-Down Construction: The Skye is worked from the top down, beginning at the neckline and progressing toward the hem. This method allows for easy fitting adjustments and the ability to try on the garment as it develops.
• Worked Flat: Although a circular needle is used to accommodate the increasing number of stitches, the cardigan is worked flat rather than in the round. The circular needle serves as a practical tool for managing stitch volume rather than for circular knitting.
• Raglan Shaping: The cardigan features raglan construction, which creates diagonal shaping lines from the neckline to the underarms. This shaping is achieved through strategic increases placed at regular intervals along raglan lines.
• Lace Details: Decorative lace patterning is incorporated into the design, adding visual interest and texture to the finished garment.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Skye utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined with more advanced techniques:

• Stockinette Stitch: The primary stitch used throughout the cardigan, created by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side. This produces a smooth, classic fabric suitable for baby garments.
• Lace Pattern: A repeating lace motif based on a multiple of 8 stitches plus 1 is worked into the design. The lace pattern incorporates yarn overs (yo) for eyelet details and decreases including knit 2 together (k2tog) and slip, slip, knit (ssk) to create the characteristic openwork of lace knitting.
• Centered Double Decrease (CDD): This specialized decrease technique is employed within the pattern, created by slipping 2 stitches together as if to knit 2 together, knitting 1 stitch, and passing the slipped stitches over the knit stitch. This creates a centered decrease that is visually balanced.
• Make 1 Increase (M1): Used for raglan shaping, this increase is worked by inserting the left-hand needle from front to back under the running thread between stitches and knitting through the back loop, creating an invisible increase.

Materials and Tools

The Skye is knitted using Juniper Moon Farm Nimbus yarn in the colorway 08 Goldspire. Nimbus is a premium yarn choice that provides excellent stitch definition for both the stockinette and lace elements of this design. The yardage requirement is 1 ball (100g) for the two smallest sizes and 2 balls (100g each) for the largest size.

Needles required include a US 10½/6.5mm circular needle measuring 16 inches (40cm) in length for the body, and a set of US 10½/6.5mm double-pointed needles (4 or 5 needles) for working the sleeves. The pattern specifies that needle size should be adjusted as necessary to obtain the correct gauge of 13 stitches and 18 rows equaling 4 inches (10cm) in stockinette stitch when blocked.

Additional notions include 10 stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and shaping lines, 2 stitch holders or waste yarn for securing stitches, and 3 buttons measuring 5/8 inch (15mm) in diameter for the front closure.

Pattern Notes and Construction Details

The pattern includes detailed abbreviations and a comprehensive glossary to support knitters of varying experience levels. Gauge checking is emphasized as essential to achieving the correct finished measurements. The instructions are provided for the smallest size with parenthetical notations indicating changes for larger sizes, a standard format that allows knitters to easily track which numbers apply to their chosen size.