Litlu Manneskjurnar Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Litlu Manneskjurnar Cardigan in Lopi Plotulopi

What is Being Made

The Litlu Manneskjurnar Cardigan is a children's knitted cardigan designed for sizes 1 through 4 years old. This garment features a classic cardigan construction with a button-front opening and is crafted using the Lopi Plotulopi yarn held as two strands together throughout. The cardigan is available in two colorway options: a blue and green combination (faded denim with clover green) or a pink and yellow combination (golden yellow with light berry accents), with white and ash heather as additional color options for customization.

Sizing and Measurements

This cardigan pattern includes four size options to accommodate growing children:

• Size 1: Chest 55 cm, bottom edge width 60 cm, length to underarm 18 cm, sleeve length 20 cm
• Size 2: Chest 59 cm, bottom edge width 65 cm, length to underarm 20 cm, sleeve length 22 cm
• Size 3: Chest 64 cm, bottom edge width 69 cm, length to underarm 22 cm, sleeve length 24 cm
• Size 4: Chest 68 cm, bottom edge width 74 cm, length to underarm 24 cm, sleeve length 26 cm

Knitting Techniques

This intermediate-level cardigan employs several key knitting techniques. The body and sleeves are worked in the round from the lower edge to the underarms, which creates a seamless construction and allows for efficient knitting. Once the body and sleeves reach the underarm point, they are joined together to work the yoke in the round, a technique that simplifies shaping and maintains consistency in the fabric. The pattern includes a steek construction at the front of the body, created by casting on additional purled stitches in the center front. These steek stitches are secured using a sewing machine before the front opening is cut, a traditional Icelandic knitting method that allows for clean, finished edges on the cardigan opening.

The cardigan begins with a garter stitch edging (knit 3 rows back and forth) at the lower edge of both the body and sleeves, which provides a decorative and stable border. Increases are worked at the underarms of the sleeves at regular intervals to create a properly fitted sleeve cap, with increases occurring every 6th, 7th, 8th, or 9th round depending on the size being knitted.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch throughout the Litlu Manneskjurnar Cardigan is stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, classic fabric suitable for children's wear. The pattern specifies a gauge of 14 stitches and 19 rows over 10 x 10 centimeters in stockinette stitch, which knitters should verify before beginning the project to ensure proper fit. Garter stitch is used for the initial edge treatments on both the body and sleeves, providing a textured, reversible border that prevents rolling and adds visual interest to the garment edges.

Materials and Needles

The Litlu Manneskjurnar Cardigan is designed to be knitted with Lopi Plotulopi yarn held as two strands together throughout the entire project. The pattern requires 100 grams of yarn total for all sizes. Knitters can choose from two pre-coordinated colorway combinations or customize their own selection from the available Lopi colors, which include faded denim (A 1053), clover green (B 1423), white (C 0001), ash heather (D 1026), golden yellow (A 1424), and light berry (B 1054).

Two needle sizes are required for this project: 4.5mm needles for the initial cast-on and the first garter stitch rows of both the body and sleeves, and 5.5mm needles for the main fabric and yoke sections. The pattern specifies using 4.5mm double-pointed needles (dpns) for the sleeves when working in the round, and a 5.5mm circular needle for the body and yoke sections. The smaller needle size creates a tighter gauge for the edge treatments, while the larger needle size produces the correct gauge for the body of the garment. Knitters should check their gauge and adjust needle sizes if necessary to achieve