Madelinetosh Little Storyteller Hoodie Knitting Pattern

Madelinetosh Little Storyteller Hoodie

What Is Being Made

The Little Storyteller Hoodie is a charming knitted cardigan designed for infants and toddlers, available in nine sizes ranging from Newborn through 9-10 years. This garment features a cozy hood, cap sleeves, and a garter rib border, making it an ideal layering piece for young children. The finished chest measurements range from 17.5 inches (44.5 cm) for the Newborn size up to 31.5 inches (80 cm) for the largest size, with corresponding length measurements from 9 inches (23 cm) to 19.5 inches (49.5 cm). The pattern is designed with approximately 2 inches of positive ease in the chest for comfortable fit.

Construction Technique

This hoodie is knit from the bottom up in one piece, which means the knitter begins at the lower edge and works upward toward the shoulders. The construction method minimizes finishing work significantly—the pattern features no sewing required other than shoulder and hood grafts. After the main body is complete, the hood is picked up and knit, and the cap sleeves and garter rib border are picked up and worked in the round, streamlining the finishing process and creating clean, professional edges.

Stitches and Techniques

The Little Storyteller Hoodie employs several fundamental knitting techniques to create its structure and shaping:

• Knit (k) — the basic stitch forming the fabric
• Knit two stitches together (k2tog) — a decrease used for shaping
• Knit into the front and back (KFB) — an increase that adds stitches for expansion
• Knit through the back loop (ktbl) — creates twisted stitches for textural variation
• Make one left (M1L) — a left-leaning increase worked by lifting the bar between stitches and knitting into the back of the loop
• Make one right (M1R) — a right-leaning increase for balanced shaping
• Garter rib border — a textured edging that provides structure and visual interest
• Grafting — a seaming technique used to join the shoulders and hood for seamless construction
• Working in the round — used for the hood, cap sleeves, and border to create tubular sections
• Worked flat — the main body is knitted flat on straight needles before transitioning to circular needles for the hood and sleeves

Stripe Pattern Options

The pattern offers three colorway versions. The plain version is worked entirely in a single color (Color A). The two-color version features the main body in Color A with cap sleeves and garter rib border worked in Color B for contrast. The striped version follows a repeating color sequence: Color A for the cast-on row and next 3 rows, Color B for 2 rows, then Color A for 4 rows, with this 6-row sequence repeating throughout. The pattern notes that when carrying non-working yarn along the selvedge, the two colors should be twisted together every right-side row for a neat, tidy edge.

Yarn and Materials

The Little Storyteller Hoodie is designed to be knitted with Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage, a luxurious yarn composed of 100% superwash merino wool. Each skein contains 200 yards (182 meters) and weighs 3.5 ounces (100 grams). Yardage requirements vary by size and colorway: the single-color version requires 2 to 4 skeins depending on size (2 skeins for Newborn through 18m sizes, 3 skeins for 3-4 and 5-6 sizes, and 4 skeins for the 9-10 size), while the two-color version uses 1 to 3 skeins of Color A and 1 to 2 skeins of Color B. The pattern specifies Antler as Color A and Graphite as Color B for the two-color and striped versions. The superwash merino wool provides durability, softness, and easy care—important qualities for children's garments that require frequent washing.

Pattern Notes