Valley Yarns Honeycomb Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Honeycomb Infant Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Honeycomb is an adorable infant cardigan designed by Julie Turjoman, crafted to fit babies from newborn through 24 months. This sweater is specifically engineered for active infants and toddlers, combining practical durability with charming colorwork details. The finished chest measurements range from 20 inches for the smallest size (0-6 months) to 25½ inches for the largest size (18-24 months), with 2 to 3 inches of positive ease built in for comfortable wear and growth room.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level project employs several key knitting techniques that make it an excellent choice for knitters looking to expand their skill set. The sweater is worked flat using circular needles in a back-and-forth motion, then seamed together to create the finished garment. The construction follows a bottom-up approach, meaning you begin at the lower edge and work upward toward the shoulders and neckline. A single hem is incorporated at the lower edge, providing a neat, professional finish. The most distinctive technical element is the stranded colorwork, which appears at both the hem and chest areas, creating the honeycomb pattern that gives this design its name. This colorwork technique involves carrying two colors across rows and picking up the appropriate color as needed, requiring careful tension management to ensure even, elastic fabric.

Stitches Used

The Honeycomb cardigan primarily utilizes stockinette stitch as the foundation fabric, which creates a smooth, classic knit surface ideal for babies' sensitive skin. Ribbed edgings in a contrast color frame the design, providing elastic, fitted edges at the neckline, armholes, and button bands. These ribbed sections are typically worked in knit-purl combinations (such as 1×1 or 2×2 ribbing) to create the characteristic vertical texture. The stranded colorwork sections at the hem and chest introduce a two-color pattern that adds visual interest while maintaining the same fundamental knit structure. The pattern abbreviations indicate standard knitting terminology including knit (K), purl (P), knit 2 together (K2tog) for decreases, and increases (Inc) for shaping the armholes and neckline.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Valley Yarns Honeycomb is designed to be worked in Valley Yarns Haydenville DK, a practical blend of 60% Superwash Merino Wool and 40% Acrylic Microfiber. This fiber composition is specifically chosen for infant wear, as the acrylic content reduces the cost while the superwash merino provides softness and breathability. The yarn is available in DK weight (light worsted), which knits at a gauge of 22 stitches and 30 rows over 4 inches when blocked using US 5 (3.75 mm) needles in stockinette stitch, and 22 stitches and 30 rows over 4 inches using US 6 (4 mm) needles for the colorwork sections.

Yarn requirements vary by size: the main color (yellow) requires 2 balls for the 0-6 month size, increasing to 4 balls for the 18-24 month size, while the contrast color (gray) requires 1 ball for the two smallest sizes and 2 balls for the two largest sizes. Each ball contains 50 grams and approximately 136 yards of yarn.

Needles and Additional Materials

The pattern calls for multiple needle sizes to accommodate different sections of the garment:

• US 6 (4 mm) circular needles in 16-inch and 22-24 inch lengths, plus double-pointed needles, for working the colorwork sections
• US 5 (3.75 mm) circular needles in 16-inch and 22-24 inch lengths, plus double-pointed needles, for the main stockinette sections
• US 4 (3.50 mm) circular needles in 16-inch and 22-24 inch lengths, plus double-pointed needles, for the ribbed edgings

The pattern also requires standard knitting notions including stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and shaping points, and a tapestry needle for seaming pieces together and weaving in yarn ends. The use of circular needles throughout—even for flat knitting—provides flexibility and comfort during extended knitting sessions while working on an infant garment.

Design Features and Care Considerations