Valley Yarns Dianthus Baby Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Dianthus Baby Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Dianthus Baby Cardigan is a lacy child's cardigan designed by Kirsten Hipsky, available in four sizes to fit infants from 0-3 months through 12-24 months. The finished chest measurements range from 16 inches for the smallest size to 22 inches for the largest size. This garment is constructed as a heirloom-quality piece, particularly when worked in the recommended Valley Yarns BFL Fingering Hand-Dyed yarn, though machine-washable alternatives are available.

Construction and Techniques

The Dianthus Baby Cardigan features an innovative "nalgar" sleeve construction (the word "raglan" spelled backwards), which creates an elusive and nearly seamless knitting experience. The garment is worked flat on circular needles and uses a bottom-up construction method, beginning with the lower body before progressing to the yoke and sleeve shaping.

The design is notably purl-free, making it an accessible intermediate-level project despite its sophisticated appearance. The cardigan incorporates lace patterning throughout, with strategic seaming used minimally to complete the construction. The yoke features increases worked at marked intervals to create the raglan shaping, while the body is built from a cast-on edge worked in garter stitch before transitioning into the lace pattern.

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch – forms the foundation of the lower body and yoke sections
• Yarn overs (yo) – create the openwork lace pattern
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk) – used for left-leaning decreases in the lace pattern
• Slip 2 together, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over (sl2tog-k1-p2sso) – a centered double decrease that forms the lace motif
• Knit front and back (kfb) – creates increases during yoke shaping
• Knit 2 together (k2tog) – right-leaning decreases
• 3-needle bind off – used to join sleeve caps to the body

Lace Pattern Details

The lace pattern repeats over four rows, alternating between patterned wrong-side rows and knit right-side rows. The pattern uses a combination of yarn overs and centered decreases to create an elegant openwork design. The lower body pattern begins with a cast-on of 89 to 125 stitches (depending on size) and continues for 6 to 9 inches before the yoke begins. The lace motif is maintained through careful stitch placement and marker usage to track pattern repeats.

Materials and Tools

Yarn: The pattern calls for 1 skein of Valley Yarns BFL Fingering Hand-Dyed, which is 100% Blue Faced Leicester wool, weighing 100 grams and yielding 416 yards. The sample shown is worked in the Rose Gold colorway. For a machine-washable alternative, Valley Yarns Franklin is recommended.

Needles and Notions: US size 5 (3.75mm) 32-inch circular needles are required to achieve the specified gauge of 22 stitches and 44 rows over 4 inches in garter stitch. Additional materials include scrap yarn or spare needles to serve as stitch holders, a spare needle in size 5, 6, or 7 for the 3-needle bind off, 4 stitch markers to track raglan increases, a small crochet hook (3.75mm or smaller) for optional button loops, and 3 buttons to complete the cardigan front closure.

Skill Level

This project is rated as intermediate difficulty. While the purl-free construction and garter stitch base make it accessible, the lace patterning, marker management, and raglan shaping require solid foundational knitting skills and the ability to read and follow a multi-row lace chart.