Valley Yarns Honeycomb Child's Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Honeycomb Child's Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Honeycomb Child's Cardigan is a knitted pullover cardigan designed for children, available in six sizes ranging from 18" to 23" finished chest measurement. This garment is meant to be worn with 3" positive ease, making it a comfortable, relaxed-fitting piece. The cardigan features a distinctive combination of stitch patterns: a hexagonal honeycomb pattern across the lower body and striped stockinette stitch on the sleeves. The design incorporates knit-in buttons as a safety feature to prevent choking hazards, making it an ideal choice for children's wear.

Techniques Used

This cardigan is constructed using a bottom-up seamless building method, which means the knitter begins at the lower edge and works upward toward the shoulders and neckline. The seamless construction eliminates the need for seaming, resulting in a cleaner finish and faster completion. After the main body is complete, the button band is picked up from the finished edge, adding structure and functionality to the front opening. The striped sections are created by changing yarn colors at specific intervals while maintaining stockinette stitch, a fundamental technique that creates a smooth, flat fabric.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch: The primary stitch used throughout the cardigan, creating a smooth, flat fabric with a distinctive V-pattern appearance on the right side. Stockinette is achieved by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side.
• Honeycomb Stitch Pattern: A textured stitch pattern worked over a multiple of 8 stitches plus 4 additional stitches. This pattern is created by combining knit and purl stitches with slip stitches to form the characteristic hexagonal honeycomb texture. The honeycomb pattern requires working rows 1-10 repeatedly, alternating between color A and color B to enhance the dimensional quality of the pattern.
• Slip Stitches: Used within the honeycomb pattern to create the visual texture without adding bulk. Stitches are slipped as if to purl with yarn held to the wrong side of the fabric.
• Knit 2 Together (k2tog): A decrease stitch used for shaping the armholes and other areas requiring reduction in stitch count.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Valley Yarns Honeycomb Child's Cardigan is designed to be knitted with Valley Yarns Valley Superwash Bulky, a yarn composed of 100% Extra Fine Superwash Merino Wool. Each skein weighs 100 grams and provides 109 yards of yardage. The pattern calls for three coordinating colors:

• Color A (White, #19): 1 to 2 skeins depending on size
• Color B (Mulberry, #15): 1 to 2 skeins depending on size
• Color C (Lime, #25): 1 skein for all sizes

The bulky weight yarn combined with the specified gauge creates a fast-knitting project suitable for intermediate-level knitters. The superwash merino wool provides durability and easy care, making it practical for children's garments.

Needles and Additional Materials

The pattern requires US size 10.5 (6.50 mm) needles, with the instruction to use the size needed to achieve the specified gauge. Knitters may work with either circular or straight needles for working flat. Double-pointed needles are also listed as necessary materials, likely for working smaller sections such as cuffs or collar areas. The gauge for this project is 3.5 stitches and 5 rows per 1 inch in stockinette stitch, and 4 stitches and 4 rows per 1 inch in the honeycomb stitch pattern.

Optional materials include seven ⅝" buttons with shanks and a small steel crochet hook sized to fit the shank of the buttons. These buttons are incorporated directly into the knitted fabric during construction rather than sewn on afterward, enhancing the safety profile of this children's cardigan.

Design Details

Designed by Melissa Metzbower, this cardigan combines visual interest with practical construction. The honeycomb pattern on the lower body creates texture and visual appeal, while the striped sleeves in stockinette stitch provide contrast and visual balance. The knit-in button construction is a thoughtful safety feature that eliminates