Valley Yarns Bandwidth Tunic Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Bandwidth Tunic

What Is Being Made

The Bandwidth Tunic is a gathered children's tunic designed by Julie Turjoman, ideal for pairing with leggings or jeans. This pattern is available in seven sizes ranging from 6-12 months through 10-12 years, with finished chest measurements from 18¼ inches to 30¼ inches. The tunic features a distinctive gathered design created through strategic shaping at the armholes and shoulders.

Techniques Used

The Bandwidth Tunic employs a bottom-up construction method, meaning knitters begin at the hem and work upward toward the shoulders. The garment is worked in the round for the body sections, which creates seamless fabric and allows for continuous circular knitting. After the initial body is complete, knitters work back and forth in flat rows from the armholes to the shoulders to shape the neckline and create the gathered bands that give this tunic its characteristic silhouette.

The pattern incorporates armhole decrease shaping to form the gathered bands. Decreases are worked at the beginning and end of rows using standard decrease techniques, which gradually reduce stitches and create the gathered effect. This shaping is essential to the tunic's design aesthetic and requires careful attention to stitch placement for a polished finished garment.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch: The primary stitch throughout the tunic, created by knitting right-side rows and purling wrong-side rows when working flat, or knitting every round when working in the round. This creates a smooth, classic fabric with a V-textured appearance on the right side.
• Knit 2 Together (K2tog): A right-leaning decrease used for armhole shaping and gathered band construction.
• Slip, Slip, Knit (SSK): A left-leaning decrease that pairs with K2tog for balanced decrease shaping on either side of the armholes.
• Bind Off: Used to secure stitches at armhole divisions and at the completion of the garment.
• Cast On: The foundation method for beginning the tunic at the hem.

Materials and Yarn

The Bandwidth Tunic is designed to showcase Valley Superwash DK yarn, a 100% Extrafine Merino Superwash fiber. This yarn is celebrated for its next-to-the-skin softness and machine washable properties, making it an excellent choice for children's garments that require easy care and durability. Each skein contains 50 grams and yields 137 yards. Depending on the size being knitted, the pattern requires between 3 and 7 skeins of yarn. The pattern shown features color 10 (Yellow).

Needles and Notions

The Bandwidth Tunic requires multiple circular needles in two sizes to accommodate different sections of the garment:

• US size 6 (4.0 mm) 40-inch circular needle for the main body worked in the round
• US size 6 (4.0 mm) 24-32 inch circular needle for smaller circumference sections
• US size 4 (3.5 mm) 40-inch circular needle for ribbed edgings
• US size 4 (3.5 mm) 16-inch circular needle for neckline ribbing
• US size 4 (3.5 mm) double-pointed needles (dpns) for finishing small circumferences

Additional notions include stitch markers (with at least 2 locking stitch markers for marking pattern repeats), a stitch holder or waste yarn for holding stitches during construction, and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge

The pattern is worked to a gauge of 22 stitches and 28 rows equaling 4 inches on US size 6 needles in Stockinette stitch. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for proper fit, particularly in a children's garment where sizing is critical. Knitters should always knit a gauge swatch before beginning the project and adjust needle sizes if necessary to match the specified gauge.