Baby's V Neck and Round Neck Cardigans in Sirdar Snuggly 4 Ply - 5220 - Downloadable PDF

Sirdar Snuggly 4 Ply Baby's V Neck and Round Neck Cardigans – Pattern 5220 Summary

Pattern 5220 from Sirdar is a downloadable PDF knitting pattern offering two classic baby cardigan designs: a V Neck Cardigan and a Round Neck Cardigan, both worked in Sirdar Snuggly 4 Ply yarn. Notably, the pattern includes premature baby sizes alongside standard infant and toddler sizes, making it an especially thoughtful and practical choice for knitters who want to make garments for the tiniest newborns. Sizes range from premature through 2 years, fitting chest measurements from 31 cm (12 in) up to 51 cm (20 in), with actual garment measurements of 36–55 cm and full lengths of 18–32 cm depending on size. The sleeve length is noted as adjustable, adding further versatility.

The pattern is rated as intermediate in difficulty and is also labelled Easy Knit on the pattern sheet, suggesting it is accessible to knitters who have moved beyond the absolute beginner stage but do not need advanced skills. The construction is straightforward and well-suited to knitters building confidence with shaping techniques.

Design 1: V Neck Cardigan

The V Neck Cardigan is a timeless baby garment featuring a neat V-shaped neckline created through careful neck shaping on the front pieces. The V neck shaping involves decreasing stitches at the neck edge at regular intervals — worked on alternate rows and then at longer row intervals — giving the neckline its characteristic angled finish. The right and left fronts are worked separately, with mirror-image shaping applied to each side.

Techniques and Stitches

• Garter stitch is the primary stitch pattern used throughout, giving the fabric a soft, ridged texture on both sides — ideal for baby garments as it lies flat without curling and is gentle against delicate skin.
• Thumb method cast on is specified for starting the back and front pieces.
• Decreasing is used for V neck shaping, including techniques such as slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over (psso) and knit 2 together (k2tog) to create neat, directional decreases on each front.
• Increasing is used for sleeve shaping.
• The pattern uses yarn forward (yfwd) as part of the stitch vocabulary, likely for buttonhole construction on the button band.
• Stitches referenced include knit (k) and purl (p), with the main fabric being garter stitch (all knit rows).

Materials

• Yarn: Sirdar Snuggly 4 Ply, shade 487, in 50g balls — quantity ranges from 1 ball (premature sizes) to 3 balls (1–2 years).
• The pattern notes it is also suitable for Sirdar Snuggly Baby Crofter 4 Ply and Sirdar Snuggly 100% Merino, though yarn amounts may vary.
• Needles: One pair of 3¼mm (UK 10 / USA 3) knitting needles.
• Buttons: Sirdar Elegant Button, code B5611-0121 — 3 buttons for the two smallest sizes, 4 buttons for sizes up to 2 years.

Tension

The stated tension is 25 stitches and 48 rows to 10 cm (4 in) over garter stitch on 3¼mm needles. Achieving the correct tension is essential to ensure the finished garment matches the stated measurements. Knitters are advised to swatch and adjust needle size accordingly — using a thinner needle if fewer stitches are produced, and a thicker needle if more stitches result.

Design 2: Round Neck Card