Marja-stina

Marja-Stina Sideways Baby/Child Kimono by Åsa Tricosa

What is Being Made

The Marja-Stina is a funky little kimono cardigan designed for babies and children, available in eleven sizes ranging from newborn (0 months) through to 10 years old. The garment is tailored to fit chest measurements from 37.5 cm (15 inches) up to 70.5 cm (28 inches), making it a versatile piece suitable for multiple stages of childhood development. This kimono-style cardigan combines traditional Japanese-inspired silhouette with contemporary knitting techniques, featuring a distinctive intarsia triangle design on the front that adds a playful splash of colour to the finished piece.

Construction Techniques

The Marja-Stina employs a sophisticated sideways construction method that sets it apart from traditional top-down or bottom-up cardigan patterns. The main body is worked from the centre back outward in two separate pieces, with edges and hems knitted as you go—a technique that eliminates the need for separate finishing steps and creates clean, integrated edges throughout the garment. This sideways approach allows for seamless integration of shaping and design elements as the knitter progresses.

The sleeves are knitted using a top-down in-the-round method, which provides a smooth, fitted construction that works particularly well for children's garments where comfort and ease of movement are essential. The intarsia triangle featured on the front is worked into the body during knitting, creating a bold colour block design without the bulk of appliqué or embroidery.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

While specific stitch details are not fully outlined in the provided pattern excerpt, the construction method indicates the use of fundamental knitting stitches combined with intarsia colourwork. Intarsia is a technique where different colours are knitted into the fabric using separate yarn bobbins or lengths, creating distinct colour blocks without carrying yarn across the back of the work. This technique is ideal for the geometric triangle design and prevents the fabric from becoming overly thick or stiff in colour-change areas.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Marja-Stina is designed to work with 4-ply, fingering, or sock weight yarn that knits to the pattern's specified tension. The pattern suggests Wollmeise Pure, a premium yarn composed of 100% Superwash Merino wool, which offers excellent stitch definition and durability for children's garments.

Yarn quantities vary by size and colour:

• Colour A (Vamp - red): 1 to 2 skeins depending on size, requiring between 280 and 720 metres (300 to 790 yards)
• Colour B (Zarte Knospe - green): 1 skein per size, requiring between 220 and 520 metres (240 to 570 yards)
• Colour C (Neptun - blue): Quantity details continue beyond the provided excerpt

Specific needle requirements are not detailed in the provided pattern excerpt, though 4-ply yarn typically works best with needles in the 2.5 to 3.5 mm range, with circular needles recommended for the in-the-round sleeve construction.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate, the Marja-Stina requires knitters to be comfortable with multiple techniques including sideways construction, intarsia colourwork, and circular needle work. The pattern is well-suited for knitters who have completed several projects and are ready to expand their technical skills, particularly those interested in mastering colourwork and non-traditional garment construction methods.