Wrap-around Cardigan with Hood in Lang Yarns Mille Colori Baby - Downloadable PDF

Wrap-Around Cardigan with Hood in Lang Yarns Mille Colori Baby – Free Knitting Pattern (Downloadable PDF)

This free downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Lang Yarns provides full instructions for a charming wrap-around cardigan with an attached hood, designed for babies and young toddlers. Known in German as the Wickeljacke mit Kapuze, this design is part of the Lang Yarns family pattern collection (FAM 196-35) and is worked in the brand's beloved Lang Yarns Mille Colori Baby yarn, a fine merino 4-ply weight that produces a soft, lightweight fabric perfectly suited to delicate infant skin.

Sizes and Finished Measurements

The pattern is written to cover five sizes, making it a versatile choice for babies and toddlers from newborn through to pre-school age:

• Sizes: 62 / 68 / 74–80 / 86–92 / 98–104
• Chest circumference: 46 / 50 / 54 / 60 / 66 cm
• Length: 26 / 28 / 30 / 33 / 38 cm

The wrap-around style is a classic baby garment silhouette — the front panels cross over the body and fasten securely, making dressing and undressing a wriggling baby much easier. The addition of a hood elevates this design beyond a standard cardigan, providing extra warmth and a cosy, snug fit around the head and neck.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Lang Yarns Mille Colori Baby (colourway 845.0051, described as bunt — meaning multicoloured), a fine merino yarn celebrated for its softness and its beautifully variegated, self-striping colour effects. Because the yarn changes colour gradually along the skein, the finished fabric develops organic stripes and colour transitions without any additional effort from the knitter, making it an ideal choice for baby garments where visual interest is desirable but simplicity of knitting is equally important.

• Yarn: Lang Yarns Mille Colori Baby (Merino fine), colourway 845.0051
• Yarn weight: 4-ply (fingering weight)
• Quantity required: 150 / 150 / 200 / 200 / 200 g (3 / 3 / 4 / 4 / 4 balls)
• Needles: Lang Yarns / Addi straight needles in sizes 3 mm and 3.5 mm; one short circular needle in sizes 3 mm and 3.5 mm
• Notions: 1 button and 6 press studs (snap fasteners)

The combination of a button and press studs is a practical and baby-safe fastening solution — the button provides a decorative focal point while the press studs ensure the wrap front stays securely in place during wear.

Stitch Patterns and Techniques

The pattern uses two clearly defined stitch patterns, both worked on 3.5 mm needles:

• Muster I (Pattern I): A simple 1 x 1 rib — alternating one knit stitch, one purl stitch — used for borders, cuffs, and edgings. Rib creates a neat, slightly elasticated edge that lies flat and frames the garment cleanly.
• Muster II (Pattern II): Stocking stitch (stockinette) — knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows. This is the main fabric of the cardigan body, producing a smooth, classic surface that allows the multicoloured yarn to show its full colour-striping effect.

Shaping and Decrease Techniques

The pattern includes a specific technique for emphasised or paired decreases (betonte Abnahmen), which are used to create clean, symmetrical shaping lines — particularly important on a wrap-front garment where the angled front edges are a visible design feature:

• Right edge decrease: Work 1 selvedge stitch, knit 1, then