Magali Cardigan

Magali Cardigan by Gabrielle Vézina

What is Being Made

The Magali Cardigan is a top-down raglan knit cardigan designed by Gabrielle Vézina for babies, toddlers, and children. This downloadable PDF pattern offers multiple finished sizes ranging from preemie and doll sizes through 6 years old, with bust measurements from 13 inches (33 cm) up to 30.5 inches (77.5 cm). The cardigan features a charming Fair Isle colorwork pattern worked in three colors, making it an excellent project for stashbusting with leftover yarns or for creating matching cardigans for dolls and toys.

Construction and Techniques

Top-Down Raglan Construction: The Magali Cardigan uses a top-down raglan building method, which means you begin knitting at the neckline and work downward toward the hem. This construction technique allows for easy customization of length and provides natural shaping through raglan increases that create the characteristic diagonal seams from the neckline to the underarms.

Fair Isle Colorwork: The cardigan features a Fair Isle colorwork pattern, a traditional stranded knitting technique that creates intricate designs by carrying unused yarn colors across the back of the work. The pattern uses three colors of yarn to create a pretty and easy-to-work colorwork design, making this an accessible introduction to Fair Isle knitting for intermediate-level knitters.

Cast-On Method: The pattern instructions specify using the long-tail cast-on or your favorite alternative technique to establish the initial stitches on larger needles with Color A.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques

The Magali Cardigan employs fundamental knitting stitches including knit and purl stitches to create stockinette stitch fabric as the base for the Fair Isle colorwork. The pattern uses stitch markers to denote pattern sections and construction points. Raglan increases are incorporated throughout the body to shape the cardigan and create the distinctive raglan sleeve cap.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

Yarn Weight and Fiber: This pattern calls for DK weight yarn in three colors. The sample shown in the pattern was worked using Willow & Lark Nest yarn, though any DK weight yarn in your preferred colors can be substituted. Because the Magali Cardigan uses minimal yardage across its range of sizes, it is an ideal project for using leftover yarns from your stash, allowing you to create a beautiful finished garment without committing to large quantities of new yarn.

Needles: The pattern specifies larger needles for the setup and initial cast-on, with the exact needle size to be determined based on your gauge and yarn choice. Stitch markers are required to track pattern sections and construction points throughout the knitting process.

Skill Level

The Magali Cardigan is rated as an intermediate knitting project. While the Fair Isle colorwork pattern is described as pretty and easy to work, this project assumes familiarity with basic knitting techniques, stitch markers, and the ability to manage multiple yarn colors in stranded colorwork.