" Celine Cardigan " - Cardigan Knitting Pattern For Girls in MillaMia Naturally Soft Merino by MillaMia

Celine Cardigan – Girls' Fair Isle Knitting Pattern by MillaMia

The Celine Cardigan is a beautifully crafted girls' cardigan knitting pattern by MillaMia, worked in their signature MillaMia Naturally Soft Merino yarn. Described by the designer as an absolutely classic fair isle design – yet modern and contemporary with strong graphical symbols, this pattern strikes a perfect balance between timeless tradition and fresh, bold aesthetics. It is rated at an improving/intermediate skill level, making it an ideal next step for knitters who have mastered the basics and are ready to explore colourwork techniques.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a children's button-front cardigan featuring a distinctive fair isle yoke or colourwork section, ribbed edgings, and set-in or structured sleeves. The pattern is sized to fit girls aged 1–2, 2–3, 3–4, and 4–5 years, with the following actual chest measurements:

• 1–2 years: 55 cm / 21¾ in chest
• 2–3 years: 60 cm / 23½ in chest
• 3–4 years: 65 cm / 25½ in chest
• 4–5 years: 70 cm / 27½ in chest

Length to back neck ranges from 27 cm to 36 cm across sizes, and sleeve length ranges from 15 cm to 21 cm, making this a proportionally well-fitted garment for toddlers and young children.

Construction Technique

The Celine Cardigan is constructed using a bottom-up method, meaning the body and sleeves are worked upward from the cast-on edge toward the shoulders. This approach gives knitters clear, manageable sections to work through and makes it straightforward to try the garment on for fit as you go. The cardigan is worked flat in separate pieces that are then seamed together, a classic construction method well-suited to a structured children's garment.

A key construction feature is the inclusion of buttonholes, worked neatly into the button band to accommodate six buttons. Buttonhole placement is a satisfying intermediate-level skill that adds a polished, professional finish to the front opening.

Colourwork and Stranded Knitting

The standout technique in this pattern is stranded colourwork, also known as fair isle knitting. In stranded knitting, two or more yarn colours are carried across the back of the work simultaneously, with only one colour knitted at a time per stitch. This creates the characteristic floats on the wrong side of the fabric and the rich, graphic patterns visible on the right side.

MillaMia specifically advises knitters to keep tension even by not holding the stranded yarn too tight – a common pitfall in fair isle knitting. Maintaining relaxed, even floats is essential to ensure the finished fabric lies flat and retains its stretch and drape. Knitters new to stranded colourwork will find this pattern an excellent introduction, as the geometric symbols are bold and clear to follow.

The colourwork section uses up to six colours in the main colourway, creating a vivid and eye-catching design. Suggested alternative colourways are also included in the pattern, giving knitters creative flexibility.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (stockinette stitch) – the primary stitch used for the body and sleeves, creating a smooth knitted fabric ideal for showcasing the fair isle colourwork
• Garter stitch – referenced in the abbreviations, likely used for edging or border details
• Moss stitch (seed stitch) – listed in the abbreviations and UK/US translation guide, potentially used for button bands or trims
• Ribbing – standard for cuffs and lower edges on children's cardigans to provide stretch and a neat finish
• k2tog (knit two together) – a right-leaning decrease used for shaping
• m1 and m1p (make one) – increase stitches used to add width during sleeve or body shaping
• Buttonhole stitch sequences