Garter Rib Cardigan in Ella Rae Cozy Soft Print - ER5-01 - Downloadable PDF

Garter Rib Cardigan in Ella Rae Cozy Soft Print – ER5-01 Pattern Summary

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Ella Rae provides instructions for a charming Garter Rib Cardigan, a classic baby and toddler garment worked in the brand's Cozy Soft Print yarn. The pattern is sized to fit five age ranges — 3–6 months, 6–12 months, 1–2 years, 2–3 years, and 4–5 years — with corresponding chest measurements of 41, 46, 51, 56, and 61 cm and finished lengths of 22, 26, 28, 32, and 35 cm. Sleeve lengths range from 15 cm to 29 cm across the sizes, making this pattern a versatile wardrobe staple for young children.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a set-in sleeve cardigan with a structured ribbed hem and cuffs, a textured Garter Rib body, and a neat front neck shaping. The garment features a Back, a Left Front (and by implication a Right Front), and two Sleeves, all worked flat in separate pieces and then seamed together during making up. The result is a tidy, structured little cardigan with a classic aesthetic well suited to babies and young children.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is written specifically for Ella Rae Cozy Soft Print, a DK weight yarn. This yarn weight produces a soft, wearable fabric that is ideal for children's garments. Two needle sizes are required:

• 3.75mm needles — used for the ribbed welts and cuffs
• 4.00mm needles — used for the main body and sleeve fabric

Knitters should always check their tension carefully before beginning, as achieving the correct gauge is essential for the garment to match the stated chest and length measurements across all five sizes.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs a range of fundamental and intermediate knitting techniques, making it accessible to knitters who are comfortable working flat and seaming garments. Key techniques include:

• Casting on — separate cast-ons for the Back, Left Front, and Sleeves
• Ribbing — a 1×1 rib (knit 1, purl 1) worked on the smaller 3.75mm needles for welts and cuffs, providing elasticity and a neat edge
• Needle changes — transitioning from 3.75mm to 4.00mm needles after the rib section to open up the fabric for the main pattern
• Armhole shaping — casting off stitches at the beginning of right-side rows to create a set-in armhole on the Back and Left Front
• Front neck shaping — casting off stitches at the neck edge followed by paired decreases (k2tog) worked on both right-side and wrong-side rows to create a smooth, angled neckline
• Sleeve shaping — gradual side increases worked every 3rd and then every 8th or 10th row (depending on size) to shape the sleeve from cuff to underarm
• Seaming and making up — joining shoulder seams, setting sleeves into armholes, and sewing sleeve and side seams; pieces are pressed gently on the wrong side using a warm iron over a damp cloth before assembly

Stitches Used

The cardigan is built around two complementary stitch patterns that give it its name and its distinctive textured appearance:

• 1×1 Rib — worked as knit 1, purl 1 repeated across both right-side and wrong-side rows, used for the welts and cuffs on smaller needles
• Garter Rib — the main body stitch pattern, established through a combination of knit and purl stitches arranged in a repeating sequence. On the wrong side, the pattern is set with groups of stitches worked as p1, k1, p1, k