Temari Wrap Jacket

Temari Wrap Jacket by Kyoko Nakayoshi

What is Being Made

The Temari Wrap Jacket is a charming wrap-style cardigan designed for babies and young children. This cute wrap jacket features a lovely stitch pattern and is available in six sizes to fit chest measurements ranging from 41cm to 51cm (approximately 16 to 20 inches), accommodating infants from 3 to 24 months old. The finished garment lengths range from 29.5cm to 31cm (approximately 11.5 to 12.25 inches), making it an ideal layering piece for young children.

Knitting Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several essential techniques that build upon fundamental knitting skills. The primary construction method involves knitting in the round, which allows for seamless fabric creation and is particularly useful for working small diameters. The pattern incorporates cables, a decorative technique that creates twisted rope-like textures within the knitted fabric. Additional techniques include grafting, which joins two sets of live stitches together invisibly for a professional finish, picking up stitches to add new sections of knitting from existing edges, increasing and decreasing to shape the garment, and crochet chain stitch for finishing details. These combined techniques create visual interest while developing the knitter's technical proficiency.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Temari Wrap Jacket features a cable stitch pattern as its signature design element. The tension specifications indicate that the cable stitch pattern should measure 29 stitches and 32 rows to 10cm (4 inches) when worked on 3.75mm needles, with alternative tension of 23.5 stitches and 32 rows to 10cm over stockinette stitch using the same needle size. This cable pattern provides both structural integrity and aesthetic appeal to the finished garment.

Materials and Tools Required

The Temari Wrap Jacket requires 4-ply weight yarn, which is a lightweight yarn suitable for delicate baby garments. Knitters will need two sets of needles in different sizes: one set of 3.75mm needles (UK 9/US 5) and one set of 3.25mm needles (UK 10/US 3), available as either double-pointed needles for working small diameters in the round or straight needles, depending on the knitter's preference. Additional accessories include a 3.5mm crochet hook for the crochet chain stitch details, a cable needle for manipulating stitches in the cable pattern, stitch markers to track pattern repeats and shaping points, waste yarn for holding stitches, and one button approximately 1.5cm (½ inch) in diameter for fastening the wrap closure.