Knitting Patterns for Girls

What you'll find in this girls' knitting collection

The bulk of this collection is cardigans, and that is exactly what most people are looking for: round-neck and V-neck cardigans in Sirdar Snuggly DK, Supersoft Baby DK and Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK, multi-size leaflets that run from 0-3 months up to around age 7 in one PDF. Alongside them, you’ll find top-down cardigans from independent designers, such as the Norwegian Fir and Aida designs, which are worked in one piece from the neck down so you can try the garment on a wriggling child mid-project. Then there are the extras that make a set: rib hats, cabled beanies, sun hats, simple waffle and textured blankets sized for a cot or a car seat, and layette collections like Debbie Bliss's Bear Necessities, which pairs knitting and crochet in a single pattern.

Choosing by age and by how fast you need it

Girls grow out of knitwear faster than you can knit it, so size up. If you are knitting for a birthday six weeks away, pick the age above the child's current one and check the finished chest measurement rather than the age label; ease of 5-8cm across the chest gives a cardigan a second winter. For gifts with a deadline, chunky patterns are a wise choice, and a chunky bobble hat can be made in just one evening of work.

Skill level, in order

• First project: a garter stitch or rib hat in DK, worked flat and seamed, or a rectangular textured blanket.
• Second: a simple raglan cardigan in Snuggly DK, which introduces decreases, buttonholes and picking up a neckband.
• Third: a top-down cardigan worked seamlessly, where you learn to place raglan markers and separate the sleeves.
• Stretching yourself: cables and bobbles on a beanie, then a cabled yoke cardigan.
• A long project: a fitted 4 ply cardigan with a lace panel, roughly double the stitches of the DK version.

Yarn: soft, washable, and enough of it

Children's knitting lives or dies by two things: whether it itches and whether it survives a machine wash. Superwash merino, baby bamboo blends and good acrylic-nylon baby yarns all tick both boxes, and are why Sirdar Snuggly and Supersoft appear so often here. Buy by metreage rather than ball count: a DK cardigan for a two-year-old typically wants around 250-350m, while an age 7-8 cardigan can push past 600m. Keep to one dye lot, and hold back a spare ball for longer sleeves, which children always need sooner than the pattern expects.

Tools and small details that matter

A 3.25mm and 4mm pair covers most DK children's patterns, with a 40cm circular or double-pointed needles for hats worked in the round. Buttons are worth choosing before you knit the band, because the buttonhole size is written to a particular diameter. Sew buttons on with matching sewing thread rather than yarn, so they do not tear a hole in a soft baby knit, and use a smooth flat button on anything a baby will lie on.

Finishing and care

Block pieces to the schematic measurements before seaming; garter and rib will happily lie 2cm out until you pin them. Mattress stitch the side seams in the same yarn, weave ends into the wrong side of the stocking stitch, and press nothing with a hot iron if the yarn contains acrylic, which flattens permanently. Wash superwash yarns on a 30-degree wool cycle in a mesh bag and dry flat. Send the ball band with the gift; new parents will thank you.

Common questions

What is the easiest knitting pattern for a girl? A garter stitch or rib hat, or a simple textured blanket. Both are rectangles, both are forgiving of uneven tension, and both are finished in a weekend.

Which yarn weight should I choose? DK is the standard for children's cardigans and gives the best balance of speed and drape. Chunky is faster for outerwear and hats; 4 ply is for heirloom pieces and warmer months.

Are the patterns downloadable? Most are instant PDF downloads that you can print or read from a tablet; a few are printed leaflets, which is stated on the product page.

How do I pick a size for a gift? Choose the age above the child's, and check the pattern's finished chest measurement against a jumper she already wears.

Can I knit these on straight needles? Yes for anything worked flat in pieces. Hats in the round and top-down cardigans need a circular needle, and the pattern says which.