Babies Cardigan in Bergere de France Calinou - 60734-15 - Downloadable PDF

Babies Cardigan in Bergere de France Calinou – Pattern 60734-15

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Bergere de France guides knitters through creating a sweet, classic baby cardigan in four small sizes: 0 months, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months. Worked in the brand's own Calinou yarn in the shade Lait 10028, this little garment is a wonderful project for knitters looking to make a practical, cosy, and beautifully finished gift for a newborn or young infant. The pattern is rated beginner to intermediate level, making it accessible to those who are relatively new to garment knitting while still offering enough shaping detail to engage more experienced crafters.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a baby cardigan with a neat collar, set-in or shaped sleeves, and a back opening fastened with press studs. The design is clean and classic, suitable for everyday wear for babies from newborn up to approximately six months of age. The cardigan features a collar worked as a separate element (referred to as the Y point on the pattern chart), and the back edges are finished with a button band secured using three transparent press studs.

Sizes Covered

• 0 months
• 1 month
• 3 months
• 6 months

Throughout the pattern, stitch counts and shaping instructions are given for all four sizes simultaneously, separated by hyphens, which is a standard convention in multi-size knitting patterns. Knitters simply follow the set of numbers that corresponds to their chosen size.

Techniques Used

The pattern employs a range of fundamental and slightly more advanced knitting techniques, making it an excellent learning project for those building their skills in garment construction:

• Casting on and casting off – stitches are cast off knitwise on the wrong side at key shaping points, including the collar and body sections
• Decreasing – both k2tog (knit two together, a right-leaning decrease) and sl1, k1, psso (slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over, a left-leaning decrease) are used to create symmetrical shaping throughout the garment, particularly at the raglan or armhole areas
• Garter stitch borders and collar – the collar and certain edging sections are worked in Garter Stitch (G. St), which involves knitting every row to produce a ridged, non-curling fabric ideal for borders and baby garments
• Picking up stitches – knitters pick up and knit stitches along the front or collar edges (58–63–68–76 stitches depending on size) to work the finishing borders neatly
• Evenly spaced decreasing – during the collar section, decreases are distributed evenly across a row (8–12–11–16 stitches decreased), a technique that requires a little arithmetic but creates a smooth, professional result
• Seaming – sleeve seams and the sides of the cardigan are sewn together during finishing, giving the garment its three-dimensional shape
• Attaching press studs – three transparent press studs are sewn evenly spaced along the back edges to create the cardigan's closure
• Weaving in ends – all yarn tails are secured and woven in as a final finishing step

Stitches Used

• Garter Stitch (G. St) – knit every row; used for the collar and border sections, creating a soft, stretchy, reversible fabric that lies flat without curling
• Knit stitch (k) – the primary stitch used throughout the body and sleeves of the cardigan
• k2tog – a standard right-leaning decrease stitch used in shaping
• sl1, k1, psso – a left-leaning decrease used in paired shaping to mirror the k2tog and create neat, symmetrical lines

Materials Required