Cardigan, Scarf and Hat in Stylecraft Bellissima DK - 9706 - Downloadable PDF

Stylecraft Bellissima DK Pattern 9706 – Cardigan, Scarf and Hat for Children

This Stylecraft pattern 9706 is a delightful collection of three coordinating knitted designs for children: a cardigan, a scarf, and a hat. Worked in Stylecraft Bellissima DK yarn across three complementary colours, the set is sized to fit children aged 2–11 years, making it a versatile and practical wardrobe addition. The pattern is rated as intermediate in difficulty and is available as a downloadable PDF.

Yarn and Materials

All three designs use Stylecraft Bellissima DK weight yarn, worked in three named shades:

• Colour A – Raspberry Riot (3924)
• Colour B – Flaming Fuchsia (3978)
• Colour C – Mellow Yellow (3925)

The yarn is supplied in 100g balls. The cardigan requires up to 4 balls of Colour A, 1 ball of Colour B, and 1 ball of Colour C for the largest size, while the scarf requires 1 ball of each colour. Needles in 4 mm and 5 mm sizes are used across the patterns, with the larger needle typically used for casting on and initial pattern rows before switching to the smaller size.

Design 1 – Children's Cardigan

The cardigan is the centrepiece of this pattern set. It is sized to fit chest measurements from 56 cm (22 in) up to 76 cm (30 in), corresponding to ages 2–3 through to 10–11 years. Actual finished measurements range from 65 cm to 83 cm in width, with a full length of 38 cm to 56 cm and sleeve lengths of 26 cm to 43 cm depending on size.

Construction and Techniques

The cardigan back is cast on using the thumb method with 5 mm needles, beginning with Colour B. The cast-on stitch count ranges from 87 to 111 stitches depending on the size being worked. After the initial rows, the work transitions to 4 mm needles, which is a common technique in knitting to create a neater, more structured fabric after a slightly looser border section.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The cardigan features a decorative lace-style pattern as its main stitch design. This is worked over a two-row repeat and involves a combination of:

• Yarn forward (yfwd) – to create decorative eyelets and increase stitches
• Slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over (sl1, k1, psso) – a left-leaning decrease
• Slip 1, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over (sl1, k2tog, psso) – a central double decrease that draws the fabric inward symmetrically
• Knit (k) and Purl (p) stitches forming the structural base rows

This combination of yarn-overs and decreases produces a feather-and-fan or chevron-influenced lace texture, which is characteristic of many classic children's knits. The right-side rows carry the decorative pattern while the wrong-side rows are purled, keeping the rhythm straightforward for an intermediate knitter.

Colour Work

The cardigan uses striped colour sequencing across the three Bellissima DK shades. Colour B is used for the opening rows, then broken off and replaced with Colour C for subsequent rows, before transitioning to Colour A as the main body colour. This creates a bold, cheerful striped effect that coordinates beautifully across all three pieces in the set.

Design 2 – Children's Scarf