Clara Cardigan - Knitting Pattern for Girls in Willow & Lark Poetry

Clara Cardigan – Cable & Lace Knitting Pattern for Girls by Willow & Lark

The Clara Cardigan is a beautifully detailed baby and toddler cardigan knitting pattern designed by Willow & Lark. Combining classic cable and lace textures with a neat, structured silhouette, this pattern creates a charming and heirloom-quality garment suitable for little ones from newborn through to 18 months. The finished cardigan features a traditional button-front opening, making it easy to dress and undress even the youngest wearers.

Sizes and Finished Measurements

The Clara Cardigan is offered in four sizes designed to fit the following age ranges and chest measurements:

• 0–3 months – to fit 41 cm (16 in) chest; finished chest 46 cm (18 in)
• 3–6 months – to fit 46 cm (18 in) chest; finished chest 52 cm (20½ in)
• 6–12 months – to fit 51 cm (20 in) chest; finished chest 57 cm (22½ in)
• 12–18 months – to fit 56 cm (22 in) chest; finished chest 63 cm (24¾ in)

Back lengths range from 20 cm to 32 cm (8 in to 12½ in) and sleeve seam lengths range from 13 cm to 26 cm (5 in to 10¼ in), ensuring a proportionate and comfortable fit across all sizes.

What Is Being Made

The Clara Cardigan is a set-in or structured-sleeve baby cardigan worked as separate flat pieces and then joined using traditional seamed construction. The garment includes a back panel, two front panels, and two sleeves, all worked flat on straight needles. The front bands incorporate neat buttonholes to accommodate 4 or 5 buttons depending on the size chosen, giving the cardigan a polished, finished appearance. The combination of cable and lace detailing elevates this piece beyond a simple stockinette project, making it a lovely gift or keepsake garment.

Techniques Used

This pattern is rated as intermediate in difficulty, making it ideal for knitters who are comfortable with the basics and ready to expand their skills. The techniques featured include:

• Cables – Classic cable twists are worked across sections of the cardigan, creating raised, rope-like columns of texture that add visual interest and structure to the fabric.
• Lace – Decorative lace panels are incorporated alongside the cables, using yarn-over increases and corresponding decreases to form an open, delicate pattern that contrasts beautifully with the solid cable sections.
• Buttonholes – Worked into the front band, the buttonholes are neatly integrated to allow for button fastening. The pattern calls for 4 buttons in sizes 0–3 and 3–6 months, and 5 buttons in sizes 6–12 and 12–18 months.
• Seamed construction – All pieces are worked flat and then sewn together, a traditional approach that produces a sturdy, well-shaped garment and is particularly well-suited to structured baby knitwear.
• Worked flat – All sections are knitted back and forth in rows on straight needles rather than in the round, making this accessible to knitters who prefer or are more familiar with flat knitting.

Stitches Used

The Clara Cardigan draws on a combination of foundational and decorative knitting stitches:

• Stocking stitch – The primary background fabric of the cardigan, worked in alternating knit and purl rows to create a smooth, classic surface. Tension is measured over stocking stitch.
• Cable stitches – Worked using a cable needle to cross groups of stitches over one another, creating the signature twisted rope effect of traditional cable knitting.
• Lace stitches – Yarn-over (YO) increases paired with knit-two-together (K2tog) or similar decreases to form the open, eyelet-based lace pattern.