Frilly Lilly

Frilly Lilly Cardigan by Margot Taylor

What is Being Made

The Frilly Lilly is a knitted cardigan designed by independent designer Margot Taylor, available in three sizes to fit newborns, 3-month-old infants, and 6-month-old infants. This downloadable PDF pattern provides complete instructions for creating a charming baby cardigan featuring decorative frilled detailing.

Craft and Primary Technique

This project is created using the knitting craft. Knitting is a fundamental textile technique that interlocks loops of yarn using two needles to form fabric. The Frilly Lilly demonstrates intermediate-level knitting skills, making it suitable for crafters with some foundational knitting experience who are ready to work with more complex stitch patterns and shaping techniques.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns Used

The pattern employs several essential knitting stitches and techniques to create the frilled effect:

• Knit (K) – the fundamental stitch that forms the basic fabric structure
• Purl (P) – the reverse of the knit stitch, used to create textural contrast and the ribbed edging
• Slip 1 (slp 1) – moving a stitch from one needle to another without working it, used in decrease sequences
• Knit 2 Together (K2tog) – a right-leaning decrease that reduces stitch count while shaping the garment
• Pass Slip Stitch Over (psso) – completing a centered decrease by passing the slipped stitch over the worked stitch
• Yarn Forward (ywfd) – creating deliberate openings in the fabric for decorative or functional purposes

The cardigan features a repeating pattern of knit and purl stitches combined with strategic decreases that progressively narrow sections of the fabric, creating the characteristic frilled or gathered effect. The back piece demonstrates a systematic reduction from 156, 168, or 180 stitches down to 55, 59, or 63 stitches through multiple rows of paired decreases, forming the sculptural frilled detail.

Materials and Specifications

The Frilly Lilly cardigan is constructed using Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 8ply knitting wool, a medium-weight yarn classified as DK (double knit) weight. Each project requires 200 grams of yarn, providing sufficient yardage for any of the three infant sizes.

Knitting is performed on 4.00mm needles, which are appropriately sized for DK weight yarn. The pattern specifies a tension (gauge) of 22 stitches per 10 centimeters, which is essential for achieving the correct finished measurements and proper fit for the intended infant size.

Additional materials include a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends and seaming pieces together, and 2 buttons measuring 1.5 centimeters in diameter for the cardigan closure.

Pattern Structure and Sizing

The downloadable PDF provides three size options with stitch counts given in parentheses throughout the instructions. The sizing accommodates newborns, 3-month-old infants, and 6-month-old infants, allowing crafters to customize the finished garment to the intended wearer's age and measurements.