Kahli

Kahli Tunic by Amber Bertram

What is Being Made

The Kahli is a children's tunic designed by independent designer Amber Bertram, available in sizes ranging from 2 years to 10 years old. This garment breaks away from the modern trend of seamless knitting by intentionally featuring exposed seams as a design element. The tunic is constructed from multiple knitted pieces that are sewn together, making the seams a prominent visual feature rather than something to hide. This construction method allows for creative color blocking opportunities, enabling knitters to choose either contrasting colors for a bold, graphic effect or two shades of the same color for a more subtle, tonal appearance.

Techniques Used

The Kahli tunic employs a multi-piece construction technique, which is a traditional approach to garment knitting. Rather than working seamlessly in the round, this design requires knitters to work separate pieces—including a front panel and additional components—that are later assembled. The pattern includes cast-on instructions for multiple sizes and uses both knit and purl rows to create texture and structure. Knitters will need to manage color changes between the main color and contrasting color sections, making this an intermediate-level project that requires attention to detail during both the knitting and finishing stages.

Stitches Used

The Kahli pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches appropriate for a sport-weight yarn project. The pattern instructions include knit stitches and purl stitches worked in rows, creating a classic stockinette or textured fabric depending on the row sequence. The pattern specifies cast-on instructions and row-by-row directions, with stitch counts ranging from 34 to 44 stitches depending on the size being knitted.

Materials

Yarn: The tunic is designed to be knitted in sport-weight yarn. The pattern recommends Little Plum Yarn Supertwist Sport in two colorways—Mocha and Peony—or alternatively Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Sport in Lemon and Silver. Yardage requirements are approximately 250 to 400 meters (270 to 450 yards) of main color yarn, with additional yardage needed for contrasting color sections.

Needles: The pattern specifies the use of larger needles appropriate for sport-weight yarn, though specific needle size is referenced within the full pattern instructions.