Mia Cardigan in Berroco Sesame - Downloadable PDF

Mia Cardigan in Berroco Sesame – Children's Knitted Cardigan Pattern

The Mia Cardigan is a charming children's knitted cardigan designed by the Berroco Design Team and worked in Berroco Sesame yarn. This intermediate-level pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and offers a classic, wearable silhouette with a garter stitch border, a clean stockinette body, and a neat picked-up collar. It is sized for children's sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10, making it a versatile addition to any young knitter's wardrobe — or a rewarding project for an adult knitting for a child they love.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a children's seamless-bottom, seamed cardigan with set-in or divided sleeves worked flat. The cardigan features a button-front opening, a garter stitch hem and cuff border for stability and texture, and a stockinette stitch body for a smooth, polished finish. A collar is picked up around the front and neck edges and worked in one piece, giving the garment a tidy, professional look. The recommended ease is approximately 2–4 inches (5–10 cm) of positive ease, ensuring a comfortable, relaxed fit.

Finished chest measurements range from 25 inches (63.5 cm) for size 2 up to 33 inches (84 cm) for size 10, with lengths ranging from 13½ inches (34.5 cm) to 21 inches (53.5 cm). The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in size 10.

Construction Techniques

The Mia Cardigan is constructed using a bottom-up, worked-flat approach with seaming at key structural points. Key construction details include:

• Body worked in one piece: The body is cast on and worked flat in a single piece up to the underarms, which reduces seaming and keeps the lower body smooth and continuous.
• Divided at the underarms: Stitches are divided for the right front, back, and left front, with underarm stitches bound off at the division point. Front stitches are held on waste yarn while the back is worked.
• Sleeves worked flat: The sleeves are knitted separately as flat pieces, then seamed into the armholes — a traditional construction method that produces a clean, structured sleeve attachment.
• Collar picked up and worked in one piece: Rather than seaming a separate collar, stitches are picked up along the front bands and neck edge and worked in a single continuous piece, ensuring smooth, even edges.
• Seamed finishing: Final assembly involves seaming the sleeves and any remaining structural joins, giving the cardigan a tailored, durable finish.

Stitches Used

The pattern relies on two fundamental knitting stitches, making it approachable for intermediate knitters while still producing a polished result:

• Garter Stitch: Used for the lower body border, cuffs, and collar. Garter stitch — created by knitting every row when working flat — produces a squishy, reversible fabric with natural elasticity and a ridged texture. It lies flat without curling, making it ideal for borders and edgings.
• Stockinette Stitch (St st): Used for the main body and sleeves. Stockinette is worked by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side, producing a smooth, classic fabric surface. It is the most widely recognized knitting stitch and gives the cardigan its clean, even appearance.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Berroco Sesame, a worsted weight yarn sold in 100-gram skeins. The colorway shown in the sample is #7451 Pomelo, a warm, vibrant tone. Depending on the size being knitted, the pattern requires between 3 and 5 balls of Berroco Sesame — 3 balls for sizes 2 and 4, 4 balls for sizes 6 and 8, and 5 balls for size 10.

• Needles: