Twinkleberry Jacket

Twinkleberry Jacket by Martin Storey

What Is Being Made

The Twinkleberry Jacket is a baby cardigan designed by Martin Storey, featured in the collection Easy Knits for Babies. This is a downloadable knitting pattern suitable for infants ranging from newborn through 18 months of age, with multiple size options to accommodate growth stages: 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months, 9-12 months, and 12-18 months.

Finished Measurements and Sizing

The jacket is tailored to fit specific age ranges with the following dimensions:

• Width at underarm: 51, 52, 54, 56, or 58 cm (20, 20½, 21¼, 22, or 23 inches)
• Length to shoulder: 29.5, 31, 32.5, 33.5, or 35 cm (11½, 12¼, 12¾, 13, or 13¾ inches)
• Sleeve seam: 1.5 cm (½ inch)

Knitting Techniques and Construction

This intermediate-level project employs several foundational knitting techniques appropriate for creating a structured baby garment. The pattern uses moss stitch as a primary textural element, which is created by alternating knit and purl stitches in a checkerboard pattern that remains consistent across both right-side and wrong-side rows. This stitch is worked over multiple rows to create depth and visual interest.

The jacket construction involves shaping through strategic decreases, with the pattern specifying decreases at each end of rows on a structured schedule: decreases occur on the next row and then on 2, 3, or 3 additional fourth rows (depending on size), followed by decreases on alternating rows to achieve the final stitch count of 23, 25, 25, 27, or 27 stitches.

The garment features pocket linings as functional design elements. Two pocket linings are knitted separately using moss stitch, cast on with 19, 19, 21, 21, or 23 stitches depending on size, and worked for 28 rows total in moss stitch before being secured on a stitch holder for later integration into the main body.

The pattern includes separate sections for the left front panel and other body components, each with detailed row-by-row instructions for shaping and stitch manipulation.

Stitches Used

• Moss stitch: An alternating knit-purl pattern (K1, P1 repeat) that creates a textured, reversible fabric
• Stockinette stitch: Implied through standard knitting construction for body sections
• Decreases: Strategic reductions worked at garment edges to shape the jacket
• Cast-on and bind-off: Standard techniques for beginning and finishing edges

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Twinkleberry Jacket is designed to be knitted with 4-ply weight yarn, which creates a lightweight, delicate fabric ideal for baby garments. The pattern specifies two yarn options:

• Rowan Finest – Bliss 063 in 25g balls: 4, 5, 5, 5, or 6 balls depending on size
• Rowan Summerlite 4 Ply in 50g balls: 4, 5, 5, 5, or 6 balls depending on size

The pattern requires two needle sizes to create textural variation:

• 2.75mm (US 2) needles for the main body sections, including the left front panel
• 3.25mm (US 3) needles for the pocket linings

The use of two needle sizes—a technique called needle gauge variation—allows the knitter to create subtle differences in fabric density and drape, with the smaller needles producing a tighter gauge for the main garment structure and the slightly larger needles creating a softer fabric for pocket linings.

Difficulty Level

This project is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters with foundational