UKHKA 173 Cardigans - UKHKA173pdf - Downloadable PDF

UKHKA 173 Cardigans: Two Classic Baby and Children's Knitting Patterns in Double Knit

UKHKA 173 is a downloadable PDF knitting pattern from UKHKA that includes instructions for two distinct children's cardigans: a Hooded Cardigan and a Round Neck Cardigan. Both designs are sized to fit chest measurements of 31–51 cm (12–20 inches), making them suitable for babies and young children across a broad range of ages and sizes. The pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with the basics and ready to tackle shaping, ribbing, and simple garment construction.

About the Two Designs

Hooded Cardigan

The Hooded Cardigan is a cosy, practical design that adds a hood in place of a traditional neckband. This makes it an especially appealing choice for babies and toddlers, offering extra warmth and a charming, contemporary look. In the pattern photography, this cardigan is shown knitted in Grey double knitting yarn, giving it a clean, versatile appearance that works well for any child. The hood is worked as an integral part of the garment, requiring the use of stitch holders to hold stitches while other sections are completed — a technique that intermediate knitters will find a satisfying step up in complexity.

This design requires 1–2 balls of 100g Double Knitting yarn depending on size, with smaller sizes needing just one ball and larger sizes requiring two.

Round Neck Cardigan

The Round Neck Cardigan is a timeless, classic style featuring a neat rounded neckline — one of the most enduring shapes in children's knitwear. It is shown in the pattern in Peppermint, a fresh and appealing colour that suits the light, wearable nature of the design. This version is slightly more yarn-efficient than the hooded version, requiring 1–2 balls of 100g Double Knitting yarn across the size range. The round neck finish is achieved through careful neckline shaping and a tidy ribbed edging, giving the finished garment a polished, professional look.

Sizing and Measurements

Both cardigans are available in five sizes, designed to fit chest measurements of 31, 36, 41, 46, and 51 cm (12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 inches). The actual garment measurements are slightly larger to allow for ease of movement:

• Actual chest: 41–61 cm (16–24 inches)
• Full length: 18–32 cm (7–12½ inches)
• Sleeve length: 8–20 cm (3–8 inches)

Instructions are written for the smallest size first, with larger sizes given in square brackets. Where only one figure appears, it applies to all sizes. Where the figure 0 appears, no stitches, rows, or repeats are worked for that size.

Techniques Used

Both cardigans are constructed using flat knitting worked back and forth in rows on straight needles. Key techniques used throughout the pattern include:

• Stocking stitch — the main fabric of both cardigans, created by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side, producing a smooth, classic knitted fabric
• 2x2 Rib — used for cuffs, button bands, and edgings; worked by repeating K2, P2 across the row, creating an elastic, structured border
• Shaping techniques — including increasing (inc) and decreasing (dec), and the pass slipped stitch over (psso) decrease, used to shape armholes, sleeves, and necklines
• Stitch holders — used in the Hooded Cardigan to hold live stitches while other sections are worked, a common intermediate technique in garment knitting
• Buttonhole construction — each cardigan includes 4 or 5 buttons (depending on size), meaning buttonholes are worked into the button band