Honey Bun Cardigan in Rowan Cotton Wool (EN) - RB001-00008-ENP - Downloadable PDF

Honey Bun Cardigan in Rowan Cotton Wool by Erika Knight – Pattern Summary

The Honey Bun Cardigan is a charming baby knitting pattern designed by Erika Knight and published by Rowan under the reference RB001-00008-ENP. Available as a downloadable PDF, this pattern produces a beautifully textured cardigan for babies, sized to fit ages 0–3, 3–6, 6–9, and 9–12 months. The finished garment measures between 52 cm and 65.5 cm at the lower edge, depending on the size knitted, making it a practical and adorable wardrobe staple for the earliest months of a baby's life.

Design Overview

The Honey Bun Cardigan is a classic baby cardigan featuring a distinctive brioche stitch texture that gives the fabric a soft, squishy, ribbed appearance — perfect for a cosy infant garment. The design includes sleeve extensions that are shaped as part of the main body construction, a detail that adds both visual interest and a neat, considered finish. The overall silhouette is gentle and relaxed, well suited to the soft drape of the recommended yarn. This is rated as an intermediate level knitting project, making it ideal for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to explore brioche knitting.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is written specifically for Rowan Cotton Wool, a DK weight yarn sold in 50 g balls. Depending on the size being knitted, the pattern requires 2 to 3 balls. The cardigan is photographed in two colourways: Moon 211 and Piglet 207, both of which showcase the soft, warm palette that suits a baby garment beautifully. Rowan Cotton Wool is a blend that combines the breathability of cotton with the softness of wool, making it a practical and gentle choice for baby knitwear.

Needles and Tools

• 1 pair of 4.5 mm (UK no. 7 / US 7) needles for the main body of the cardigan
• An additional 4.5 mm needle is also referenced, likely for use with the cable cast-on method or for picking up stitches

Techniques and Construction

The Honey Bun Cardigan employs several knitting techniques that give it its distinctive character and structure. Knitters working this pattern should be familiar with the following methods:

• Brioche knitting – The primary stitch pattern is a brioche rib, worked using brK1 (brioche knit) stitches alternated with purl stitches. This creates the signature plump, cushioned texture associated with brioche fabric. The two-row repeat is straightforward once the rhythm is established, but requires attention to the specific brioche technique.
• brKinc2 – A brioche increase stitch used during the shaping of the sleeve extensions. This increase works within the brioche pattern to add stitches while maintaining the integrity of the stitch repeat.
• Cable cast-on method – Referenced explicitly in the pattern notes for casting on additional stitches during sleeve shaping, this technique allows new stitches to be added mid-row in a neat and structured way.
• Sleeve extension shaping – Rather than knitting sleeves separately and seaming them, the sleeve extensions are shaped directly from the body, with increases worked on wrong-side rows to build out the sleeve width gradually.
• Wrong-side and right-side row awareness – The pattern carefully specifies which side is facing at key construction points, which is especially important in brioche knitting where the two sides of the fabric behave differently.

Stitch Pattern Detail

The core stitch pattern of the Honey Bun Cardigan is a two-row brioche rib repeat:

• Row 1: K1, *P1, brK1, repeat from * to last 2 sts, P1, K1
• Row 2: K1, *brK1, P1, repeat from * to last 2