LF38 McKenna Cardi and Hat

LF38 McKenna Cardi and Hat by LisaFdesign

Product Overview

The LF38 McKenna Cardi and Hat is a coordinating knitted set designed for children aged 1 to 10 years. This intermediate-level knitting pattern includes a crew neck textured cardigan paired with a matching stripe hat, offering a complete coordinated look for young children.

Cardigan Details

Garment Type: The McKenna Cardigan is a crew neck pullover-style cardigan featuring textured stitch work throughout the body and decorative cable knit sleeves. The crew neckline provides a classic, versatile finish suitable for layering or wearing as a standalone piece.

Design Features: The cardigan showcases cable knit sleeves as the primary design element, creating visual interest and texture contrast against the textured body. The combination of textured stitching on the main body with cable work on the sleeves demonstrates intermediate knitting technique and adds depth to the finished garment.

Hat Details

Garment Type: The coordinating hat features a stripe pattern that complements the cardigan, creating a cohesive set. The striped design adds visual appeal while remaining simple enough for intermediate knitters to execute successfully.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

• Stocking Stitch (Stockinette Stitch): The foundation stitch used throughout, created by knitting right-side rows and purling wrong-side rows, providing a smooth, classic fabric base
• Garter Stitch: Knitting every row to create a textured, reversible fabric used in textured sections
• Cable Stitches: Twisted rope-like stitches created using a cable needle (CN) to cross stitches over one another, featured prominently on the cardigan sleeves
• Increases and Decreases: Shaping techniques including Make One (M1) increases and standard decreases (dec) for garment construction and fit
• Slip Stitches: Used for joining and finishing techniques throughout the pattern
• Striping: Color work technique used in the hat design, created by changing yarn colors at specified intervals

Yarn and Materials

Yarn Weight: This pattern is designed for DK weight yarn (also known as 8 ply), a medium-weight yarn that provides excellent stitch definition for both textured and cable work while remaining lightweight enough for children's garments.

Needles: The pattern requires 4 mm (US size 6) needles for working at the specified tension. A cable needle (CN) is essential for executing the cable stitches on the cardigan sleeves.

Tension: The pattern specifies a tension of 22 stitches and 30 rows to 10 cm (4 inches) measured over stocking stitch on 4 mm needles. Achieving correct tension is critical for proper fit across the 1 to 10 years size range.

Skill Level

Rated as intermediate difficulty, this pattern requires knitters to be comfortable with fundamental techniques including shaping, cable work, and color changes. The combination of textured stitches, cable sleeves, and striped hat design makes this suitable for knitters with some experience beyond basic stockinette projects.

Size Range

The McKenna Cardi and Hat pattern is graded across 10 sizes to fit children from 1 to 10 years old, allowing for growth and providing options for various age groups.