Baby Simple Raglan Cardigan

Difficulty: Beginner
Construction: Top-down raglan, seamless, worked flat for body; sleeves in the round.

A soft, machine-washable everyday cardigan for babies. No seams against the skin. Three buttons at the yoke make dressing easy.

Sizes

0–3 m (3–6 m, 6–12 m, 12–18 m, 18–24 m)
To fit chest: 41 (46, 51, 53.5, 56) cm / 16 (18, 20, 21, 22) in
Finished chest (buttoned): 46 (51, 56, 58.5, 61) cm / 18 (20, 22, 23, 24) in
Positive ease: about 5 cm / 2 in

Choose size by baby’s chest, not age.

Yarn

Worsted / aran, soft and machine-washable (superwash wool, cotton, or acrylic blend).
250 (300, 350, 400, 450) m / 275 (330, 385, 440, 490) yd

Sample idea: merino superwash or cotton-acrylic blend, worsted.

Tension (gauge)

20 sts and 28 rows = 10 cm (4 in) in stocking stitch on 4.5 mm needles, after washing and blocking.
Change needle size if needed.

Needles & notions

• 4.5 mm circular needle, 60–80 cm, and DPNs or short circular for sleeves
• 4 mm circular for rib (optional: same 4.5 mm if you prefer slightly looser rib)
• 4 stitch markers
• Stitch holders or waste yarn
• Tapestry needle
• 3 buttons, 12–15 mm
• 3 stitch markers or pins for button placement

Abbreviations (UK knitting)

k knit · p purl · st(s) stitch(es) · RS right side · WS wrong side
m1L make 1 left (lift strand from front to back, k through back)
m1R make 1 right (lift strand from back to front, k through front)
k2tog knit 2 together · ssk slip, slip, knit
pm place marker · sm slip marker · sl slip
st st stocking stitch (RS k, WS p)

Pattern notes

• Cardigan is worked flat from the neck down.
• Raglan: increase 2 sts at each of 4 raglan lines every RS row (8 sts increased per RS row).
• Keep 3 sts in garter at each front edge until button bands are added (or work bands as you go — this pattern picks bands up at the end for simplicity).
• Always use soft, washable yarn. Wash the swatch the way you will wash the cardigan.

Neck and yoke

With 4 mm needles, cast on 48 (52, 56, 58, 60) sts.

Rib (WS start so RS of rib faces out):
Row 1 (WS): *k1, p1; rep from * to end.
Row 2 (RS): *k1, p1; rep from * to end.
Work 4 more rows in 1x1 rib (6 rows total, about 2 cm).

Change to 4.5 mm.

Set-up row (WS): p 7 (8, 8, 8, 8) (Left Front), pm, p 8 (8, 10, 10, 10) (Left Sleeve), pm, p 18 (20, 20, 22, 24) (Back), pm, p 8 (8, 10, 10, 10) (Right Sleeve), pm, p 7 (8, 8, 8, 8) (Right Front).
Check: 7+8+18+8+7 = 48 ✓; 8+8+20+8+8 = 52 ✓; 8+10+20+10+8 = 56 ✓; 8+10+22+10+8 = 58 ✓; 8+10+24+10+8 = 60 ✓.

Raglan increase row (RS):
*Knit to 1 st before marker, m1R, k1, sm, k1, m1L; rep from * 3 more times, knit to end.
(+8 sts)

Next row (WS): Purl.

Repeat these 2 rows 11 (12, 13, 14, 15) more times — 12 (13, 14, 15, 16) increase rows total.

Stitch count after all raglan increases:
48 + (12 × 8) = 144 (0–3 m) ✓
52 + (13 × 8) = 156 (3–6 m) ✓
56 + (14 × 8) = 168 (6–12 m) ✓
58 + (15 × 8) = 178 (12–18 m) ✓
60 + (16 × 8) = 188 (18–24 m) ✓

Section counts (Front / Sleeve / Back / Sleeve / Front):
19 / 32 / 42 / 32 / 19 (0–3) ✓
21 / 34 / 46 / 34 / 21 (3–6) ✓
22 / 38 / 48 / 38 / 22 (6–12) ✓
23 / 40 / 52 / 40 / 23 (12–18) ✓
24 / 42 / 56 / 42 / 24 (18–24) ✓

Yoke depth from cast-on is about 10.5 (11, 11.5, 12, 12.5) cm. If you need a deeper armhole, work extra even rows (no increases) before dividing.

Divide body and sleeves

Next row (RS): Knit Left Front sts, place next 32 (34, 38, 40, 42) sleeve sts on holder, cast on 4 (5, 6, 6, 6) underarm sts, knit Back, place next sleeve on holder, cast on 4 (5, 6, 6, 6) underarm sts, knit Right Front.

Body stitches:
19+4+42+4+19 = 88 (0–3) ✓
21+5+46+5+21 = 98 (3–6) ✓
22+6+48+6+22 = 104 (6–12) ✓
23+6+52+6+23 = 110 (12–18) ✓
24+6+56+6+24 = 116 (18–24) ✓

Body

Work even in st st (RS k, WS p) until body from underarm measures 13 (14, 16, 18, 19) cm, or 4 cm less than desired total length (extra length for nappies is already included).

Change to 4 mm.
Work 1x1 rib for 4 cm.
Cast off loosely in rib.

Sleeves

Return 32 (34, 38, 40, 42) sleeve sts to 4.5 mm DPNs.
With RS facing, pick up and knit 2 (2, 3, 3, 3) sts along first half of underarm, knit sleeve sts, pick up and knit 2 (3, 3, 3, 3) sts along remaining underarm.
36 (39, 44, 46, 48) sts. Join to work in the round. Pm for start of round (centre underarm).

Knit 4 rounds even.

Decrease round: k1, k2tog, knit to last 3 sts, ssk, k1. (−2 sts)

Work decrease round every 6th (6th, 7th, 7th, 8th) round until 24 (26, 28, 28, 30) sts remain.

Work even until sleeve from underarm measures 13 (15, 17, 19, 21) cm, or 4 cm less than desired length.

Change to 4 mm. Work 1x1 rib for 4 cm. Cast off loosely in rib.

Repeat for second sleeve.

Button bands

Button band (Left Front as worn, for a girl; swap sides for a boy if you prefer):
With 4 mm and RS facing, pick up 3 sts per 4 rows along Left Front edge (about 42 (46, 50, 54, 58) sts — adjust to a multiple of 2).
Work 8 rows 1x1 rib. Cast off in rib.

Buttonhole band (Right Front as worn):
Pick up the same number of sts along Right Front.
Work 3 rows 1x1 rib.
Buttonhole row: Work 3 evenly spaced 2-st buttonholes in the upper third of the band (yoke area only — easier dressing). Example: rib 4, yo, k2tog, [rib to next position, yo, k2tog] twice, rib to end.
Work 4 more rows rib. Cast off in rib.

Sew 3 buttons opposite buttonholes. Weave in ends. Wash gently and lay flat to dry.

Finishing checklist

• Underarms closed with no holes (use yarn tail to neaten).
• Buttons sit on the yoke, not the full length.
• Machine wash per yarn label; avoid fabric softener on wool.

Enjoy your little cardigan.