purlJam

# Little Sprout Baby Jacket

A cosy, classic baby cardigan worked in soft worsted-weight yarn. Knitted flat from the bottom up in five simple pieces and seamed, with picked-up garter stitch button bands. An ideal project for confident beginners — only knit, purl, and basic decreases required.

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## SIZES

To fit baby aged: **0–3 (3–6, 6–12, 12–18, 18–24) months**

Finished measurements:
- **Chest circumference (buttoned):** 46 (51, 56, 61, 66) cm / 18 (20, 22, 24, 26) in
- **Length from shoulder:** 24 (26, 28, 30, 32) cm / 9½ (10¼, 11, 11¾, 12½) in
- **Sleeve length:** 16 (18, 20, 22, 24) cm / 6¼ (7, 8, 8¾, 9½) in

Pattern is written for smallest size with larger sizes in parentheses. Where only one number appears, it applies to all sizes.

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## MATERIALS

- **Yarn:** Worsted weight (Aran) yarn, approximately **200 (250, 300, 350, 400) m** — a single ball of 100 g typically suffices for the smallest sizes; allow extra for larger sizes. Soft merino or cotton/acrylic blends recommended for baby skin.
- **Needles:** 
  - 4.5 mm (UK 7 / US 7) straight or circular needles — main fabric
  - 3.75 mm (UK 9 / US 5) needles — ribbing and bands
- **Notions:** Tapestry needle, stitch markers, stitch holders or scrap yarn, **4 (4, 5, 5, 5) buttons** approximately 12–15 mm diameter.

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## TENSION (GAUGE)

**20 sts × 26 rows = 10 cm (4 in)** measured over stocking stitch on 4.5 mm needles, after blocking.

Take time to check your tension — accurate sizing depends on it.

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## ABBREVIATIONS

- **k** — knit
- **p** — purl
- **st(s)** — stitch(es)
- **st st** — stocking stitch (knit RS rows, purl WS rows)
- **g st** — garter stitch (knit every row)
- **k2tog** — knit two stitches together (right-leaning decrease)
- **ssk** — slip, slip, knit those two stitches together (left-leaning decrease)
- **BO** — bind off (cast off)
- **CO** — cast on
- **RS / WS** — right side / wrong side
- **yo** — yarn over
- **rep** — repeat
- **rem** — remaining
- **beg** — beginning

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## NOTES

- The jacket is worked flat in five pieces: Back, Left Front, Right Front, and two Sleeves. All pieces are blocked, then seamed. Button bands are picked up along the front edges after assembly.
- Selvedge stitches: the first and last stitch of every row form the seam allowance — knit them firmly for neat seams.
- For a girl's jacket, work buttonholes on the **Right Front** band; for a boy's, work them on the **Left Front** band.

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## BACK

With 3.75 mm needles, CO **46 (51, 56, 61, 66) sts**.

**Ribbing:** Work in k1, p1 rib for 6 rows, beginning and ending with a RS row knit st for tidy edges.

Change to 4.5 mm needles and work in st st (k on RS, p on WS) until piece measures **14 (15, 16, 17, 18) cm** from cast-on, ending with a WS row.

### Armhole Shaping

BO 3 sts at beg of next 2 rows. → **40 (45, 50, 55, 60) sts**

**Decrease row (RS):** k1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. → 2 sts decreased.
Purl 1 row.

Rep these 2 rows a further **2 (3, 3, 4, 4)** times. → **34 (37, 42, 45, 50) sts**

*Math check: 40 − 2×3 = 34 ✓ ; 45 − 2×4 = 37 ✓ ; 50 − 2×4 = 42 ✓ ; 55 − 2×5 = 45 ✓ ; 60 − 2×5 = 50 ✓*

Continue straight in st st until armhole measures **9 (10, 11, 12, 13) cm**, ending with a WS row.

### Shoulders and Back Neck

BO **8 (9, 11, 12, 14) sts** at beg of next 2 rows. → **18 (19, 20, 21, 22) sts**

BO rem sts loosely for back neck.

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## FRONTS (make 2 — one Left, one Right; mirror shaping)

With 3.75 mm needles, CO **26 (28, 31, 33, 36) sts**.

Work in k1, p1 rib for 6 rows.

Change to 4.5 mm needles and work in st st until piece measures the same as Back to armhole, ending with a WS row (for Left Front) or RS row (for Right Front — see below).

### Armhole Shaping (armhole edge only)

**Left Front:** BO 3 sts at beg of next RS row. → **23 (25, 28, 30, 33) sts**
**Right Front:** BO 3 sts at beg of next WS row. → **23 (25, 28, 30, 33) sts**

**Decrease row (RS):** 
- Left Front: k1, ssk, knit to end.
- Right Front: knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.

Purl 1 row.

Rep these 2 rows a further **2 (3, 3, 4, 4)** times. → **20 (21, 24, 25, 28) sts**

Continue straight until armhole measures **6 (7, 7, 8, 8) cm**, ending at the neck edge (centre front edge).

### Front Neck Shaping

BO **5 (5, 6, 6, 7) sts** at beg of next row (neck edge). → **15 (16, 18, 19, 21) sts**

**Neck decrease row (RS):** at neck edge, k1, ssk (Right Front) OR knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1 (Left Front). Work decreases every RS row a total of **7 (7, 7, 7, 7)** times. → **8 (9, 11, 12, 14) sts**

*Math check: 15 − 7 = 8 ✓ ; 16 − 7 = 9 ✓ ; 18 − 7 = 11 ✓ ; 19 − 7 = 12 ✓ ; 21 − 7 = 14 ✓*

Continue straight until armhole matches Back to shoulder.

BO rem **8 (9, 11, 12, 14) sts** for shoulder.

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## SLEEVES (make 2)

With 3.75 mm needles, CO **26 (28, 30, 32, 34) sts**.

Work in k1, p1 rib for 6 rows.

Change to 4.5 mm needles and work in st st, **increasing 1 st at each end of the 5th row and every following 8th (8th, 10th, 10th, 10th) row** to **34 (38, 40, 44, 48) sts**.

*Math check: 26 + 8 increases = 34 ✓ ; 28 + 10 = 38 ✓ ; 30 + 10 = 40 ✓ ; 32 + 12 = 44 ✓ ; 34 + 14 = 48 ✓*

Work straight until sleeve measures **16 (18, 20, 22, 24) cm** from cast-on, ending with a WS row.

### Sleeve Cap Shaping

BO 3 sts at beg of next 2 rows. → **28 (32, 34, 38, 42) sts**

**Decrease row (RS):** k1, ssk, knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
Purl 1 row.

Rep these 2 rows until **12 (14, 14, 16, 18) sts** remain.

BO 2 sts at beg of next 4 rows. → **4 (6, 6, 8, 10) sts**

BO remaining sts loosely.

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## BUTTON BANDS

Block all pieces to measurements. Join shoulder seams using mattress stitch.

### Button Band (no buttonholes)

With 3.75 mm needles and RS facing, beginning at the neckline edge, pick up and knit **3 sts for every 4 rows** along the front edge — approximately **50 (55, 60, 65, 70) sts**.

Work in g st (knit every row) for 8 rows. BO loosely knitwise.

### Buttonhole Band

Work as for Button Band until 4 rows are complete, ending with a WS row.

**Buttonhole row (RS):** k3, *[k2tog, yo, k**11 (13, 12, 14, 15)** sts]*; rep from * a total of **4 (4, 5, 5, 5)** times, k to end.

Work 3 more rows in g st. BO loosely knitwise.

*Math check (smallest size): 3 + 4×(1 yo + 11 k) + remainder. Adjust spacing to fit your stitch count evenly — buttons should be evenly spaced from neck to hem._

### Neckband

With 3.75 mm needles and RS facing, pick up and knit sts evenly around the neckline including the tops of the button bands — approximately **60 (64, 68, 72, 76) sts**.

Work in g st for 6 rows. BO loosely knitwise.

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## FINISHING

1. Set sleeves into armholes, easing the cap to fit — pin at shoulder seam, underarm, and quarter points before sewing.
2. Sew side and sleeve seams in one continuous line using mattress stitch.
3. Weave in all yarn ends on the wrong side.
4. Sew buttons onto the button band opposite the buttonholes.
5. Steam-block gently if needed, avoiding ribbing and bands.

**Care:** Hand wash in cool water with a wool-safe detergent; lay flat to dry.

Enjoy your handmade Little Sprout Jacket — a lovingly knitted heirloom for a special little one.