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I know, I know! I already wrote a blog post about my peanut’s new favorite sweater, Baby Wheat Cardigan, but after thinking about it long and hard I really felt like the Baby Wheat Cardigan pattern needed to make its way to the blog. If you want to read the inspiration behind the pattern and the story to the design you can check out the original blog post about this cardigan here.

This blog has made it possible for me to make all of my patterns free. And I love that. I understand that some people are struggling and maybe can’t afford to purchase patterns right now and are knitting strictly out of their stash for a season. I get that. I’ve been there. And the problem with so many free patterns is they aren’t necessarily modern or well fitting.

I do believe though, that blogging has changed that from where it was 15 years ago when I really, REALLY needed free patterns and was living off of my mom and grandma’s yarn destashes. It’s the bonus of ads and partnerships. As annoying as that might be for some, it provides these patterns for free to people who really need them.

You can purchase the yarn for this cardigan here.

Materials and Info

Size: 0-3m, 3-6m (6-12m, 12m) 18m, 24m
Materials: Approximately 2, 2 (3, 3) 4, 4 balls of KnitPick Capretta
(230y/50g), 7 3/8in buttons, yarn needle, stitch markers
Needle Size: 1(US) 2.5mm & 2(US) 3mm straight and dpn
Gauge (tension): 32sts & 40 rows to make 10cm square, using size 2(US) 3mm needles
Chest Measurement: 41, 44 (47, 50) 52, 54 cm

METHOD
This cardigan pattern is a drop sleeve style that is worked flat from the bottom up with 10cm of ease.

Note: when increasing or decreasing at the neck, shoulders or the sleeves be sure there is a decrease for every increase so your stitch count is correct.

Baby Wheat Cardigan Pattern

BACK

Cast on 84, 88 (94, 98) 102, 105 sts using the smaller circular needles
Work 2, 2 (2, 2.5) 2.5, 2.5 cms of (k1, p1) rib.
Switch to larger size circular needles.
Start your lace pattern as follows:
knit 0, 2 (5, 0) 2, 4 sts, work in lace pattern until you have 0, 2 (5, 0) 2, 3 sts remaining, knit across.
Work in lace pattern until your work measures 14, 15.5 (17.5, 19.5) 21, 22.5 cm measured from the cast-on edge. Place markers on each end of the row to mark armhole.
Continue working in pattern until work measures 22.5, 24.5 (27, 30) 32cm, 34 cms from cast on edge ending after completing a wrong side row.
SHOULDERS
(6-12m, 12m, 18m 24m only)
Bind off x, x (8, 8) 8, 8 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows.
(all sizes)
Bind off 10, 10 (8, 8) 8, 8 sts at the beginning of the next row, work 14, 15 (12, 12) 14, 14 sts put remaining sts on a stitch holder or spare yarn
Turn and bind off 5, 5 (5, 5) 5, 5 sts, work to the end of the row.
Turn and bind off remaining 10, 11 (8, 8) 10, 10 sts
With right side facing, rejoin yarn to the sts on the stitch holder/spare yarn, bind off 34, 36 (36, 40) 40, 43 sts, work remaining sts.
Bind off 10, 10 (8, 8) 8, 8 sts, work to the end of the row.
Turn and bind off 5, 5 (5, 5) 5, 5 sts, work to the end of the row.
Turn and bind off remaining 10, 11 (8, 8) 10, 10 sts

LEFT FRONT
Cast on 42, 42 (45, 47) 48, 50 sts using smaller needle
Work 2, 2 (2, 2.5) 2.5, 2.5 cms of (k1, p1) rib.
Switch to larger size circular needles.
Start your lace pattern as follows:
knit 0, 0 (2, 3) 3, 4 sts, work in lace pattern until you have 0, 0 (1, 2) 3, 4 sts remaining, knit across.
Work in lace pattern until your work measures 14, 15.5 (17.5, 19.5) 21, 22.5 cm measured from the cast-on edge. Place marker on sleeve end of the row to mark armhole.
Continue working in pattern until work measures 17.5, 19.5 (22.5, 25) 27cm, 29
cms from cast on edge ending after completing a right side row.
NECK
Next row – Bind off 12, 12 (12, 13) 13, 14sts, work to end of row [30, 30 (33, 34) 35, 36 sts]
Decrease 1 sts at the neck edge of the next 6, 5 (5, 6) 5, 6 rows. [24, 25 (28, 28) 30, 30 sts]
Decrease 1 sts at neck edge every other row 4 times [20, 21 (24, 24) 26, 26 sts]
Continue in pattern until work measures 22.5, 24.5 (27, 30) 32, 34 cms from cast on edge, ending after completing a wrong side row
SHOULDERS
(6-12m, 12m, 18m, 24m only)
Bind off x, x (8, 8) 8, 8 sts, work to end of row
Work the next row without shaping
(all sizes)
Bind off 10, 10 (8, 8) 8, 8 sts, work to end of row
Work the next row without shaping
Bind off remaining 10, 11 (8, 8) 10, 10 sts

RIGHT FRONT
Cast on 42, 42 (45, 47) 48, 50 sts using smaller needle
Work 2, 2 (2, 2.5) 2.5, 2.5 cms of (k1, p1) rib.
Switch to larger size circular needles.
Start your lace pattern as follows:
knit 0, 0 (2, 3) 3, 4 sts, work in lace pattern until you have 0, 0 (1, 2) 3, 4 sts remaining, knit across.
Work in lace pattern until your work measures 14, 15.5 (17.5, 19.5) 21, 22.5 cm measured from the cast-on edge. Place marker on sleeve end of the row to mark armhole.
Continue working in pattern until work measures 17.5, 19.5 (22.5, 25) 27cm, 29 cms from cast on edge, ending after completing a wrong side row.
NECK
Next row – Bind off 12, 12 (12, 13) 13, 14sts, work to end of row [30, 30 (33, 34) 35, 36 sts]
Decrease 1 sts at the neck edge of the next 6, 5 (5, 6) 5, 6 rows. [24, 25 (28, 28) 30, 30 sts]
Decrease 1 sts at neck edge every other row 4 times [20, 21 (24, 24) 26, 26 sts]
Continue in pattern until work measures 22.5, 24.5 (27, 30) 32, 34 cms from cast on edge ending after completing a right side row.
SHOULDERS
(6-12m, 12m, 18m, 24m only)
Bind off x, x (8, 8) 8, 8 sts, work to end of row
Work the next row without shaping
(all sizes)
Bind off 10, 10 (8, 8) 8, 8 sts, work to end of row
Work the next row without shaping
Bind off remaining 10, 11 (8, 8) 10, 10 sts

SLEEVES (MAKE 2)
Cast on now 40, 42 (44, 46) 48, 48 sts on smaller circular/straight needles.
Work 2, 2 (2, 2.5) 2.5, 2.5 cms of (k1, p1) rib.
Switch to larger size circular/straight needles
Start the lace pattern as follows:
Knit 6, 0 (1, 2) 3, 3, work lace pattern to last 6, 0 (1, 2) 3, 3, knit across
Work 3 more rows in lace pattern.
Next row: inc 1 sts on each end every other row 7, 7 (6, 6) 5, 6 times, then every 4th row 2, 4 (6, 8) 10, 11 times. 60x, 66 (70, 76) 80, 84 sts]
Continue working in lace pattern until work measures 11.5, 13.5 (15.5, 17.5) 19, 20.5 cms from cast on edge. Bind of all stitches.

NECK
Join both shoulder seams, using yarn on a tapestry/yarn needle.
With right side facing and smaller needles pick up and knit 11, 12 (12, 13) 13, 14 sts along right from bind off edge, 17, 19 (19, 20) 20, 20 sts up right front of neck, 44, 46 (46, 50) 50, 53 sts from back neck, 17, 19 (19, 20) 20, 20 sts up left front and side of neck, 11, 12 (12, 13) 13, 14 sts along left from bind off edge. [100, 108 (108, 116) 116, 121 sts]
Work 1.5, 1.5 (1.5, 2) 2, 2 cms of (k1, p1) rib.
Bind off all sts in pattern.

FRONT RIB EDGES
LEFT FRONT EDGE
Pick up and knit 61, 67 (73, 79) 85, 97 sts along the edge with the smaller sized circular needles.
Work 7, 7 (7, 9) 9, 9 rows of rib (k1, p1).
Bind off in established rib pattern.
RIGHT FRONT EDGE
Pick up and knit 61, 67 (73, 79) 85, 97 sts along the edge with the smaller sized circular needles.
Work 3, 3 (3, 4) 4, 4 rows in k1p1 ribbing
Buttonhole row: Work 2 sts in established rib pattern, k2tog yo, work 7, 8 (9, 10) 11, 13 sts in established rib pattern, work k2tog, yarn over, repeat from * to * to the last 3 sts, work 3 sts in rib.
Work 3, 3 (3, 4) 4, 4 rows in k1p1 ribbing
Bind off in established rib pattern.

CARDIGAN FINISHING
Sew the sleeves on, side seams and sleeve seams. I prefer to use the mattress
stitch because it almost appears seamless. Weave in all ends. Sew the buttons on
along the left front edge across from the buttonholes and enjoy your beautiful new cardigan.

Abbreviations

ABBREVIATIONS
K – knit P – purl
PM – place marker SM – slip marker
K2tog -knit 2 stitches together YO – yarn over
SSK – slip, slip, knit the slipped sts together
M1R – Insert the left needle under the strand that runs between two stitches from back to front, then knit this strand
M1L – Insert the left needle under the strand that runs between two stitches from front to back, then knit this strand through the back loop

Download Baby Wheat Cardigan PDF Here

Check out all of our free sweater patterns here.