3 Colour Sleeveless Cardigan for Toddlers

I designed this little sleeveless cardigan for Claudia as a quick make so I could hook it in different colours to go with different outfits. It’s sleeveless so that hopefully she won’t outgrow it overnight, and I kept it quite short so she could wear it buttoned up over fuller skirts. It’s a nice garment to slip on as an extra layer for warmth without having to worry about the sleeves getting dragged through food, paint, or water!

I kept it pretty simple, mostly in treble crochet with some front post and back post stitches for the ribbing and up the front, but an adventurous beginner shouldn’t have to much trouble with the pattern!

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You will need:

4mm crochet hook

Stylecraft Special DK in Violet, Wisteria and Duck Egg

4 buttons

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Gauge 16 stitches 10 rows per 10cm in treble crochet (UK Terms)

Actual measurements: chest 62 cm, length 25 cm. Suggested age 1-2 years.

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UK terms used throughout.

Each “dc and ch2” counts as the first treble crochet of the row.

Ribbing made by working stitches round the posts of the stitches of the previous round alternately around the front (fptr – front post treble) and around the back (bptr- back post treble).

I always work into the back bumps of the foundation chain for a neater edge.

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BACK

Using Violet ch 52 skip 3 stitches and tr in to every stitch (50)

R2 – dc ch2 (counts as a tr) *fptr, bptr repeat from *, tr in last stitch (50).

R3 – repeat row 2

R4 – dc ch2, tr to end (50).

R5-8 repeat row 4.

Change to Wisteria

R9-16 – repeat row 4.

Change to Duck Egg

R17-18 – Repeat row 4.

R19 – Slip stitch 4 stitches, dc ch2, 41 tr. Leave last 4 stitches unworked (42).

R20-27 – dc ch2, tr (42)

R28 – *dc ch2 tr 9. Fasten off.** Skip 22 stitches and re-join the yarn. Repeat from * to **.

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LEFT FRONT

Using Violet ch 30, skip 3 stitches and tr into every stitch (28).

R2 – (Wrong side) Dc ch2, bptr, ch 1, skip one stitch (forms button hole) *bptr, fptr. Repeat from * to last stitch. Tr in last stitch.

R3 – Dc ch2. Bptr, fptr 12 times. Tr 1 in 1 ch space. Fptr. Tr in last stitch. (28)

R4 – Dc ch2 *bptr, fptr. Repeat from *. Tr 23. (28)

R5 – Dc ch2. Tr 22. *fptr, bptr. Repeat from *. Tr in last stitch. (28).

R6 – Repeat row 4.

R7 – Repeat row 5.

R8 – Repeat row 4.

Change to Wisteria.

R9 – Dc ch2. Tr 22, bptr, fptr, ch1 skip one stitch (forms button hole), fptr, tr1.

R10 – Dc ch2. Bptr, tr 1 in chain space, bptr, fptr, tr 23. (28)

R11 – Repeat row 5.

R12 – Repeat row 4.

R13 – Repeat row 5.

R14 – Repeat row 4.

R15 – Repeat row 5.

R16 – Dc ch2, bptr ch1 skip one stitch (forms button hole) bptr, fptr, tr 23.

Change to Duck Egg.

R17 – Dc ch2, tr 22. Bptr, fptr, tr into chain space, fptr, tr into last stitch. (28).

R18 – Repeat row 4.

R19 – Slip stitch 4, dc ch2, tr 18. *Fptr, bptr, repeat from *, tr in last stitch.

R20 – Dc ch2 (bptr, fptr) twice. Tr 19. (24)

R21 – Dc ch2, tr 18. (Bptr, fptr) twice. Tr in last stitch. (24)

R22 – Repeat row 20

R23 – Dc ch2, tr 18, bptr, fptr, ch1 (skip one stitch on row below) fptr, tr in last stitch.

R24 – Dc ch2, bptr, tr in ch1 space, bptr, fptr, tr 19 (24).

R25 – Dc ch2, tr 9, htr. (11)

R26 – Skip 1^st stitch dc ch 1, tr9. (10)

R27-8 – Dc ch 2, tr 9 (10)

Fasten off.

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FRONT RIGHT

Using Violet ch 30, skip 3 stitches and tr into every stitch (28).

R2 – dc ch2 (counts as a tr) *fptr, bptr repeat from *, tr in last stitch (28).

R3 – repeat row 2

R4 – dc ch2, tr to end (28).

R5-8 repeat row 4.

Change to Wisteria

R9-16 – repeat row 4.

Change to Duck Egg

R17-18 – Repeat row 4.

R19 – dc ch2 tr 23 and leave last 4 stitches unworked (24)

R20-24 – dc ch2. Tr 23 (24)

R25 – sl st 13 dc ch1, tr 10.

R26 – dc ch2 tr 9 but leave the last stitch of R25 unworked. (10)

R27-8 – dc ch2 tr 9 (10).

Fasten off.

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Sew the shoulder seams and side seams with mattress stitch.

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NECK

Starting with the front right, join Duck Egg yarn and dc 23 along the top of the front right, dc 30 along the top of the back, and dc 23 along the top of the left front (76)

R2 – ch 1 (doesn’t count as stitch) htr in every stitch and fasten off (76)

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ARMS

Join Duck Egg yarn at the underarm at the top of the side seam, ch1 (does not count as stitch) dc 50 evenly around the armhole, sl st to first stitch (50)

R2 – dc ch2 tr 49 (50)

R3 – ch 1 *fptr, bptr repeat from *, sl st to first stitch (50).

Repeat with second armhole.

Sew buttons on, darn in any loose ends and you are done!

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I am already working on a 4 colour version of this cardigan which will be longer and have 5 buttons, but adding or subtracting extra width to resize should be simple enough, just make sure you start off with an even number of stitches for each part so the ribbing works out.

I hope you enjoy the pattern. Let me know if you make one, i’d love to see how it turns out!

Beth

🙂