This stylish & practical sweater is knit from the top down without a single seam to sew! The border is picked up afterward allowing you the option of using a coordinating color. Pattern includes several design options including instructions for stripes and a textured central band, borders in seed or garter stitch and two types of button closures. With three sleeve lengths and sizing from NB-2T, this will become your kids’ year round go-to sweater. Pattern is suitable for the beginning knitter and is a great choice for a first sweater project!

This pattern is also available here in extended child sizing 3-12.

Sizes + Fit
Directions are written for NB with changes for larger sizes in parentheses as follows: NB (3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 2T)

Sweater fits best with at least 1” and up to 3” of positive ease in the chest.

Finished + Blocked Measurements:
Chest: 16 (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)”
Length: 8½ (9½, 10½, 11½, 12½, 13½, 14½)”
Neck Width: 3 (3½, 3½, 3¾, 3¾, 4¼, 4¼)”
Sleeve: 5½ (6, 6½, 7½, 8, 8½, 8½)”

Gauge
In stockinette stitch 19 sts and 25 rows = 4” using the larger needle size.

Materials
Yarn: In worsted to aran weight yarn you will need approximately 250 (270, 290, 320, 360, 400, 450) yards or 230 (245, 265, 295, 330, 365, 415) meters for a long sleeved sweater. If you choose a contrasting color (CC) yarn for the borders, it should be about 20% of your total yardage. The optional textured band uses about 15% of total yardage and yarn is referred to as Color C. Samples shown were knit with Dream In Color Classy.

NOTES FOR STRIPES: If you choose to work the sweater in stripes with CC borders your yarn should be divided as follows: Color A = 40%, Color B = 40%, CC = 20%

Needles: Double pointed needles (or needles appropriate for your preferred method of small circumference circular knitting) and circular needles in US sizes 8 (5mm) and 6 (4mm) or size required to obtain gauge and two sizes smaller. You will be knitting flat on these circular needles, so exact length is not critical, but at least 24” (60cm) long for comfort.

Notions: Scrap yarn, 4 stitch markers, darning needle for weaving in ends, and either 2 buttons about ⅝” - ¾” (1½ – 2 cm) in diameter or 1 button of any size.

Techniques & Stitches Used
cast on
single cast on (also known as “backward loop cast-on”) or your preferred method of casting on stitches to the right tip of the needle mid-row.
knit
purl
use of stitch markers
increase (KFB, M1R, M1L)
decrease (K2tog, SSK, psso)
pick up stitches
yarn over
knitting in the round
bind off
i-cord
button loop (tutorial provided)