Favorite Cardigan Baby by PixenDk is a
beautiful top-down baby and toddler cardigan featuring raglan shaping and
subtle textured details across the shoulders.
The cardigan is worked while holding two strands of yarn together, creating a
comfortable fabric while allowing the simple stockinette body and decorative
shoulder sections to remain the focus of the design.
Pattern availability update: this pattern was originally
available digitally through the designer's Ravelry store, but that source is
now marked as discontinued and the digital pattern is no longer available
online.
Design and featured photos: PixenDk.
Favorite Cardigan Baby Pattern Overview
- Pattern: Favorite Cardigan Baby (ENG)
- Designer: PixenDk
- Published: July 2019
- Category: Baby and toddler cardigan
- Construction: Top-down raglan
- Main fabric: Stockinette stitch with textured shoulders
- Yarn: CaMaRose Yaku
- Yarn weight: Fingering, held double
- Gauge: 19 stitches × 27 rows = 4 in / 10 cm
- Sizes: 0 months through 3 years
- Pattern language: English
- Current availability: Discontinued / no longer available online
About the Favorite Cardigan Baby
Favorite Cardigan Baby uses a classic top-down raglan construction that allows
the cardigan to develop from the neckline toward the body.
Most of the garment is worked in stockinette stitch, while textured sections
on the shoulders add visual interest to the otherwise clean design.
The designer also notes that the shoulder texture can be continued farther
down the sleeves if you prefer a more pronounced textured effect.
Sizes
The original pattern was published in six baby and toddler sizes:
- 0 months
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 1 year
- 2 years
- 3 years
The approximate finished bust measurements were:
48 (54) 57 (59) 63 (65) cm.
Approximate body lengths were:
14 (16) 18 (20) 22 (24) cm.
These measurements are preserved here as useful information about the original
design. They are not a replacement for the designer's complete sizing and
knitting instructions.
Yarn
The featured version was knitted with CaMaRose Yaku,
a 100% merino wool yarn with approximately 200 meters per 50g.
The original yarn requirements were approximately:
- 3 skeins for the smallest sizes
- 4 skeins for the intermediate sizes
- 5 skeins for the largest sizes
The sample cardigan was knitted in Yaku color 1809.
The original pattern also suggested alternatives including CaMaRose
Pimabomuld and Økologisk Sommeruld.
Holding Two Strands Together
An important feature of this design is that the yarn is
held double while knitting.
Holding two strands of a finer yarn together produces a thicker working yarn
and changes both the density and appearance of the finished fabric.
If recreating a similar cardigan with another currently available pattern,
remember that simply choosing a yarn labelled with the same weight does not
guarantee identical gauge.
Needles and Notions
The original published pattern information listed:
- 3.5 mm circular needle, approximately 40 cm
- 4 mm circular needle, approximately 60 cm
- 4.5 mm circular needle, approximately 60 cm
- 4 mm double-pointed needles
- 4.5 mm double-pointed needles
- Approximately 5–7 buttons, about 15 mm in diameter
Gauge
The documented gauge for the original design is:
19 stitches × 27 rows = 10 × 10 cm / 4 × 4 inches
in stockinette stitch, holding two strands together on 4.5 mm needles.
Gauge is especially important for children's garments because it affects the
finished chest circumference, sleeve proportions and overall fit.
Top-Down Raglan Construction
The cardigan is knitted from the top down using raglan shaping.
Top-down construction is popular for baby and children's sweaters because much
of the garment develops as one connected piece rather than requiring several
large pieces to be assembled afterward.
It can also make it easier to visualize the proportions of the garment as the
body and sleeves develop.
The Textured Shoulders
Although much of Favorite Cardigan Baby is worked in simple stockinette, the
shoulders introduce a contrasting textured detail.
This gives the cardigan additional visual interest without covering the entire
garment in a complex stitch pattern.
According to the original description, the shoulder texture can also be
continued through the full sleeve length if desired.
Useful Skills for a Similar Project
Knitters interested in top-down baby cardigans of this style will generally
benefit from experience with:
- Casting on
- Knitting and purling
- Working stockinette stitch
- Raglan shaping
- Increasing stitches
- Working with circular needles
- Working small circumferences
- Making buttonholes
- Binding off
- Weaving in ends
Why Top-Down Baby Cardigans Are Popular
A top-down cardigan is an appealing project because the construction begins
with the relatively small neckline and gradually develops into the full
garment.
Baby and toddler sizes also provide an opportunity to practice garment
construction on a smaller scale before committing to an adult sweater.
The button-front design makes a cardigan practical for layering, while the
raglan lines give the garment a classic knitted-sweater shape.
Is Favorite Cardigan Baby Still Available?
No current authorized digital download could be verified for this
exact pattern during our latest review.
The original pattern page identifies the design as
Favorite Cardigan Baby (ENG) by PixenDk, but the source is now
listed as out of print and the digital pattern is described
as no longer available online.
For that reason, Amazing Knitting does not link to unofficial copies,
reuploads or reconstructed versions of the pattern.
If PixenDk or another authorized publisher makes the exact pattern available
again, this guide can be updated with the new legitimate source.
Looking for a Baby Cardigan Pattern You Can Knit Now?
You can explore our collection of baby sweaters and cardigans whose individual
pattern pages provide current availability information.
Explore 9 Free Baby Sweater & Cardigan Knitting Patterns →
Pattern Availability
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whenever possible. Pattern prices, download locations and availability can
change after an article is published.
Read Our Pattern Availability Policy →
Amazing Knitting is an independent pattern discovery and project-guide site.
Favorite Cardigan Baby and its original knitting instructions remain the
intellectual property of PixenDk. This article preserves project information
and does not reproduce the discontinued pattern instructions.
