Minni - cardigan for a little girl

Making of Minni was long journey but finally she is all wrapped up and in print. While I have been making the last changes (thank you Cassie!) new snow has been coming steadily. The prospect of going outside, even to pick up the mail from the main road, does not appeal to me. There is plenty of snow shoveling ahead but I don't want to do it before the snow stops and it does not look like it will stop any time soon. Since I am not going out right now, I will share with you my new pattern.

I am a mother of three girls and the abundance of old pictures from the time the girls were small provides lots of inspiration. You already know how much I love small gauge(2,5 mm [US1.5]) and variegated fingering weight yarn so knitting a cardigan for a little girl was quite natural. I am not saying it was easy or that the pattern came together just by itself because it did not. There were lots of days with frustration and error and reknitting but finally little Minni is finished.

Schoppel Wolle Zauberball color Flussbett

Super Soxx Beige Creme 68

Sandness Garn Lanett Old Rose 4622

"What are little girls made of, made of? Of sugar and spice..." But if you add to the mix wool and stripes, you get little Minni!

The cardigan is knitted sideways in once piece mostly. The left front is separate for a while but is joined to the cardigan later on. When the knitting is done, side seams are grafted together with kitchener stitch. Of course you could use your preferred seaming method as well. The cardigan has vertical stripes and crocheted chain stitch in the hem breaks the monotony.

There is a small belt in the back on top of the part where the hem flares a bit. This little feature is my favorite.

 And if you like, you can add a little bit of something with embroidered patch. The pattern has instructions for it. Minni is written for three sizes: 0-3 months (6-9 months) 12-18 months. Three colors of fingering weight (420m/100g [459y/3½oz]) yarn is needed:

Schoppel Wolle 1701ombre

Opal Uni 1991

Malabrigo Sock Burgundy

100 (100) 125g of main color, 100g of contrasting color and 25g of highlighting color for the belt, I-cords, front edgings and the crocheted chain. Fingering weight yarn produces a light and warm cardigan.

Zitron Trekking Hand Art Color Sahara

Grignasco Merino Lace (held three together)

Malabrigo Merino Sock

Minni looks lovely with soft, quiet tones but will be full of mischief and character with bright, variegated yarns, where it is difficult to predict the color of the next stitch.

If you would like to knit this, please find a link in the sidebar to my Ravelry shop. (One should have knowledge of basic knitting skills and of I-cord, provisional cast on, crocheted chain stitch and kitchener stitch.)

The snow has stopped. The pattern is uploaded to Ravelry, the blog is updated. Really, there is no excuse any more, I guess I should get outside soonest.

Wool with you,
Lene

Minni errata (March 9, 2010):

Part II

page 6, Row 87 (MC)(WS) For size 0-3 months:
... "The right front is now complete and this completes the part II." Not part III as the pattern says.

page 7, Row 90 (MC)(RS) For size 6-9 months:
..."K55, k YO tog with the next st, k9 (not k8 as the pattern says), k1tbl."

page 7, Row 93 (MC) (WS) For size 6-9 months:
... "The right front is now complete and this completes the part II." Not part III as the pattern says.

Finishing

Row 1: (WS)
Knowing that the first row is wrong side row, helps to understand knitting the edging.

My sincere apologies for the mistakes.