Easy Pullover for Babies, Toddlers and Kids

The Easy Baby Cardigan from Joelle's More Last-Minute Kitted Gifts has become a Purl Soho classic... but it wasn't the original! Before she knit up that worsted weight cardigan, Joelle first conceived of a lightweight, all-season pullover. At 7 stitches to the inch, it wasn't exactly a "last minute knitted gift" and so it evolved; but Joelle never forgot the adorable prototype she had decided to shelve!

The inspiration behind both sweaters was always Joelle's intrigue with an over-the-top construction. Starting at the bottom back, knitting up and over the shoulders and sleeves, then down the front, this sweater is a one-piece engineering wonder! The Easy Baby Pullover may not be as quick as its cardigan cousin, but it's just as easy! And just as beautiful, with the gorgeous hand dyed subtlety of Koigu Premium Merino. Wonderfully soft, machine washable and as gorgeous as yarn comes, KPM is one of our all time favorites!

This timeless design is filled with design details that make it cozy for tots and easy for parents: a roomy neck opening for quick on and off, cuffs designed for rolling, and a loose, casual style for busy little bodies!  A new classic? We think so!

P.S. Curious about the cute hat too? It's our Little Fair Isle Hat and you can find out all about it right here!

The Materials

• 4 (5, 5, 6) skeins of Koigu's Koigu Premium Merino, 100% merino. This color is pictured here is 1010.5.
• A US #4, 24 (24, 32, 32) inch circular needle

The Pattern

Gauge

7 stitches = 1 inch in stockinette stitch

Sizes

to fit most 12 to 24 month (2 year, 4 year, 6 year) olds

Finished Size

Chest Circumference: 20 1/2 (23, 26, 30) inches

Length: 13 (15, 17, 19) inches

Length from Cast on to Underarm: (8 1/2, 10, 11 1/2, 13) inches

Arm Hole: 4 1/2 (5, 5 1/2, 6) inches

Arm Length 8 1/2 (10 1/2, 12 1/2, 14 1/2) inches

Pattern Notes

Seed Stitch: (multiple of 2 stitches + 1) K1, *p1, k1, repeat from *.

Stockinette Stitch: Knit the Right Side (RS) and purl the Wrong Side (WS).

This pullover is worked flat. It is worked in one piece from the bottom edge of the Back, over the shoulders and sleeves, down to the bottom edge of the Front. 

Begin: Back

Cast on 71 (81, 91, 105) stitches, leaving a 30 inch tail for finishing.

Work in Seed Stitch for 1 1/4 inch. 

Next Row: Work in Seed Stitch for 5 stitches, work in Stockinette Stitch to last 5 stitches, work in Seed Stitch to end. 

Repeat the last row until the piece measures 2 1/2 inches from the cast on edge.

Change to Stockinette Stitch. Work even until piece measures 8 1/2 (10, 11 1/2, 13) inches from the cast on edge, ending with a WS row.

Sleeves

With right side facing, use a Cable Cast On to cast on 60 (74, 88, 102) stitches.

Row 1 (RS):  Work across cast on stitches in Seed Stitch for 25 (29, 33, 37) stitches, place a marker (pm), knit to end. (131, 155, 179, 207 stitches) 

With wrong side facing, use a Cable Cast On to cast on 60 (74, 88, 102) stitches. 

Row 2 (WS):  Work across cast on stitches in Seed Stitch for 25 (29, 33, 37) stitches, pm, purl to end next marker, work in Seed Stitch to end (191, 229, 267, 309).

Row 3: Work in Seed Stitch to first marker, work in Stockinette Stitch to next marker, work in Seed Stitch to end.

Repeat Row 3 until piece measures 4 1/2 (5, 5 1/2, 6) inches from beginning of sleeve, ending with a WS row.  

Shape Back Neck

Row 1 (RS): Work in Seed Stitch to first marker, k51 (64, 76, 91), pm, work in Seed Stitch over next 39 (43, 49, 53) stitches, pm, knit to next marker, work in Seed Stitch to end. 

Row 2: Work in Seed Stitch to first marker, work in Stockinette Stitch to the next marker, work in Seed Stitch to following marker, work in Stockinette Stitch to the last marker, work in Seed Stitch to end.

Repeat Row 2 for a total of 3/4 inch.

Next Row (RS): Work in pattern to second marker, work 5 stitches in pattern, bind off 29 (33, 39, 43) stitches in pattern, work in pattern to end. (81, 98, 114, 133 stitches remaining for each side)  

Left Front

Now working only the Left Front and Sleeve stitches (leaving the remaining stitches on needle), work even for 1 ½ inches, ending with a WS row. 

Shape Front Left Neck

Row 1 (RS): Work in pattern to first marker, slip marker (sm), knit into front and back of next stitch (kfb), work in pattern to end. (82, 99, 115, 134 stitches) 

Row 2: Work in pattern to 1 stitch before second marker, kfb, work in pattern to end. (83, 100, 116, 135 stitches)

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 six (7, 8, 9)  more times, working increased stitches in Stockinette Stitch as they become available. (95, 114, 132, 153 stitches). 

Work even until piece measures 9 (10, 11, 12) inches from beginning of Sleeve, ending with a RS row.

Finish Left Sleeves

Next Row (WS): Bind off 60 (74, 88, 102) stitches in pattern (removing marker), work in pattern to end. (35, 40, 44, 51 stitches)

Cut yarn and place stitches on stitch holder or scrap yarn.

Right Front

With WS facing, rejoin yarn to stitches on needle. Work even for 1 1/2 inches, ending with a WS row.

Shape Front Right Neck

Row 1 (RS): Work in pattern to 1 stitch before second marker, kfb, work in pattern to end. (82, 99, 115, 134 stitches)

Row 2: Work in pattern to first marker, sm, kfb, work to end. (83, 100, 116, 135 stitches)

Repeat Rows 1 and 2 six (7, 8, 9) more times, working increased stitches in Stockinette Stitch as they become available. (95, 114, 132, 153 stitches)

Work even until piece measures 9 (10, 11, 12) inches from beginning of Sleeve, ending with a WS row. 

Finish Right Sleeve

Row 1 (RS): Bind off 60 (74, 88, 102) stitches in pattern (removing marker), work in pattern to end, Cable Cast On 1 (1, 3, 3)  stitches, work these stitches in Seed Stitch, then work the 35 (40, 44, 51) stitches of Left Side in established pattern. (71, 81, 91, 105 stitches)

Front

Row 1 (WS): Work in Stockinette Stitch to first marker, work in Seed Stitch to next marker, work in Stockinette Stitch to end.

Repeat Row 1 for 1 inch, ending with a WS row.

Next Row (RS): Work entire row in Stockinette Stitch (removing markers).

Work even for 5 (6 1/2, 8, 9 1/2)  inches, ending with a WS row.

Next Row (RS): Work in Seed Stitch for 5 stitches, work in Stockinette Stitch to last 5 stitches, work in Seed Stitch to end.

Repeat the last row for 1 1/4 inches. 

Next Row: Work entire row in Seed Stitch. 

Repeat last row for 1 1/4 inches, ending with a WS row.

Bind off in Seed Stitch pattern, leaving a 30 inch long tail for finishing.

Finishing

Block if desired. Using mattress stitch and long tails from Cast On and Bind Off, sew side seams, starting above the Seed Stitch edging. Also sew the Sleeve seams. Weave in your ends and you're all finished!

Comments

[Karen]

I would love to be able to make this for my girls who are 7 and 10! Any way to adjust the pattern to bigger sizes? Thanks - Karen

[purl bee]

Hi Karen-

We have no plans to make a larger size of this pattern at this moment but we will keep it under advisement as we move forward.

Thank you for your comment!

Molly

[Amy]

I too would love a larger size pattern. My son would be bigger than that by the time I could finish. (I'm a new knitter). Also is there a pattern for the hat b/c its adorable. And one final thing... I love your site!!! so many patterns I love and want to try.
thanks,
Amy

[PaperDollyGirl]

Love it!! I bought 4 skeins of Koigu at the grand opening party for the new store and just frogged the shawl I was halfway through with it. This sweater will be perfect for it and really takes the disappointment out of my shawl not working out.

[Susan]

I'm also interested in this pattern sized for children. My girls are 3 and 5, and this lightweight pullover would be perfect for our weather here in Paris.

Merci Beaucoup,
Susan

[hgk]

I too would love this pattern to be released in a bigger size (age 7 and/or up).
It looks lovely! I can't wait to try knitting this :)

[Lynn]

Just chiming in that I would love to see the pattern in larger sizes too!

[mondayjane]

Beautiful sweater - I love that the pattern could go either way gender-wise and plan on knitting one up for the little one we are expecting this spring. Thank you so much!

[Kiry]

I, too, would love this in larger sizes, or tips on how to figure it out myself.

[Danielle]

I'd love the pattern in a bigger size, but not because I have older children... I want it for me! It's so boho lovely!

[Tara Jane]

Please work on bigger sizes. It is a great sweater and would really suit the older kids too!

[Soledad]

This is lovely! I am adapting it for a 3 year old (trying to!). Doing the numbers can be a bit dizzying, but can you confirm that the front ends up having 4 stitches fewer than the back? (71-67=4)

[Hope]

I'm working on this one for my very small 27 month old boy. I'm customizing to fit his proportions and it has become clear to me how easy it is to make a bigger size as long as you are thoughtful along the way understanding your gauge the the dimensions of the person who will be wearing it.

Because he is so slim, I cast on 67 stitches but knitting up to the start of the sleeve I went up to 7.5" because he's a bit longer than the sweater pattern is made for. I want the sweater to last a while so will make the sleeves long enough to fold up at first and then unfold as his arms get longer.

Anyhow, the point is that you can adjust most patterns to meet your needs.

[purl bee]

Soledad! Oh my goodness, you are completely right! The front and back differ by 4. I'll let you in on a secret... we are planning to repost this pattern with additional sizes on the February 19th. The date is tentative, but if all goes well, keep your eye out! We will be sure to re-work the pattern before then! Thank you so much for writing in, Laura.

[Soledad]

Thanks for the news, and for the clarification.... and for the new pattern. I have to check it out, and will probably undo the front of the sweater :)
If you want to check out what it looks like now, it's here: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/solitaet/easy-baby-pullover/photos

[Suzanne]

I'm definitely going to queue this. thank you for a lovely pattern

[Lisa]

Yes, I definitely would love to make one for me! What a great year round pullover. Thank you so much for sharing this pattern...going to make it for my grandson who is 5.

[K]

Any chance you can make the pattern into an adult size? I absolutely love this sweater but too small for me!

[wendy]

I too am casting my vote for adult sizes and for older children-size 12 and up. I have three girls 10, 15 and 19 and they would all look fantastic in this-easy to wear for the 10 year old and totally retro cool for the other two! Boy, would this be a solution to a bunch of birthday/holiday presents...and I want one too!
I love your patterns and have made many-thank you so much for your creative fun designs!

[purl bee]

Hi K and Wendy-

We are planning making adult sizes in this pattern. However it does take some time so we don't have an ETA just yet.

Thank you both for the nice comments!

Molly

[Wendy H.]

HI. I am a new knitter and this would be my first attempt at a "non-scarf"! Do I stitch the seams before or after I block the sweater? it would be my first time blocking too!
Thanks and I adore your site!
Wendy

[purl bee]

Hi Wendy,
Congrats on making your first non-scarf! Typically you block and then seam. Hope you enjoy this project!! -Laura

[rayya]

Hi thanks for posting this lovely pattern - it was my first go at knitting from the back over to the front and I will definitely try it again. I will also do this pattern again! I made my life pretty difficult because I added stripes and then decided that they wouldn't look good if they went all the way to the edges of the sleeves or neckline. I am extremely happy with the way it turned out though. You can see it on my Ravelry page: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/iridescent/easy-pullover-for-babies-toddlers-and-kids

[Cristina]

I am a new knitter and saw that u mentioned that u were going to re-work a new pattern because of the 4 stitch difference. Is this the new one? And also in the pattern it says to seed stitch for 1 1/4 inches and it looks like more than that on the picture.

[purl bee]

Hi Christina-

Yes, this is the corrected pattern and all the measurements seed stitch instructions are correct.

Thank you for your question!

Molly

[Amy]

My collar looks different than it does in your picture. I looked online on Ravelry and found other people who have completed this sweater. Their collars look similar to mine too. The part in the front where the seed stitchs go into a V shape. Yours has more length from the neck to the bottom of the V. Hard to describe, but if you compare the pictures on Ravelry and yours it is pretty different. Kind of frustrating.

[purl bee]

Amy, Thanks for writing in! I am so sorry this has been frustrating. I looked on Ravelry. You are right, there is a difference in the collars. The pattern for this sweater was written just recently, but it was knit a while back. The sweater was a prototype for another pattern and we just brought it back out of the archives. I am sorry for the discrepancy. The neck can be easily lengthened. You can increase every other row rather than every row. Just be sure to account for the extra distance you are creating here and compensate for it in the body of the sweater. Hope this helps. -Laura

[Amy]

Thanks Laura, I thought I might have been crazy!
As far as increasing every other row, which part in the pattern are you talking about? Under "Shape Front Right/Left Neck"?

[purl bee]

Hi Amy, sorry for my lack of clarity! I was referring to Shape Front Right/Left Neck! -Laura

[Suzy]

Hi there. I am knitting this in the smallest size at the moment and really enjoying the lovely pattern and over-the-top construction.

I am just at the end of the 'Finish Right Sleeve' instruction, and I am a bit confused about when to join the stitches from the two sleeves into a single row for the front section. Is this immediately after the 1 stitch cast-on in the middle of the 'Finish Right Sleeve' row? If so, looking at what I have, I am concerned that the neck opening will be too small to fit over the child's head.

To create the neckline shown in the picture, I wonder if I should be stitching a few extra rows separately on to each sleeve after the bind-offs, and then joining these two sections into one row to finish the rest of the front. Hard to explain! I'd appreciate any advice you can give.

[purl bee]

Hi Suzy,
Under 'Finish Right Sleeve' it tells you to cable cast on, after this you will continue working across the stitches from the Left side. The head opening worked out for our sweater. But if you are concerned with the neck opening, feel free to knit a few extra rows separately on to the Front Right and Front Left after the bind-offs but before working across entire row. It is not how we made our sweater though so I cannot tell you exactly how this will look. Hope this helps. Luck with the sweater. --Laura

[Suzy]

Thanks Laura for your quick and clear reply! I'll give it a try adding the extra rows after the bind-offs and repost to let you know how it goes.

[Lorraine]

HI I am at the part of pattern where I shape back neck:that is done then repeat for a total of 3/4 inch

my question is where it says work in pattern to second marker , work 5 stitches in pattern,( then bind of 29 stitches in pattern) , work in patteren to end I am not sure of where I am binding of the 29 stitches? Where am I at this juncture is this around the neck...any help would be appreciated!!!
thanks Lorraine

[purl bee]

Hello Lorraine,
Those 29 stitches are bound off for the back of the collar or neckline. They are the center 29 stitches.
Please let us know if you have any additional questions.
Laura

[Ajaire]

Hmmm so far this pattern has been great, but I'm stuck in the same spot as Lorraine. For a differen reason though. I am making the smallest size and as I'm working on the two separate sleeves there are four stitches of seed stitching on the left side and five on the right. I'm not sure how this is happening. Can this be right? I bound off the 29 stitches and there are 81 stitches on both sides left. I'm baffled. Please help if you can :)

[purl bee]

Hi Ajaire,
Oh dear, I am not totally sure what has happened. My initial guess is that you bound off one too many, but if the stitch count is correct, I am not totally sure where things went awry. I am sorry to not be of more help? Are you local? Can you stop by the shop? Or do you have a local yarn store that might be able to take a look with fresh eyes?
Laura

[Ajaire]

Thanks for your reply. As long as I know that their isn't supposed to be 4 stitches I can figure out what happened. I though I was going crazy. Seed stitch doesn't even work well with 4 stitches hehe.
Thanks again!

[rachel]

I am converting the pattern and would like to know the rows per inch. Thank You!

[purl bee]

Hi Rachel-

There are 10.5 rows per inch.

Thanks so much for writing in and please let us know if you have any more questions!

Molly

[klara]

Hi, i love the pattern, i am really enjoying knitting it. I was just wondering if the increas
e was always kfb on both sides or purl increase on the purl side. Thanks a lot.

[purl bee]

Hi Klara,
Yes, I used a kfb increase on both the right and wrong sides. You can definitely do a pfb on the wrong side though. Hope this helps.
Laura

[maria]

hello! in Italy we are not yet used to circular needles. is it possible to use straight needles? thank you very much!
maria

[purl bee]

Hi Maria-

Yes, you could use very long straight needles for this project!

Thank you for your question!

Molly

[Ruth]

Have just come across your wonderful pattern have read all the comments and was wondering if you have made this patter to fit a 10 &12 year old yet it is exactly what i have been looking for. Hope to hear from you

regards Ruth

[purl bee]

Hi Ruth-

Unfortunately we don't have this pattern in any larger sizes but thank you so much for your interest and for writing in!

Molly

[Dawn]

really enjoying making the sweater up til this point but just got to the section "finish right sleeve" and got super confused. My understanding of the instructions here make it seem like after I did the 1 cable stitch I would be joining the bottom part of the front right neck to the shoulder part of the top left neck. So discombobulated! what am I missing?

[purl bee]

Hi Dawn,
Thanks for writing in with your questions. It's good to know if portions of the patterns are hard to understand.

After that cable cast on you work the cco stitch(es) in seed stitch, then across the Left Side stitches. The Front Left Side should have been already worked similarly to the Right Side at this point (having worked the Left Sleeve, the Left Neck, etc).

Is there a chance you are confusing the sweater's Left and Right with your Left and Right?
Please let me know if I can help in any way.
Thanks.
Laura

[Anonymous]

Hello. I'm working on this sweater, and I was just wondering:
On the beginning of the back of the sweater, when it says to work five stitches in seed stitch, then work in stockinette stitch, then finish the last five stitches in seed stitch, how exactly do you work stockinette stitch in one row? Should I seed stitch the first five, knit, then seed stitch the last five for that first row following the 1 and 1/4 row of seed stitch? Then on the second row, should I purl instead of knit? Sorry, I'm just very confused.

[purl bee]

Hi Anonymous,

Yes, you are correct. On the right side you will knit the stockinette portion and on the wrong side you will purl the stockinette portion. Just like you thought, that is exactly right.

Thanks for writing in. Please let us know if you have any other questions.
Laura

[Ashleigh]

Hello their,

I found this pattern on revelry day. My husband saw it and he wants one exactly the same. Please could you let me know if you have one for men and where i could find it please.

Many Thanks
Ashleigh