Baby Mandarin Jacket

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CA$9.00

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Asian-inspired style for little tykes!

Add playful, modern flair to any little one’s wardrobe with this Asian-inspired baby cardigan. Featuring a stand-up collar, raglan shaping, and bold garter stitch stripes, this seamless design is worked from the top down with minimal finishing and a comfy, boxy fit that leaves room to grow.

Choose from long sleeves, short sleeves, or a vest-style version for any season. Knit flat using the intarsia technique to build the button band as you go, then finish the sleeves in the round. Perfect for confident beginners and a great way to use up colourful bulky-weight yarn from your stash. Cast on today!

PROJECT LEVEL: Easy

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Digital download includes:

PDF (standard) - best for printing or for sighted knitters

See “Accessibility” for more information about file types.

About Design

Construction

Cardigan is worked flat from the neck down. Arm stitches are held until the body is complete. Button band is worked with the body.

Sizes

6 months
12 months
18 to 24 months

Finished Garment Measurements

This pattern has a great deal of positive ease to allow it to fit over clothing, and is meant to be loose. Alteration instructions included.

6 months: 21-inch (or 52.5 cm) chest and 10 inches (or 25 cm) long
12 months: 26-inch (or 65-cm) chest and 11.5 inches (or 28.75 cm) long
18 to 24 months: 27-inch (or 67.5-cm) chest and 13 inches (or 32.5 cm) long

Supplies

Yarn

2 to 3 skeins bulky-weight yarn with 150 metres in 100 grams (or 164 yards in 3.53 ounces) that knits to gauge in two colours as follows:

Colour A (garter stitch areas): 1 skein
Colour B (stockinette stitch areas): 1 skein EXCEPT 18- to 24-month long-sleeved variation will need two skeins

About yarn choice:

I recommend a plied soft Superwash wool yarn for warmth and ease of care, but an acrylic yarn is a hardy and washable substitute for baby clothing.

See “About Samples” below for more.

Needles

6.0 mm (US 10 or UK 4) needles, both straight and double-pointed (for sleeves) OR use a 24-inch (or 60-cm) circular needle to replace both.

Notions

7 (8, 9, 9) 18-mm (¾-inch) buttons
yarn needle
16-inch (40-cm) scraps of yarn for stitch holders
stitch markers (10)
needle and thread for sewing on buttons

Gauge

15 stitches and 20 rows = 4 inches (or 10 cm) in stockinette stitch knit flat.

About Samples

Turquoise & White and Orange & Silver Samples:

Bernat Softee Chunky, a plied 100% acrylic bulky yarn with 150 metres in 100 grams (or 164 yards in 3.53 ounces) that works up to 15 stitches per 4 inches (or 10 cm) on 6 mm (US 10 or UK 4) needles. Discontinued and replaced with another yarn of the same name but a different gauge. See suggested substitutes below.

Turquoise & white: Size 18 to 24 months. Model is an almost-two-year-old girl.
Orange & silver: Size 18 to 24 months.

Blue & Green and Red, Teal, & Grey Samples:

Patons Shetland Chunky, a plied 75% acrylic and 25% wool bulky-weight yarn with 136 metres in 100 grams (or 148 yards in 3.53 ounces) that works up to 15 stitches per 4 inches (or 10 cm) on 6 mm (US 10 or UK 4) needles. Discontinued. Both samples: 12-month size.

Suggested yarn substitutes

Knit Picks Brava Bulky, a plied 100% acrylic bulky-weight yarn with 124 metres in 100 grams (or 136 yards in 3.53 ounces) that works up to 15 stitches per 4 inches (or 10 cm) on 6 mm (US 10 or UK 4) needles.

Knit Picks Swish Bulky, a plied 100% merino Superwash wool yarn with 125 metres in 100 grams (or 137 yards in 3.53 ounces) that works up to 15 stitches per 4 inches (or 10 cm) on 6 mm (US 10 or UK 4) needles.

Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash Bulky, a plied 100% Highland Superwash wool bulky-weight yarn with 125m in 100 grams (or 137 yards in 3.53 ounces) that works up to 15 stitches per 4 inches (or 10 cm) on 6 mm (US 10 or UK 4) needles.

Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Grande, a plied 100% Superwash wool bulky-weight yarn with 201 metres in 200 grams (or 220 yards in 7.06 ounces) that works up to 15 stitches per 4 inches (or 10 cm) on 6 mm (US 10 or UK 4) needles.

Techniques & Resources

Skills you will need:

Knit
Purl
Make a gauge swatch in stockinette stitch.

All other skills are explained.

Techniques used:

Knitting flat on straight needles
Knitting in the round on double-pointed needles or circular needles.
Increasing and decreasing
Long Tail Cast On
Intarsia colour twisting
Backward Loop Cast On
Basic Bind Off

Included resources:

A comprehensive list of links to online tutorials on my website for necessary skills. Tutorials are screen-reader accessible, with instructions relayed fully in text, and also include videos and downloadable photo tutorials.
Full glossary
Instructions for alterations
Written instructions for creating the intarsia twist to prevent holes at the button band.

Publishing Information

Release Date: 2012

Most recent revision: May 2023

Publisher: My Secret Wish Publishing

Knitting pattern type: Multiple Design Options

Project type: Jacket, Vest

Page Count: 7

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING NOTICE: This pattern is copyright My Secret Wish by Talena. Your purchase of this pattern gives you the right to use it for personal, non-profit use only. To license the pattern to use for profit, please e-mail me for permission. You do NOT have the right to print the pattern for other people (unless they reside in your household) or to transfer the digital file to any other person. This pattern may not be sold, copied, or distributed in any way.

Update History

December 2022:

Revised formatting of PDF to align with current template style. Clarified language where necessary. Converted PDF to be screen reader accessible.

May 18, 2023:

Updated URLs for new store and social links.

You will get a PDF (3MB) file

FAQs

Your instant download is a ZIP folder containing your pattern files.
If you need help unzipping and accessing your downloaded files, see the instructions on this page: Access Downloaded Files.
It is impossible to accept returns on digital items. However, I want you to be happy with your purchase, so if you are dissatisfied for any reason, please contact me and I will do my best to see that you are.
All Formats
Colour Blind Accessible: All text is black or very high-contrast, and no colour is used to relay pattern instructions.
Left-Handed Mirror Knitting Inclusive: Instructions are given in terms of hand dominance and working needles, not right and left hands.

Please check the pattern description to see which of the following apply to this design.
PDF (standard)
- This document can be navigated using bookmarks that link directly to various sections.
- All images have ALT-text descriptions.
- Fonts are embedded in the document, and it retains its original formatting.
- Any charts are also fully written out.
- Text uses minimal abbreviations to make the pattern easier to understand, and is written in plain language.
- Best for printing or sighted knitters.
PDF (Screen Reader Accessible Large-Print)
This document is a screen-reader-accessible PDF which can be read aloud using text-to-speech options and navigated via document headers. However, fonts may not be embedded and may display improperly. The document uses Verdana font at minimum 24 points. All text is in a single column and left-justified with no italics. Text uses plain language with no abbreviations.
All images have ALT-text descriptions. Any charts are also fully written out. If this pattern contains charts, they are at an appropriate scale for Large Print. If the chart is large and will need to be pieced from several pages, the chart will be available separately.
The document was tested using Adobe Reader on a PC and an Android phone.
Plain-Language EPUB
This document has been edited so text makes sense and flows smoothly when read aloud, and no abbreviations are used. Each section is bookmarked as a chapter. It can be read aloud by an eReader or the font can be resized using eReader settings. The pattern sections can be read straight through without having to return to earlier sections unless you need to refer to something such as a note, technique, or stitch explanation. All images have captions to explain context, but they are not necessary to understand the pattern. If the pattern includes charts, large-scale charts are also available in a separate Large-Print PDF, and all charted instructions are also written out.
EBooks are tested on a Windows PC (using the free Calibre e-reader, which you can get on their website here) and an Android phone using the Google Play Books app.
I’m here to help. If you have questions about this item or your transaction or you need pattern support, please contact me, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. – Talena

Talena Winters wears a textured scarf and smiles at the camera.

About My Secret Wish Knitting

Hi! I’m Talena Winters (a.k.a. the Yarn Mermaid).

I started My Secret Wish Knitting in 2010 to empower and delight knitting heroes like you who want to elevate your knitting and make magic with yarn. When I’m not concocting new yarn potion recipes, I’m creating story magic as a fantasy and romance author and fiction editor (at talenawinters.com). I live with my family and pets in the Peace Country of northern Alberta, Canada, where sweater weather lasts at least nine months a year and my closest neighbours are bears and wood nymphs.

This website is a labour of love by a team of one (me!). If you found value here, please support the effort by purchasing a pattern. If you want more knitting magic, check out my community events and newsletter in the Knitting Circle. We’d love to have you!