Fiðrildaslóð — Children’s Butterfly Yoke Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Fiðrildaslóð — butterfly trail. Védís Jónsdóttir’s children’s cardigan from Ístex’s Lopi 27, knitted in Léttlopi in the round from the bottom up, with a round yoke of butterflies in four tiers — big ones at the bottom, tiny ones by the neck — and the butterflies in the three lower tiers have their bodies and antennae embroidered after the knitting. The hem and cuffs are eyelet rib, the front is cut open, and a crochet border with button loops finishes it. The pattern has two colour versions in sizes 2 to 8 years: blue — lapis blue with a white yoke and butterflies in orange, crimson red, spring green and heaven blue — and red — crimson red with a black yoke and butterflies in sun yellow and white, their bodies embroidered in “golden yarn”. One colour in each version is no longer made: orange (1410) in the blue one and sun yellow (1411) in the red one.

What you get

• The knitting pattern in English (PDF), emailed right after purchase — nothing is posted
• Two colour versions — blue and red
• Four sizes, 2, 3–4, 6 and 8 years
• The yoke chart, with a colour key for both versions
• Yarn and needles are not included. The kits have this pattern and all the yarn: the blue kit or the red kit

Yarn used in the pattern (not included)

Blue cardigan: Léttlopi — 50 g balls · ages 2 (3–4 6 8) years
A 1403 lapis blue — 3 (4 5 5)
B 0051 white — 1 (2 2 2)
C 1410 orange — 1 (1 1 1) · no longer made — the blue kit uses 1704 apricot, a warm ginger orange, a little browner and darker than the bright orange in the photo
D 9434 crimson red — 1 (1 1 1)
E 1406 spring green — 1 (1 1 1)
F 1402 heaven blue — 1 (1 1 1)

Red cardigan: Léttlopi — 50 g balls · ages 2 (3–4 6 8) years — plus “golden yarn for embroidery”, for which the pattern prints no code or amount
A 9434 crimson red — 3 (4 5 5)
B 0059 black — 1 (2 2 2)
C 1411 sun yellow — 1 (1 1 1) · no longer made — the red kit uses 1703 mimosa, a warm golden yellow, close to the yellow in the photo
D 0051 white — 1 (1 1 1)

Sizes

Gauge
18 sts × 24 rows = 10 cm (4″) in stocking stitch on 4.5 mm needles.

Needles
4.5 mm (US 7) circular needles, 40 and 60 cm, for the body and the yoke — the eyelet-rib border at the hem is knitted back and forth on the same needle
3.5 mm (US 4) circular needle, 40 cm, for the neckband
4.5 mm (US 7) double-pointed needles for the sleeves

You will also need
A 3.5 mm (US E/4) crochet hook for the front borders and button loops, and 5–7 small buttons (both in the pattern’s list; it gives no button size); for the red version, the “golden yarn” for the embroidery. The pattern also uses, but does not list, stitch holders (or scrap yarn) for the underarm stitches, a sewing machine and thread for sewing the front before it is cut, and a tapestry needle for the embroidery and the underarms.

How it is knitted
Body and sleeves are knitted in the round from the bottom up. The body is cast on very loosely with 122 (132, 147, 157) stitches in A on the 4.5 mm circular and starts with a border of single eyelet rib — P2, K3, with a small hole in each K3 rib every other row — knitted back and forth. Then 2 purl stitches are cast on at the front for cutting later, the work is joined, 124 (134, 149, 159) stitches, and the body is knitted in A to 21 (24, 27, 30) cm and decreased to 113 (123, 133, 143). The sleeves start with 30 (30, 35, 35) stitches and the same eyelet rib, in the round on double-pointed needles, and are increased to 42 (44, 48, 50). Body and sleeves are joined for the round yoke — 173 (183, 193, 203) stitches — and a 36-round chart with six decrease rounds takes it down to 70 (74, 78, 82): four tiers of butterflies on the yoke colour, B; the smaller sizes leave out marked rounds. On 3.5 mm, in A, the purl stitches are bound off, the neck is decreased to 55 (57, 59, 61) stitches, and 4 rows of K1, P1 rib are knitted back and forth. The underarms are grafted, the front is machine-sewn twice through each column of purl stitches and cut open between the seams, and both fronts get 2 rows of single crochet — in A below the yoke and B on the yoke — with 5–7 button loops of 3 chains on the right front. Last, the butterflies’ bodies are embroidered in duplicate stitch and their antennae in backstitch, the cardigan is rinsed by hand and laid flat to dry, and the buttons are sewn on.

Design: Védís Jónsdóttir — pattern from Lopi No. 27 (no. 1), Ístex.

How you get it — the pattern is a PDF in English. It is emailed to you right after purchase; nothing is posted.

Yarn — not included. We sell Ístex lopi by the ball in our yarn shop, or choose the kit, which has this pattern and all the yarn in one parcel.

No email? Check your spam folder, then write to support@icelandicstore.is with your order number. A person answers, Monday to Friday.