Stjörnur — Children’s Star Zip Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Stjörnur — stars. Védís Jónsdóttir’s children’s cardigan from Ístex’s Lopi 27: a round-yoke Álafosslopi cardigan with a zip up the front and a turn-down collar, covered in bands of five-point stars set in diamonds, with zigzags and stripes between. It is knitted in the round and cut open at the front. The pattern has two colourways in sizes 4 to 10 years, each with its own charts: Stjörnur 1, golden stars in blue and red diamonds with a violet-blue collar and ribs, and Stjörnur 2, white stars in midnight blue diamonds with a monet blue collar and ribs. Ultra violet (9705), monet blue (9735), fire red (9738) and orange rust (9988) are no longer made; the other five colours still are.

What you get

• The knitting pattern in English (PDF), emailed right after purchase — nothing is posted
• Two colourways — Stjörnur 1 (golden stars) and Stjörnur 2 (white stars)
• Sizes 4, 6, 8 and 10 years
• Body, sleeve and yoke charts for each colourway, each with its own colour key
• Yarn and needles are not included. The kits have this pattern and all the yarn: the blue and gold kit or the navy and white kit

Yarn used in the pattern (not included)

Stjörnur 1: Álafosslopi — 100 g balls · ages 4 (6 8 10) years
A 9705 ultra violet — 1 (2 2 2) · no longer made — the blue and gold kit uses 1233 space blue, clearly brighter and more vivid: a strong royal blue rather than the muted violet-blue in the photo
B 9965 chartreuse — 1 (1 1 1)
C 9735 monet blue — 1 (1 2 2) · no longer made — the blue and gold kit uses 1234 blue tweed, close to monet blue, a slightly deeper mid blue tweed, with white flecks where monet’s are many-coloured
D 9738 fire red — 1 (1 2 2) · no longer made — the blue and gold kit uses 0047 happy red, the same clear red, a touch deeper, but plain, without the coloured flecks
E 9964 golden — 1 (1 1 1)
F 9988 orange rust — 1 (1 1 1) · no longer made — the blue and gold kit uses 9971 amber heather, a little browner

Stjörnur 2: Álafosslopi — 100 g balls · ages 4 (6 8 10) years
A 9735 monet blue — 1 (1 2 2) · no longer made — the navy and white kit uses 1234 blue tweed, a little deeper and clearly more vivid than the soft blue in the photo, with white flecks where monet’s are red, orange and purple
B 9965 chartreuse — 1 (1 1 1)
C 0047 happy red — 1 (1 1 1)
D 0709 midnight blue — 2 (2 2 2)
E 0051 white — 1 (1 1 1)
F 9988 orange rust — 1 (1 1 1) · no longer made — the navy and white kit uses 9971 amber heather, a little browner

Sizes

Gauge
13 sts × 18 rows = 10 cm (4″) in stocking stitch on 6 mm needles.

Needles
6 mm (US 10) circular needles, 40 and 60–80 cm — the longer one for the body and the start of the yoke; the pattern doesn’t say where the 40 cm is used (by our reading, the top of the yoke and the collar)
5 mm (US 8) circular needle, 60–80 cm, for the hem rib
4.5 mm (US 7) double-pointed needles for the cuffs and the first part of the collar, and 6 mm (US 10) double-pointed needles for the sleeves

You will also need
A two-way separating zip — the pattern lists a “zipper with 2 slides” and gives no length — and, though the list leaves them out, stitch holders (or scrap yarn) for the underarm stitches, a sewing machine and thread for the steek, matching thread for sewing in the zip, and a tapestry needle for grafting the underarms.

How it is knitted
Body and sleeves are knitted in the round from the bottom up. The body starts with K1, P1 rib in colour A — ultra violet for Stjörnur 1, monet blue for Stjörnur 2 — on the 5 mm circular, by our reading knitted back and forth, as the round is only joined after it. Then 2 purl stitches are cast on at the front for the steek, and the body is knitted in the round on 6 mm from a 56-round chart: bands of five-point stars set in diamonds, with zigzags and stripes between, never more than two colours in a round. The smaller sizes skip the rounds marked on the charts. The sleeves start with K1, P1 rib in A on 4.5 mm double-pointed needles, go on in the round on 6 mm from their own chart, with small crosses in place of stars, and are increased 6 times at the underarm. Body and sleeves are joined for the round yoke, starting with chartreuse (Stjörnur 1) or orange rust (Stjörnur 2): a third chart with a band of big stars, zigzags, stripes and small crosses at the top, and five decrease rounds inside the chart, from 139 (147, 155, 163) to 55 (58, 61, 64) stitches. The collar is K1, P1 rib in A, knitted back and forth: 2.5 to 3 cm on 4.5 mm, then one knit row from the right side and rib on 6 mm to 7 (8, 8, 8) cm, so it turns down. The front is machine-sewn and cut open, the underarms are grafted, and a two-way zip is sewn in.

Design: Védís Jónsdóttir — pattern from Lopi No. 27 (no. 11), 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.