Little Baby Sweater in Quartz
No fuss and no frills, our free Little Baby Sweater knitting pattern is a wonderfully simple striped cardigan designed just for that fleeting newborn moment. We’ve updated this beloved pattern so you can knit it in Quartz, our radiant merino wool and suri alpaca yarn… Sumptuously soft and very special!
Just right for that soft little newborn shape, this darling pattern comes in just one size that will fit most brand-new babies for those special first few months. Knit all in garter stitch, with no shaping and very little sewing, you knit the body from the bottom up in one piece, binding off stitches for the underarm to leave a square little hole for each sleeve. Those clever-yet-easy inset sleeves are picked up and knit sideways, with just the tiniest seams under the arms… Easy and straightforward!
We made the button bands as easy as they can possibly be, too. You actually knit buttonholes on both sides, and then simply sew the buttons over one of the two sides. That means they’ll be placed perfectly every time!
Our Quartz yarn makes this project joyful to knit, beautiful to look at, and so soft and comfy for a new baby to wear. A wonderful mix of 65% merino wool and 35% suri alpaca, this fingering-weight yarn has a subtle halo and a lustrous, lit-from-within quality to every color. Pick two from a palette of very inspiring colors… You only need one skein of each, and you’ll have enough left over to knit another sweater with the colors reversed!
Pick out a set of our adorable Small Corozo Buttons to match, and knit a Little Baby Sweater in Quartz for a new little one in your life! You’ll treasure this sweater and the memories of baby wearing it, wondering, “Were they really ever that tiny?”
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Whitney Van Nes.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!
Materials
- Purl Soho’s Quartz, 65% merino wool and 35% suri alpaca. Each skein of this fingering-weight yarn is 420 yards/ 100 grams.
- Main Color (MC): 1 skein; approximately 215 yards required. We used the color Peony Pink.
- Contrast Color (CC): 1 skein; approximately 60 yards required. We used the color Autumn Oak.
- US 3 (3.25 mm), 16- or 24-inch circular knitting needles
- Four 3/8-inch buttons. We used our Small Corozo Buttons in Kiln Red.
NOTE: This is enough yarn to make two oppositely colored sweaters!
GAUGE
28 stitches and 56 rows (28 ridges) = 4 inches in garter stitch
SIZE
Newborn-6 Months
- Finished Chest Circumference: 18¼ inches, buttoned
- Finished Length from Bottom Hem to Top Shoulder: 9 inches
- Finished Length from Bottom Hem to Underarm: 5½ inches
NOTES
PHOTOS
We originally shared this pattern with step-by-step photos. If you’d like to consult them as you knit your sweater, please visit our original Little Baby Sweater story!
CARRYING UP YARN
For a lot less work at the end, instead of cutting the yarn when you finish a stripe, carry it loosely up the side by holding it in front of the working yarn as you knit the first stitch of the next row.
PATTERN
BODY
With Main Color (MC), cast on 124 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Starting with a wrong-side row…
Knit 5 rows.
Carrying up yarn between stripes (see Note) and starting with a right-side row…
*With Contrast Color (CC), knit 2 rows.
With MC, knit 6 rows.
Repeat from * 7 more times. [9 MC stripes and 8 CC stripes]
With CC, knit 2 rows.
With MC, knit 5 rows, ending with a right-side row. [10 MC stripes and 9 CC stripes; piece measures approximately 5.5 inches from cast-on edge]
Do not cut yarns.
DIVIDE FRONTS + BACK
Division Row (wrong side): Still using MC, k15, bind off 31 stitches for Left Underarm, k32 (includes stitch remaining on right needle after binding off), bind off 31 stitches for Right Underarm, knit to end of row. [62 stitches remain: 15 stitches for Left Front; 32 stitches for Back; 15 stitches for Right Front]
RIGHT FRONT
Working just the 15 Right Front stitches and starting with a right-side row…
*With CC, knit 2 rows.
With MC, knit 6 rows.
Repeat from * 2 more times. [3 MC stripes and 3 CC stripes from Division Row]
With right side facing you, bind off knitwise to end of row.
Cut yarns.
BACK
With right side facing you, working just the 32 Back stitches and joining yarns as needed…
*With CC, knit 2 rows.
With MC, knit 6 rows.
Repeat from * 5 more times. [6 MC stripes and 6 CC stripes from Division Row]
With right side facing you, bind off knitwise to end of row.
Cut yarns.
LEFT FRONT
With right side facing you, working just the 15 Left Front stitches and joining yarns as needed…
*With CC, knit 2 rows.
With MC, knit 6 rows.
Repeat from * 2 more times. [3 MC stripes and 3 CC stripes from Division Row]
With right side facing you and still using MC, bind off knitwise to end of row, leaving last stitch on needle.
Cut CC, but do not cut MC.
LEFT BUTTON BAND
NOTE: For help picking up stitches, please visit our Picking Up Stitches Tutorial and scroll down to the Along A Horizontal Edge video and also the Along A Vertical Edge: Garter Stitch, Between The Ridges step-by-step photos.
With right side still facing you, rotate piece 90 degrees clockwise so Left Front selvage edge is at top.
Continuing with MC, pick up and knit 50 stitches between garter ridges along Left Front edge to bottom corner. [51 stitches total]
Starting with a wrong-side row…
Knit 2 rows.
Buttonhole Row (wrong side): K11, [yarn over (yo), knit 2 together (k2tog), k10] 3 times, yo, k2tog, k2. [4 buttonholes]
Starting with a right-side row…
Knit 2 rows.
With right side facing you, bind off to end of row.
Cut yarn.
RIGHT BUTTON BAND
With right side still facing you, rotate piece 180 degrees so Right Front selvage edge is at top.
With MC and beginning at bottom corner of Right Front, pick up and knit 51 stitches between garter ridges along Right Front edge to top corner (be sure to pick up and knit first stitch between Right Front cast on and first garter ridge).
Starting with a wrong-side row…
Knit 2 rows.
Buttonhole Row (wrong side): K3, [yo, k2tog, k10] 4 times. [4 buttonholes]
Starting with a right-side row…
Knit 2 rows.
With right side facing you, bind off to end of row.
Cut yarn.
RIGHT SLEEVE
Orient piece with right side of Back facing you and right selvage of Back at top.
With MC and leaving a foot-long tail, start at bottom right corner of Back and pick up and knit 24 stitches between garter ridges to top corner of Back; turn work so wrong side is facing you and use a Cable Cast On to cast on 12 stitches; turn work so right side is facing you and making sure cast-on stitches aren’t twisted, pick up and knit 12 stitches down Right Front selvage. [48 stitches total]
**Starting with a wrong-side row and MC…
Knit 5 rows.
*With CC, knit 2 rows.
With MC, knit 6 rows.
Repeat from * 3 more times. [5 MC stripes and 4 CC stripes]
With right side facing you, bind off to end of row.
Cut yarns, leaving an 18-inch tail of MC.
LEFT SLEEVE
Orient piece with right side facing you and selvage of Left Front at top.
With MC and leaving a foot-long tail, start at bottom corner of Left Front and pick up and knit 12 stitches between garter ridges to top corner of Left Front; turn work so wrong side is facing you and use a Cable Cast On to cast on 12 stitches; turn work so right side is facing you and making sure cast-on stitches aren’t twisted, pick up and knit 24 stitches down left selvage of Back. [48 stitches total]
Repeat from ** of Right Sleeve.
SEAM SLEEVES
NOTE: For help seaming, visit our Seaming Garter Stitch Tutorial.
Fold piece so sweater is properly assembled and Back is facing you.
*Thread Left Sleeve’s bind-off tail onto tapestry needle, and starting at bind-off edge, sew Sleeve edges together through four garter stitch ridges, one MC stripe and one CC stripe.
Fold Body’s Underarm in half and insert tapestry needle just under Underarm’s bind-off edge at its halfway point, then seam together back Sleeve and back Underarm, sewing back and forth between Sleeve edge stitches as before and below Underarm bind-off edge.
With Front facing you…
Thread Left Sleeve’s pick-up tail onto tapestry needle and seam together front Sleeve and front Underarm, as you did for Back.
With Front still facing you, repeat from * for Right Sleeve, sewing front Underarm to front of Sleeve first, then flipping sweater over to sew back Sleeve to back Underarm.
FINISHING
Sew buttons on top of either set of buttonholes. Traditionally, buttons for girls go on Left Front and for boys on Right Front.
Weave in the ends and gently block your Little Sweater!
LEARN ABOUT QUARTZ + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
Quartz brings a special glow to this project! A wonderful mix of 65% merino wool and 35% suri alpaca, this fingering-weight yarn is lustrous, radiant, and sumptuously soft. The addition of suri gives this yarn a lovely halo and subtle luminosity, while merino brings strength, elasticity, and of course, beauty. Choose from tons of gorgeous colors you’ll only find at Purl Soho!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collection of (mostly free!) Quartz knitting patterns and cast on!
More Fingering-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of fingering-weight yarns
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial!
More Yarns With Similar Fibers
- Shop merino wool yarn
- Shop suri alpaca yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Love the quartz baby sweater. How much is the quartz per skein?
Hi Susan,
Thank you for writing in! We are thrilled you love this sweater as much as we do! Quartz is currently on sale as of today but you can find all of the pricing information here on our Quartz product page.
Please let us know if you have any other questions along the way!
All the best,
Gavriella
Can’t wait to try this great pattern but my baby granddaughter is already 5 months old! Is there a way to make this larger or do you have another pattern that would lend itself to this lovely stripping?
Hi Carol,
Thank you for writing in! I’d recommend going up a few needle sizes and using a thicker yarn weight for a larger version of this pattern.
I hope this helps and happy making!
Warmly,
Gavriella
I would love to make this sweater for a three year old. Any plans to expand the sizes?
Hi Barbara,
I’ll let our design team know you’re interested in seeing more sizes for this pattern! They have not made them yet, but will keep your suggestion in mind for the future.
All the best,
Lili
Hi looking to make this adorable baby sweater, would the yarn be ok for a warm climate like Arizona. Please if not what yarn do you suggest
Hi Carmela,
Thanks for writing in! I think Quartz would definitely be suitable for a warmer climate. It is made from alpaca and merino wool, but it’s quite thin, so it doesn’t hold the heat in as much as other animal fiber yarns. If you want a plant fiber option though, then Santolina would be perfect! That yarn is made from a mix of cotton, bamboo, and hemp, and we love using it for baby items.
Thank you so much for getting g back to me!🙂
Is there a pattern for this in adult sizes?
Hi Cathleen,
I’m afraid we haven’t designed a version of this pattern in adult sizes yet, but I’ll certainly pass along your interest in seeing this!
All the best,
Lili
Beautiful sweater, love knityinb with Alpaca..Woolens..love the pattern..
Hi, I just love your patterns.
Do you perhaps have a printed book on your knitting for sale? Please
Hi Gwen,
We’re so happy to hear that! I’m afraid that we haven’t created a physical book of our own patterns, but we do carry some other knitting books on our website!
All the best,
Lili
This is the cutest sweater. Do you have this pattern or a similar one in an adult size? Would love to make one for my teenage granddaughters. If not could this pattern be adjusted for a larger size?
Thanks,
Betty
Hi Betty,
We’re so glad you like this pattern! I’m afraid that our design team has only created one size for this pattern though. They found that the shape best fit the proportions of a very small baby, but you’re welcome to adjust it for a larger size if you want! What you’d need to modify is the stitch count at the beginning to make it wider around the chest, as well as how many rows you knit to make it longer. You’d also need to calculate new stitch counts for the front/back/sleeve division that are proportional to the original stitch counts. Because these modifications end up being pretty extensive, we’d only recommend this for an advanced knitter, but if you’re feeling up for the challenge, you’re welcome to give it a try!
All the best,
Lili
This along with other baby, toddler, and kids knit patterns will be great to knit up or crochet up to donate to shelters and hospitals. Alot of parents, or children don’t have warm clothes and shelters and hospitals don’t always have funds to provide.
So beautiful, can one buy it here in SA.
Hi Wilma,
Thanks for reaching out! We don’t have any stockists overseas, but we do ship internationally. We ship to South Africa fairly often, in case you were curious about that too. I recommend going through our shipping page for more details on pricing and average delivery times.
Please do not hesitate to let us know if you have any other questions or concerns, as we are always happy to help our global community of makers!
All the best,
Lili
I have used this pattern twice; fun to knit and adorable on tiny babies. In fact, one mom put it on the teddy bear after the baby busted out of it! That said, as beautiful as this yarn is, I would never recommend gifting new parents with something that is not machine washable! There are many nice superwash wools available. Perhaps you could suggest some to knitters considering this lovely pattern.
Hi Amy,
We totally understand preferring to use a machine washable yarn for baby items! Santolina would be a wonderful option for this sweater since it’s also a fingering weight yarn. Santolina is made from a mix of cotton, bamboo, and hemp, so it’s super soft and perfect for baby items!
All the best,
Lili
I am knitting the little baby sweater and am confused by the sleeve pattern….Can you break it down a little more..
.
Not sure where to start the pickup and where the cast -ons are started
Thank you
Hi Carole,
Thanks for writing in! In our original Little Baby Sweater pattern, we included many photos throughout. I think taking a look at those will really help you visualize how the sleeves are worked! I’d recommend starting with that, but please don’t hesitate to reach out if any other questions come up.
All the best,
Lili
well this is pretty adorable!
and fun to knit..
I used a black main color and 5 different colors for CC..
its like a licorice-all-sorts cardigan!
I am very happy..
thanks so much for this pattern..