Seedling Knit Baby Sweater and Hat

Introducing our newest knit, the Seedling Knit Baby Sweater and Hat. This little raglan set knits up seamlessly from the top down, so there’s no seaming when you’re finished, just weave in a few ends and it’s ready to wear. We sized it for four stages, 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12 months, so you can knit it once for a shower gift or make the next size up as your own little one grows.

The body is simple stockinette, broken up by a few rounds of a small textured stitch we’re calling the seed cluster, just enough visual interest to keep your hands moving without turning into a project you have to concentrate on. We knit ours in a washable, soft bamboo-cotton yarn and have provided other yarn suggestions for your perusal.

Between the sweater and the matching hat, this is a weekend-sized project once you get into the rhythm of the raglan increases, and it makes a sweet gift any recipient will be thrilled to receive. The full four-size pattern, with photos at every step, is below.

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Materials Needed

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• 3mm (US 2/3) circular knitting needles, 40cm cable
• Approximately 340 (510, 675, 675) yards of DK weight yarn.
• Stitch markers (8 for the sweater yoke, 2 for each sleeve)
• Waste yarn for holding sleeve stitches
• Tapestry needle
• Scissors

Yarn Suggestions

For this pattern, we used two strands of Jubilee Yarn Baby Soft Bamboo Cotton Super Fine (say that 10x fast!) held together. We loved this bamboo cotton yarn; the price was right, and it’s machine washable, which matters when you’re knitting for a baby. The only catch is that on its own, it’s a fine, almost fingering-weight strand, and knitting an entire sweater at that gauge would have taken a lot longer than we wanted. Holding two strands together solved that: same yarn we already liked, same price point, same easy care, just knit at roughly double the gauge so the project moves along at a reasonable pace.

Doubling is also just a useful trick to have in your back pocket beyond this pattern. It lets you combine two different yarns to get properties neither one has on its own, holding a strand of mohair with a strand of wool for extra halo, for instance, or pairing a plain cotton with a subtle metallic thread for texture without buying a specialty yarn. Once you know how to do it, you’re no longer limited to whatever weight a mill happens to spin.

A few practical notes when using two strands: keep tension even by winding both strands into a single ball ahead of time if you can, rather than pulling from two separate ones as you go. Watch that both strands are feeding at the same rate, since if one goes slack you’ll get uneven stitches. And when you join a new ball partway through, stagger the join points of the two strands a few stitches apart so you don’t end up with a noticeably thick spot in one place.

The two strands of this fingering-weight yarn held together are equivalent to a Sport/DK yarn, so that’s we based this pattern on. If you’d like to use the double strands of the Jubilee Yarn Baby Soft Bamboo Cotton Super Fine, you’ll need 2 (3, 4, 4) skeins.

Other Yarn Suggestions

Cascade Cherub DK, a nylon-acrylic blend, machine wash warm and tumble dry, no special handling needed. Runs about three to four dollars a ball, with roughly 180 yards per fifty grams, one of the more affordable picks on this list.

Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, a merino-cashmere-acrylic blend, machine wash on a gentle cold cycle and lay flat to dry rather than tumble drying. It’s a splurge yarn, typically nine to eleven dollars a ball, with about 137 yards per fifty grams.

Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK, a bamboo viscose and wool blend, similar in spirit to what we used, machine washable on a gentle 40-degree wool cycle, lay flat to dry. Around five to six dollars a ball, roughly 104 yards per fifty grams.

Rico Design Baby Classic DK, an acrylic-nylon blend, machine wash cold on gentle. Budget-friendly, typically four to five dollars a ball, about 165 yards per fifty grams.

Bernat Softee Baby Cotton, a cotton-acrylic blend, machine wash on delicate and tumble dry gentle. Widely available at craft stores, usually six to seven dollars for a 120 gram ball with 254 yards, a good option if you are looking for familiar big-box yarn.

NO MATTER WHAT YARN YOU CHOOSE, knitting a gauge swatch is vitally important to ensure your sweater is the size you wanted.

Gauge

20 sts × 27 rows = 3.5″ × 3.5″ after steam blocking,

Tip: Gauge is important for achieving the correct finished size. Work a swatch before casting on and adjust needle size as needed.

Finished Measurements

• To fit: 0–3 months, 3–6 months, 6–9 months, 9–12 months.
• Sweater: 8¼” (9¼”, 9½”, 9¾”) tall, 8½” (9″, 9¼”, 9½”) wide. Sleeves are 5″ (5½”, 6″, 6½”) from underarm to cuff.
• Hat: 6″ (6⅝”, 7¼”, 7¾”) wide, 4½” (4¾”, 5″, 5¼”) tall.

Abbreviations

• k — knit
• p — purl
• k1fb — knit into the front and back of the same stitch (increase)
• k2tog — knit 2 stitches together (decrease)
• PM — place marker
• SM — slip marker
• BOR — beginning of round
• rnd(s) — round(s)
• st(s) — stitch(es)
• rep — repeat

Notes

• The sweater is worked seamlessly from the top down in the round.
• Raglan increases are worked every round until the yoke reaches 3 (3.25, 3.5, 3.5) inches.
• Sleeve stitches are held on waste yarn while the body is worked, then picked up and finished separately.
• The hat is worked separately, from the brim up to the crown.

Tips for Success

• Knit a gauge swatch and adjust your needle accordingly.
• Use a different colored marker for the beginning of the round versus the four raglan markers, it makes the increase rounds much faster to read at a glance.
• Keep an eye on tension where the two strands join at each new skein, that’s usually where unevenness sneaks in.
• Block the finished pieces before seaming in ends. It relaxes the seed cluster texture and makes the stitch definition pop.

Looking for More Knit Baby Patterns

You’ve come to the right place!

Dandelion Baby Blanket — A textured knit blanket with a signature dandelion stitch that draws up three loops for a sweet dimensional effect. Finished with an optional i-cord border for a polished, heirloom look.

Knit Teddy Bear Pattern — A sturdy, sweet bear worked mostly in the round with minimal seaming, shaped with German short rows for a gently rounded snout. A lovely keepsake gift on its own or paired with a blanket.

Grace Baby Blanket: Rosebuds and Ruffles — Sweet little rosebuds scattered across a simple knit and purl body, finished with a soft crochet ruffle edge. Approachable enough for anyone who can knit and purl.

Baby Blanket Knitting Pattern: Argyle and Diamonds — A reversible argyle body framed by a diamond seed stitch border and a crochet picot edge. Coordinates with the Little Diamonds hat below for a matching gift set.

Lattice Lace Baby Blanket — A lattice lace stitch that repeats into a heirloom-looking pattern without heirloom-level difficulty, finished with a crochet border. One of the most economical blankets on the site, just five skeins start to finish.

Cloverleaf Eyelet Baby Blanket — A lace cloverleaf eyelet stitch body finished with a matching crocheted cloverleaf border, one of the most loved patterns on the site and a frequent go-to baby gift for readers.

Knitted Baby Blanket Pattern: Polka Dots and Baubles — A reversible polka dot body in knit and purl stitches, finished with an optional crocheted bauble edge shown step-by-step in a video tutorial.

Baby’s Knitted Hat Pattern: Little Diamonds — A quick, seamless hat knit in the round from the bottom up, sized preemie through six months. Ready in as little as two hours and uses barely any yarn.

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