A soft cotton-and-silk DK-weight yarn takes center stage this week. This post moves from swatching tricks to a full toddler’s tunic pattern. It covers getting more mileage out of a gauge swatch, four free patterns to try, and knitting a seamless little tunic from hem to shoulder.
About the yarn
This yarn blends strands of softly spun cotton with tightly twisted silk. This gives it strength along with a soft cotton hand. The recommended tension is 21 stitches to 4″ [10cm] on a US 6 [4mm] needle.
Make your swatch do double duty
A gauge swatch does not have to end up in a drawer. Knitting a swatch larger than the usual four-inch minimum reveals more about a yarn. It shows how the yarn develops a halo, whether it sheds, and how accurate the tension really is over a wider area. An eight-inch [20cm] square works well for both an accurate gauge check and a second life afterward.
Many hospitals and cancer centers welcome hand-knit squares for patient blankets. A machine-washable yarn suits that purpose well. A generous swatch can also double as a face cloth or dish cloth once it’s served its gauge-checking purpose. Some knitters even wash a swatch alongside the finished garment. This keeps a bit of matching yarn on hand, ready for future repairs.
The humble gauge swatch, elevated. This piece, made in Flax Lace, another Fibra Natura yarn, is a perfect handkerchief to put in with a bride’s bouquet for her “something blue.”
Four free patterns to try
Four free patterns highlight this type of yarn. A cabled cardigan mimics the look of water rushing over rocks, sized from small through 2X. Download the free pattern here. A tunic-length shell top fits a bust from 32″ to 56″ [81 to 142cm]. Its shoulder seams run straight to the armhole edge. Download the free pattern here. A relaxed T-shirt adds its sleeves right at the underarm, with no separate pieces to sew in. Download the free pattern here. A matching children’s version follows the same construction, sized from 2 through 10. Download the free pattern here.
Four free patterns
Knit a tunic in the round
A toddler’s tunic knits up quickly in this same soft yarn. It’s worked in the round from the hem to the bodice. The skirt starts in a seed stitch band, worked in one color. It then shifts through two more colors before settling into the main shade for the body. Decreases placed at each side taper the skirt gradually. Stitch markers keep the shaping symmetrical on both sides. The pattern is written for three toddler sizes. Finished chest measurements run 20″, 22″, and 24″ [51, 56, and 61cm].
This tunic will fit a size 2 toddler. The pattern has been written for 12-18 months, size 2, and size 4.
Shape the bodice
At the bodice, the piece switches to a smaller needle and flat, back-and-forth knitting. A seed stitch trim around the shoulder straps adds structure exactly where a garment needs it most. The shoulder seams essentially act as the hanger for the whole piece. Short, simple armhole shaping trims the sides evenly. The neckline then splits the stitches into two straps that meet at the shoulders.
Finish with mattress stitch
Finishing brings the whole tunic together. Whip stitch joins the shoulder seams, using leftover yarn tails to cut down on extra ends. A short mattress stitch seam closes each underarm. It’s worked by picking up the little “bumps” along both edges in an alternating pattern. This single technique makes the biggest difference between a knit that looks handmade and one that looks truly professional. Any remaining tails get split into individual plies. Weaving each ply in a different direction anchors them securely and keeps them invisible from the right side.