The Little Nydia Cardigan is here! đŸ„ł

"Knit-worthy."

When you hear that phrase, do you have a friend or family member that instantly pops into your mind?

For me, one of the few people that I would knit for without hesitation is my husband’s cousin, a sweet soul who I've had the privilege of watching grow from a shy preteen into a confident young woman now in her twenties. She asks for and expects nothing but appreciates and cherishes anything given to her. On top of that, she is extremely generous, and—although not a knitter herself—she always notices, compliments, and starts a conversation about what I'm currently knitting. Actually, while writing this, I have remembered lots of ways she has been involved in several of my patterns' stories going back to 2018. I even designed and knit my Aslyn hat especially for her! She truly is one of my favorite people in the world.

So, when she told us that she was pregnant with her first child in early 2021, the next words out of my mouth after “Congratulations! I’m so excited for you!” were â€œI’m going to knit for the baby!” 

Parents aren't lying when they say their kids grow up in the blink of an eye! The baby ended up being a toddler before I could knit anything for her. đŸ€Ș But, once the idea was firmly fixed in my mind, everything fell perfectly into place and the knitting itself took me less than a month from start to finish—even with frequent breaks to just stop and admire the cuteness that was happening on my needles.

And that brings me to the reason for today's post:

I'm so excited to share that the Little Nydia Cardigan pattern is now available and ready to bring joy to your needles and loved ones too!

 
 

I knew this cardi would be cute when the idea first came to me, but it really turned out even better than I could have imagined!

As the name suggests, the pattern is the kids' version of the adult cardigan with the same name, written in nine sizes to fit a range of ages from 3 months up to 12 years old. And, oh my goodness, this size range resulted in the most adorable test knit I've ever had the privilege of running! Testers shared stories about the kiddos they knit for absolutely loving their cardigans and wearing them proudly. A few others mentioned that once the little one had the cardigan on, there was absolutely no taking it off or else a full-on meltdown would happen.

Knit-worthy indeed! đŸ„°

 
 

After seeing all the test knitters' pictures, I was so excited to take the pattern photos with my intended recipient and little model. Her mama is a natural in front of the camera, so it came as no surprise that she was too. But don't let that face and her perfect poses fool you! 

Because we wanted photos that weren't forced, we let her do her own thing and simply followed her around with the camera as she explored the yard. We also had to provide frequent "noms"—what she adorably calls pieces of candy—to keep her happy and occupied as long as possible. As you can imagine with a two-year-old, though, things dissolved into chaos pretty quickly. The photoshoot ended kind of like a “trash-the-dress” session: dirt, moss, sparkling water, and maybe even a little bit of Tootsie Roll 'juice' covered the front of the dress and the cardigan. 😅

 
 

This picture didn't even capture the worst of it! 😆 We took that as our cue to wrap up the session and let her get back to living her best toddler life.

Now you're probably wondering, "How did the cardigan hold up?!"

It was as good as new with a little lint rolling, a re-soak of part of the button bands, and laying in the sun to dry for a few hours. In fact, we cleaned up the whole outfit and got together for a few more pictures the next day, and the first photo I shared above is actually from the end of that session. I'd say this was a great test of the cardigan and a testament to the suitability of the amazing yarn—Hazel Knits Lively DK—for life with a toddler! 

This will certainly not be the last time I knit something for this special little girl, and she now has a baby brother who I'm also very excited to wrap up in adorable knits. đŸ„°

 
 

Pattern Details

Worked seamlessly from the top down with short row neckline and compound raglan shaping, this cardigan features lateral braids that separate the ribbed edgings from the focal stitch pattern, a simple yet luxurious all-over lace texture. The tiny size together with a DK weight yarn make for a fun, quick-to-knit garment.

  • 9 sizes, to fit ages 3–6 months (6–12 months, 12–18 months, 18–24 months, 2–4 years) [4–6 years, 6–8 years, 8–10 years, 10–12 years]

  • Uses 295–1018 yards (270–931 meters) of DK weight yarn

  • Pattern has been thoroughly tech edited and test knit and is packed with detailed notes, video links, and other features that will help you successfully make a garment you will be excited and proud to gift.

  • Available on Ravelry, Etsy, or my website

Will this little cardi find its way onto your needles? Please let me know if so! I can't wait to see your project and hear all about your knit-worthy recipient too! 💚

pattern releaseVanessa Smith1 Comment