Knitting for Olive – Olive's Wrap – Knitting Kit in Merino
Designed by Pernille Larsen – Knitting for Olive
Olive's Wrap is a little wrap-front cardigan for a baby, the sort that crosses over at the front and fastens to one side rather than doing up down the middle. That construction is the point: there is no fiddling with buttons over a wriggling middle, and it stays put.
It is worked flat from the bottom up, with the two fronts and the back all knitted as one piece up to the armholes. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, then joined to the body and the whole thing is shaped to the shoulders with raglan decreases. There are two ways to finish it, and the pattern gives you both: buttons with crocheted loops, or knitted i-cord ties.
It is knitted in Knitting for Olive Merino, a 100% non-mulesed merino 4ply that is soft enough to go straight against a newborn's skin without a second thought.
Skill Level: Intermediate ★★★
The fabric is plain stocking stitch and there is no chart, but the construction asks a bit of you. The sleeves are worked in the round on double-pointed needles at a very small circumference, then joined to the body, and the raglan decreases run through that join. It is a small garment, which means the fiddly bits come round quickly rather than being spread out.
Sizes: 0-1 (3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24) months
Finished measurements
- Length from shoulder to edge: 20 (22, 25, 27, 30, 34, 37) cm, or 7¾ (8¾, 9¾, 10¾, 11¾, 13½, 14½)"
- Circumference at chest: 39 (43, 47, 51, 56, 60, 64) cm, or 15¼ (17, 18½, 20, 22, 23½, 25¼)"
- Sleeve length from underarm to cuff: 12 (13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21) cm, or 4¾ (5, 5½, 6, 6¾, 7½, 8¼)"
Gauge: 28 stitches and 38 rows = 10 cm (4") in stocking stitch on 3 mm / US2.5 needles.
The Kit Includes
- Knitting for Olive Merino in your chosen colourway, in the quantity for your size
- Printed pattern in English
You'll Also Need
- 3 mm / US2.5 circular needle, 40 cm or 60 cm
- 3 mm / US2.5 double-pointed needles, for the sleeves
- Stitch markers
- Waste yarn or stitch holders
- If you finish with buttons: small buttons and a 2.5 mm or 3 mm crochet hook
- If you finish with i-cord ties: nothing extra
A note on the needles
You need both. The body is worked back and forth on the circular, used like a short straight needle, and 40 cm is plenty at these sizes. The sleeves are worked in the round on a circumference far too small for any cable, so the double-pointed needles are not optional there. If you prefer, magic loop on a long circular will do the same job.
Choosing how to finish it
Buttons look neater and are the traditional finish, but they need a crochet hook and a handful of small buttons you supply yourself. The i-cord ties need nothing beyond what is already in the kit, and are arguably the safer choice for a very young baby. Either way the pattern walks you through it, so you can decide when you get there rather than now.
Techniques used
- Stocking stitch worked flat
- Body worked in one piece to the armholes
- Working a small circumference in the round on double-pointed needles
- Joining sleeves to the body
- Raglan decreases
- Either crocheted button loops, or knitted i-cord ties
Why You'll Love It
- A wrap front means no buttonholes to line up down the middle, and nothing digging in when a baby is lying on their back.
- Two ways to fasten it, decided at the end rather than the beginning.
- One of the quickest garments in the range. Two balls covers everything up to six months.
- 100% non-mulesed merino, soft enough to go straight next to newborn skin.
- Seven sizes from newborn to two years, and the wrap front gives it a little room to grow.