The Mini Betty Jumper

By Cardigang Knits Nov 21, 2021

A step by step guide to knitting the Mini Betty Jumper.

Ever gotten half way through a project and thought “Hang on, am I even doing this right?”

We have 🙋‍♀️

That’s why we’ve created these step by step overviews to help guide you through the knitting process.

THE BASICS

If you're a total knitting newbie - WELCOME! 👋 Learning to knit can feel a bit like learning code. We've stripped away the complicated jargon and tried to keep things really simple so even the newest knitter can master the skill 🧶

Before we get started on the pattern it’s a good idea to learn the basic stitches you’ll need to complete your masterpiece. You can use the yarn that came in your kit to practice with. The video below covers every technique you'll need to learn (spoiler - there are only 5!). Learn how to cast on, do a knit stitch, and a purl stitch and put them together to create a rib stitch, lastly, we learn casting off. Once you've got these mastered you'll find this pattern is a cinch!

💭 For more detailed videos of each technique, head down a little further where we've got specific videos for each stitch type.

YOU'VE GOT THIS ⚡️💪

Remember learning a new skill can be a little challenging at first, and you’re bound to find yourself making some mistakes along the way. But as with learning anything, your brain and your hands slowly start to get the hang of it, muscle memory is created, and soon the thing you found tricky/daunting/scary is like second nature!

If you get stuck, reach out to us and we'll give you a (virtual) hand! 😎

TEST YOUR TENSION

Before you start your project, you should make sure your tension (how tightly or loosely your knitting is) is juuuust right 🥣 We do this by knitting a “tension swatch”. It's a bit like goldilocks, if the tension is too tight, your piece will be too small, and if it's too loose it may not hold its shape and might be too big.

If done correctly, your 10x10cm knitted swatch should be 7 stitches wide and 9 rows high. To test this, jump on your needles, cast on around 12 stitches, then knit in stockinette stitch (row 1 knit, row 2 purl) for around 10 rows. Then get a measuring tape and measure out 10x10cm and count your stitches and rows to make sure you're knitting at the correct tension.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Your kit comes with everything you need to knit your masterpiece.

10mm circular needles
15mm straight needles
Chunky Merino yarn
Darning needle

THE TECHNIQUES YOU’LL MASTER

CASTING ON

Casting on is the first step in any project. It's the term we use for getting the wool onto our needles! We recommend using the two-needle technique as it's one of the simplest methods. Two-needle cast on uses your two needles (surprise!), starting with a slip knot on your left needle, each stitch is knitted to form a new loop and this loop is then added to your left needle. You repeat until you’ve made the desired number of stitches.

💭 Casting on, like many things in knitting, can be done in a number of ways - our suggestion is a simple technique but you can pick any that’s right for you.

KNIT STITCH

This handy little stitch makes up the backbone of most knitting patterns. Each knit stitch looks like a little ‘v’.

PURL STITCH

The second most common stitch, purl stitches look like little bumps (or purls!). You knit a knit stitch with your yarn tail at the back of your work and your needle going into the back of the stitch, the purl is the opposite, so your yarn tail is at the front of your work and your needle goes into the front of the stitch.

RIB STITCH

A rib stitch is a textured pattern usually used on the cuffs and necks of jumpers. It’s made by alternating knit and purl stitches in the same row, then knitting the same stitch sequence in the next row.

REDUCING STITCHES

We reduce the number of stitches on our needle by knitting or purling some stitches together. This simply means we put our right needle into the second stitch on your left needle and collect both the first and second stitch and knit them as you would a single stitch.

CASTING OFF

To cast off, knit two stitches then slip the first stitch on your right needle back over the second stitch and off the needle. You’ll have one stitch left on your right needle. Knit another stitch so you’ve got two stitches on your right needle and then slip the first stitch off. Continue to the end of the row. When you’ve got the last stitch on your right needle, cut the yarn and thread this through the final stitch to secure. To see casting off in action watch our "Master The Basics" video above.

OKAY, LET’S KNIT UP A STORM!

THE MINI BETTY JUMPER

We've taken our best seller Betty and shrunken her down for your little one. The same style you know and love, she is a comfy oversized fit and rocks a statement balloon sleeve. Her signature contrast ribbing gives her the right amount of flare.

You can knit the Mini Betty in size 2-3, 4-5, or 6-7. Each piece of the jumper is knitted flat, and at the end we'll stitch each panel together to make your cozy masterpiece. Your pattern is read like this: 2-3 (4-5, 6-7).

BACK

We start with the back panel, it’s the simplest piece of the knit and will give you the confidence as you move onto other pieces. We knit from the bottom up, stating at the rib and going up to the shoulders.

Step 1:

Cast on the required number of stitches using your 10mm circular needles and colour 1 yarn.

Step 2:

Once you've cast on the right number of stitches you move on to the rib. We knit the rib following the instructions in your pattern. Remember to create a rib we knit 1 stitch, then purl the next. Make sure you’re moving your yarn tail from the back to the front of our stitch to ensure the stitch is executed correctly.

Step 3:

Next, we move onto using our 15mm straight needles and into stockinette stitch. This is also where we change colours.

To switch to a different size needle we just hold the new needle (in this case the 15mm straight needle) in our right hand and knit onto the stitch on your 10mm needle in your left hand. Simple!

We always change colours at the end of a row. Watch the video below to see how.

We’ll work the allocated rows of stockinette stitch.

Step 4:

Once we've worked the rows of stockinette we need to cast off our stitches to finish the back piece.

FRONT

Step 1 - 4:

Nice work, you're onto the front piece! Now the front is identical to the back until you get up to shaping the space for your head hole.

⚡️ 💭 Okay, so we're now going to shape the neckline and to do this, we split the work into two shoulders and a space for the head hole. Skip down to watch a video that shows you how to knit the neckline from start to finish.

Step 5:

You're on a purl row, so you'll purl the allocated number of stitches, and then you'll purl two together to decrease the number of stitches in our row.

Step 6:

Next, you'll turn your work over. You'll have a bunch of stitches left on your left needle that you haven't knitted yet- that's fine. Leave them on your needle, for now, we're working up the first shoulder.

Step 7 - 8:

Continue shaping your first shoulder.

Step 9:

Cast off those stitches and your first shoulder is done!

Step 10:

Next you'll rejoin your yarn to the stitch closest to the end of your left needle. Tie a knot with your yarn tail around the base of that stitch. You're ready to keep knitting!

Step 11:

First, we're going to cast off some stitches to create that head hole. Follow the instructions for casting off in the videos above. Then continue onto the second shoulder, purling two stitches together and then purling to the end of the row.

Step 12 - 14:

Continue knitting the second shoulder in stockinette stitch.

Step 15:

Cast off the second shoulder. Front panel D.O.N.E!