Needlecrafts Knitting

Toddler Ballet Wrap Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Ballet dancer lying on the floor
anytka / Getty Images

Your little prima donna will pirouette with delight when she wears this traditionally styled wrap cardigan with designer elements. The knitting pattern features set-in and three-quarter sleeves, attached I-cord ties, and a dainty eyelet pattern. Get ready for curtain calls!

Why We Love This Knit Ballet Wrap Pattern

This adorable toddler ballet wrap is rather easy to knit, though even knitters with intermediate skills will find it a bit of a challenge. Simply follow the pattern and work it step-by-step. It will begin to make sense as you knit.

This knitting pattern uses a few basic stitches to create an eyelet and the cardigan is knit in five pieces: back, two front panels, and two sleeves.

The eyelet pattern is a quatrefoil lace, which has a set of four delicate holes set against a stockinette background. It's not a very holey or loose eyelet so it won't catch on everything your ballerina passes by. 

You will also learn how to do a provisional cast on with this pattern. It's very simple and uses a waste yarn to keep the cast on stitches "live" while you work up the sweater. As you finish each piece, you will not bind-off, either. Instead, the remaining stitches are placed on a holder (again, waste yarn works well). All of these live stitches are used when finishing the sweater.

It's a very fun project on a small scale (2T through 4T), so it will give you a lot of practice with some of these new skills. 

Watch Now: How to Slip Slip Knit

Materials Needed

  • About 270 (280, 310) yards or two (2, 3) skeins medium-weight yarn, preferably cotton or linen
  • Waste yarn in a contrasting color 
  • Size 8 US (5 mm) knitting needles or size needed to obtain gauge
  • One extra needle for three-needle bind-off
  • Size 8 US (5 mm) circular needles
  • Two size 8 US (5mm) double-pointed needles or an additional circular needle
  • Size 8 (5 mm) crochet hook
  • Three stitch holders
  • Tape measure, scissors, and yarn needle

Pattern Gauge and Size

Gauge: Four stitches and six rows per inch in Stockinette Stitch.

Size: Finished sweater is 9 (9.5, 10) inches long in back and measures 21 (22, 24) inches around the chest. For 2T (3T, 4T). Instructions are given for smallest size first with larger sizes in parentheses.​

Pattern Stitch: Quatrefoil Eyelet

  • Row 1: Knit.
  • Row 2 (and all WS rows): Purl.
  • Row 3: K4 (5, 7) *yarn overslip, slip, k, K6. Rep from * to last 6 (7, 8) sts, yo, ssk, K4 (5, 7).
  • Row 5: K2 (3, 5) *knit 2 together, yo, K1, yo, ssk, K3. Rep from * to last 0 (1, 3) sts, K0 (1, 3).
  • Row 7: Repeat row 3.
  • Row 9: Knit.
  • Row 11: K8 (9, 11) *yo, ssk, K6. Rep from * to last 10 (11, 13) sts, yo, ssk, K8 (9, 11).
  • Row 13: K6 (7, 9) *K2tog, yo, K1, yo, ssk, K3. Rep from * to last 4 (5, 10) sts, K4 (5, 10).
  • Row 15: Repeat row 11.
  • Row 16: Purl.
  • Repeat these rows for pattern.

Casting On

Using a crochet hook, crochet a chain of about 60 stitches with your waste yarn (this is called a provisional cast on). Fasten off.

With the main yarn and a crochet hook, pick up 42 (44, 48) stitches in the horizontal bumps along the back of the chain. Transfer stitches from the hook to a needle as you go.

Knitting the Back

  1. On the 42 (44, 48) picked up stitches, work two rows in Stockinette Stitch, beginning with a knit row.
  2. Begin Quatrefoil Stitch Pattern, and work until piece measures approximately 5.5 (5.5, 6.5) inches, ending with Row 16 (16, 8) of the pattern.
  3. Shape armholes: bind off 2 sts at beg of next 2 rows. Then, decrease 1 st at each side on next 2 (2, 3) RS rows, keeping in pattern. There are now 34 (36, 38) stitches.
  4. Continue in pattern until piece measures approximately 9 (9.5, 10.5) inches from beginning edge, ending on either Row 2 or 10 of the pattern.
  5. Final row: K10 (11, 11), bind off 14 (14, 16), K10 (11, 11). Put live stitches on a holder.

The Left Front Panel

  1. Using the same provisional cast on method as for the back, crochet a chain and pick up 42 (44, 48) stitches.
  2. Work 2 rows in Stockinette Stitch.
  3. Work Quatrefoil Stitch Pattern, beginning at row 9. At the same time, at the beginning of next and every following RS row, work decreases as follows: K1, ssk, continue in pattern to end.
  4. Continue until piece measures approximately 5.5 (5.5, 6.5) inches.
  5. Begin shaping armhole by binding off 2 stitches, work to end.
  6. Decrease 1 stitch at the end of next 2 (2, 3) RS rows, continuing with decreases at beginning of RS rows.
  7. Continue until 10 (11, 11) stitches remain, then work straight without further decreases until piece measures 9 (9.5, 10.5) inches.
  8. Put remaining stitches on a holder.

The Right Front Panel

  1. In the same manner as for the left front, cast on 42 (44, 48) stitches.
  2. Work two rows in Stockinette Stitch.
  3. Work Quatrefoil Stitch Pattern, beginning at row 9. At the same time, at end of next and every following RS row, work decreases as follows: work in pattern to last 3 sts, K2tog, K1.
  4. Continue until piece measures approximately 5.5 (5.5, 6.5) inches.
  5. Begin shaping armhole by binding off two stitches, work to end.
  6. Decrease one stitch at beginning of next 2 (2, 3) RS rows, continuing with decreases at end of RS rows.
  7. Continue until 10 (11, 11) stitches remain, then work straight without further decreases until piece measures 9 (9.5, 10.5) inches.
  8. Put remaining stitches on a holder.

Knitting the Sleeves

Remember that you need to make two sleeves. Simply work this section twice or knit them simultaneously on circular needles with two balls of yarn.

  1. Cast on 22 (24, 26) stitches.
  2. Knit one row.
  3. Next row: K1, *K2tog, yo. Repeat from * to last stitch, K1.
  4. Knit one row.
  5. Starting with a RS row, work in Stockinette Stitch. Increase one stitch at each side of fifth and every subsequent sixth row 3 (3, 2) times, then every following fourth row 3 (4, 6) times. There are 36 (40, 44) sts.
  6. Continue in Stockinette until sleeve measures 6.5 (7, 8) inches, ending with a WS row.
  7. Begin shaping sleeve cap by binding off two stitches at beginning of next two rows for all sizes.
  8. Decrease one stitch at each end of next 3 (4, 5) RS rows, then purl one row.
  9. Bind off 3 (3, 4) stitches at beginning of next six rows.
  10. Work 0 (2, 2) rows in Stockinette.
  11. Bind off remaining 8 (10, 6) stitches. 

Finishing the Ballet Wrap

Join shoulder seams using the three-needle bind off, then sew in sleeves.

Unzip crocheted waste yarn edges -- live stitches should be exposed easily.

With right sides facing, transfer 42 (44, 48) stitches along the bottom of Right Front, then 42 (44, 48) stitches along the bottom of Back, then 42 (44, 48) stitches along the bottom of Left Front to a size 8 circular needle. Set aside.

With a very short (12- or 16-inch) size 8 circular (or two size 8 double-pointed needles) cast on five stitches and keeping RS facing. Work an I-cord for approximately 16 inches.

Transfer the five stitches to the circular needle that is holding the Back, Left Front, and Right Front stitches, placing them before the Right Front held stitches. Continue to work the I-cord, but on each row ssk the last stitch of the I-cord with the next stitch at the bottom edge of the wrap, thus working an attached I-cord.

Continue until all the stitches at the bottom edge of the Right Front, Back and Left Front have been worked into the attached I-cord. Continue to work the I-cord by itself for another 16 inches. Bind off.

Sew sleeve and side seams, weave in ends and block to measurements on the schematic.