Cardigans & Sweater in King Cole Melody DK - 4674 - Downloadable PDF

Cardigans & Sweater in King Cole Melody DK – Pattern 4674

This King Cole pattern 4674 is a downloadable PDF featuring a collection of baby and toddler cardigans and a sweater, knitted in King Cole Melody DK yarn. Designed at an intermediate (Easy Knit) level, the pattern covers chest sizes from 31 cm to 51 cm (12 to 20 inches), making it suitable for babies and young children across a range of ages and sizes. Each garment in the collection is worked in a classic, timeless style that is well-suited to the soft, variegated or tonal qualities typical of the Melody DK yarn base.

Garments Included

Cardigans

The pattern includes baby and toddler cardigans designed to be practical, comfortable, and easy to knit. Cardigans at this size range are typically worked in separate pieces — back, two fronts, and sleeves — before being joined with seams. Button bands or borders are usually picked up and knitted along the front edges to complete the garment. The simple, clean construction makes these cardigans an excellent project for knitters building confidence with garment shaping.

Sweater

A baby and toddler sweater is also included in the pattern. Like the cardigans, the sweater is sized from 31 cm to 51 cm chest and is worked in King Cole Melody DK. Sweaters at this scale are typically constructed in pieces — a back, a front, and two sleeves — then seamed together, with a simple neckline finish applied afterwards.

Techniques Used

The primary construction technique throughout this pattern is flat knitting, meaning each piece is worked back and forth in rows on straight needles before being seamed. Key shaping techniques referenced in the pattern include:

• Decreasing – used to shape armholes, sleeves, and necklines, creating neat, fitted edges
• Increasing – used to widen sleeve pieces from the cuff upwards
• Slipping stitches – referenced via the abbreviation s1 (slip one stitch over), used in certain decrease sequences
• Alternating rows – the pattern references alt (alternate) rows, a standard technique in garment shaping where actions such as decreases are worked every other row

Stitches Used

The foundation stitch of these garments is garter stitch, which is produced by knitting every row when working flat. Garter stitch creates a squishy, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges that lies flat without curling — a highly practical choice for baby garments. The stated tension is 21 stitches and 40 rows to 10 cm (4 inches) over garter stitch, which reflects how densely the rows stack in this stitch pattern. Additional stitches referenced in the abbreviations include:

• Knit (K) – the primary stitch used throughout
• Purl (P) – referenced in the abbreviations, likely used for ribbing on cuffs, hems, or neckbands
• Knitting stitches together (tog) – a standard decrease method used in shaping

Materials

Yarn

All garments are knitted in King Cole Melody DK, a double knit (DK) weight yarn. Melody DK is known for its softly blended, self-striping or tonal colourways, which add visual interest to simple stitch patterns like garter stitch without requiring any complex colourwork techniques. This makes it a particularly appealing choice for baby knitwear, where the yarn itself provides decorative character.

Needles

The pattern specifies 4 mm (US size 6) knitting needles, or the size needed to achieve the correct tension. As with all knitting patterns, achieving the stated tension of 21 stitches and 40 rows to 10 cm over garter stitch is essential — knitters are advised to switch to a finer needle if their stitch count is too low, or a larger needle if their stitch count is too high.