Charming Criss Cross Jacket - Free Knitting Pattern For Women in Paintbox Yarns Wool Mix Super Chunky

Charming Criss-Cross Jacket: Free Knitting Pattern for Women by Paintbox Yarns

The Charming Criss-Cross Jacket is a bold, fashion-forward women's knitted jacket designed and published by Paintbox Yarns. Available as a free downloadable PDF, this intermediate-level pattern produces a striking striped outerwear piece worked in a super chunky weight yarn, making it a relatively quick knit despite its impressive finished look. The jacket features a distinctive criss-cross design detail that elevates it beyond a standard cardigan or coat, giving it a contemporary, structured silhouette.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a women's knitted jacket — a garment that sits comfortably in the category of cardigans and coats. It is designed to fit bust measurements ranging from 81 cm (32 in) to 117 cm (46 in), with eight sizes available in total. The actual measurement at the underarm spans from 100 cm (39¼ in) to 136 cm (53½ in), offering a relaxed, comfortable fit across the chest. The finished length from the back neck measures approximately 52–55 cm (20½–21¾ in) depending on size, and the sleeve seam ranges from 35–37 cm (13¾–14½ in). The result is a wearable, stylish jacket suited to cooler weather, finished with 5 large stud fasteners for a clean, practical closure.

Construction Techniques

The Charming Criss-Cross Jacket is constructed using several well-established knitting techniques that make it accessible to intermediate knitters:

• Bottom-up construction: The jacket is worked from the lower edge upward, a traditional approach that allows knitters to adjust length easily before committing to the armhole and shoulder shaping.
• Worked flat: All pieces are knitted flat on a pair of straight needles rather than in the round, producing separate panels that are later joined together.
• Seamed finishing: The individual pieces — back, fronts, and sleeves — are sewn together after knitting is complete. Seaming at a super chunky gauge is straightforward and creates a sturdy, structured garment.
• Stripes: The pattern incorporates a multi-colour stripe sequence using three distinct yarn colours, adding visual interest and a bold, graphic quality to the finished jacket.
• Criss-cross detail: The signature design element referenced in the pattern name adds a decorative, textural or structural feature that distinguishes this jacket from a plain striped design.

Stitches Used

The Charming Criss-Cross Jacket is worked primarily in stocking stitch (known as stockinette stitch in US terminology), which consists of knit stitches on right-side rows and purl stitches on wrong-side rows. This creates a smooth, flat fabric that is ideal for showcasing the bold stripe colourwork. The pattern tension is set at 9 stitches and 12 rows to 10 cm (4 in) measured over the stitch pattern using 12mm needles. Standard knitting abbreviations used throughout the pattern include knit (K), purl (P), decrease (dec), and working stitches together (tog), among others. The pattern is written in UK terminology with US equivalents provided in italics within round brackets, making it accessible to knitters on both sides of the Atlantic.

Materials: Yarn, Needles, and Notions

The recommended yarn is Paintbox Yarns Wool Mix Super Chunky, a 100g ball yarn that works up quickly on large needles and produces a warm, substantial fabric. Three colourways are used to create the stripe sequence:

• Colour A – Pure Black: 4 [4: 5: 5: 5: 6: 6: 7] × 100g balls
• Colour B – Raspberry Pink: 3 [4: 4: 4: 5: 5: 5: 6] × 100g balls
• Colour C – Pillar Red: 3 [4: 4: 4: 5: 5: 5: 6] × 100g balls

The total yarn requirement varies by size, with smaller sizes requiring as few as 10 balls in total and larger sizes requiring up