Coats & Hat in King Cole Smarty DK - 4315 - Downloadable PDF

Coats & Hat Knitted in King Cole Smarty DK – Pattern 4315

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from King Cole (pattern number 4315) provides instructions for making a classic round neck coat and a matching hat for babies and young children. The pattern covers a size range of 41–66 cm (16–26 inches), making it suitable for little ones from newborn through to toddler age. Rated as an intermediate difficulty project, it is ideal for knitters who are comfortable working from multi-size instructions and managing simple shaping techniques.

The yarn specified throughout is King Cole Smarty DK, a double knit weight yarn. Smarty DK is a popular choice for children's knitwear, known for its soft handle and easy-care properties — important qualities when knitting garments for young children. The pattern is worked on 3¼ mm and 4 mm knitting needles, with the finer needles used for the ribbed welts and the larger needles used for the main body fabric.

King Cole donates to the Pink Ribbon Foundation with every pattern purchase.

The Round Neck Coat

The coat is the centrepiece of this pattern and is constructed in separate pieces — back, fronts, and sleeves — that are seamed together in the traditional way. The back begins with a cast-on using the thumb method, which creates a neat, slightly elastic edge well suited to garment hems. The lower edges of the coat are worked in 1x1 rib (knit one, purl one alternating across every row), a classic ribbing technique that draws the fabric in slightly and adds a tidy, professional finish to cuffs and hems.

The main body fabric is worked in stocking stitch, the smooth knit-face fabric formed by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows. A pattern panel is also incorporated into the design — this panel spans 20 stitches and measures 6.5 cm (2.5 inches) in width, adding a decorative textural element to the coat's appearance. The tension for the main fabric is 22 stitches and 28 rows to 10 cm (4 inches) over stocking stitch on 4 mm needles, and knitters are advised to check their tension carefully, adjusting needle size as needed.

Shaping Details on the Coat

The pattern includes clear shaping instructions throughout, using standard knitting decrease and increase techniques:

• Armhole shaping is worked by decreasing one stitch at each end of every row over a set number of rows, creating a neat, tapered armhole opening.
• Shoulder shaping is achieved by casting off stitches in stages at the beginning of successive rows, giving the shoulder a stepped, angled finish.
• The front armhole is shaped using k2tog (knit two together) at the armhole edge on right-side rows and p2tog (purl two together) on wrong-side rows, maintaining the fabric texture while reducing the stitch count.
• A coloured marker thread is used to indicate the beginning of armhole shaping on the fronts, a helpful practical tip for keeping track of the work.
• The round neckline is shaped with decreases worked at intervals to create a smooth, curved neck edge.

Key abbreviations used throughout the coat instructions include: k (knit), p (purl), k2tog (knit two together), p2tog (purl two together), s1 (slip one stitch), psso (pass slipped stitch over), yfwd (yarn forward), patt (pattern), rs (right side), ws (wrong side), beg (beginning), rem (remaining), foll (following), alt (alternate), cont (continue), rep (repeat), dec (decrease), inc (increase), and tog (together).

The Hat

Alongside the coat, the pattern includes instructions for a coordinating knitted hat, also worked in