Covington in Cascade Yarns - A181 - Downloadable PDF

Covington Sweater Knitting Pattern by Melissa Leapman – Free Downloadable PDF from Cascade Yarns

The Covington is a beautifully structured pullover sweater designed by Melissa Leapman and published by Cascade Yarns as a free downloadable PDF pattern (reference A181). Worked in a sophisticated repeating textured stitch pattern, this garment strikes an elegant balance between visual interest and wearability, making it an excellent project for knitters who are ready to move beyond basic stockinette and explore more nuanced surface texture. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, meaning it is well suited to confident knitters who are comfortable reading multi-row stitch repeats, working shaping at armholes and necklines, and managing gauge in a blocked fabric.

What Is Being Made

Covington is a classic pullover sweater (also known as a jumper) designed for a close-to-the-body fit with a feminine silhouette. The pattern offers five sizes: Small, Medium, Large, 1X, and 2X, with finished bust measurements ranging from 32½ inches up to 46 inches. The total finished length ranges from 24 to 25 inches depending on the size, making it a full-length torso sweater suitable for everyday wear. Instructions are written for the smallest size first, with all changes for larger sizes clearly noted in parentheses throughout the pattern, which is a standard and easy-to-follow convention for multi-size knitwear.

Techniques Used

The construction of Covington follows a traditional flat, seamed knitting method, meaning the pieces — back, front, and sleeves — are worked separately on straight needles and then joined. Key shaping techniques used throughout the pattern include:

• Armhole shaping via bound-off stitches at the beginning of rows, with the number of stitches bound off varying by size (4 to 12 stitches per side)
• Cast-on using a standard long-tail or equivalent method to set up the stitch counts for each piece
• Gauge checking on blocked fabric — the pattern specifically instructs knitters to block their gauge swatch before measuring, which is an important technique when working with the Textured Pattern, as blocking can significantly affect stitch and row counts
• Working wrong-side (WS) and right-side (RS) rows in a defined two-row repeat, requiring the knitter to track row position throughout

Blocking is emphasized as a critical step in this pattern. Because the gauge is measured after blocking, knitters should wet-block or steam-block their swatch before deciding whether to adjust needle size. This is particularly relevant when working with Cascade 220 Superwash® Aran, a yarn that can relax and open up slightly after washing.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch pattern in Covington is the Textured Pattern, a four-stitch repeat plus one that creates a rich, dimensional surface through a combination of knit and purl stitches worked across both right-side and wrong-side rows. The repeat is as follows:

• Row 1 (RS): *K1, p3; repeat from * across, ending with k1
• Row 2 (WS): *P2, k1, p1; repeat from * across, ending with p1

This two-row repeat creates a fabric that looks more complex than it actually is — the offset combination of knits and purls on both the right and wrong sides produces a subtle, woven-looking texture that elevates the finished garment beyond a plain knit. The stitch pattern is worked on a multiple of 4 stitches plus 1, which means all cast-on stitch counts in the pattern are carefully calculated to accommodate the repeat across all five sizes.

In addition to the Textured Pattern, knitters will use standard knit (k) and purl (p) stitches throughout, as well as bind-off (BO) techniques for armhole and neckline shaping. The pattern is accessible to intermediate knitters precisely because the stitch vocabulary is limited to knits and purls arranged in a specific sequence — no cables, lace, or colorwork are required.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The pattern is designed