Jacket, Cardigan, Sweater & Hat in King Cole Splash DK & Big Value Baby DK - 5138 - Downloadable PDF

King Cole Pattern 5138 – Jacket, Cardigan, Sweater & Hat in Splash DK & Big Value Baby DK

Pattern 5138 from King Cole is an intermediate-level knitting pattern offering four coordinating children's designs in double knit (DK) weight yarn: a jacket, a cardigan, a sweater, and a hat. The pattern covers sizes 6 months to 6 years, fitting chest measurements of 46–61 cm (18–24 inches), making it a versatile wardrobe collection for babies and young children. It is available as a downloadable PDF, and for every King Cole pattern purchased, a donation is made to the Pink Ribbon Foundation.

Designs Included

Jacket

The jacket is a knitted outerwear piece constructed with raglan sleeves, a classic shaping technique where the sleeve and body are joined diagonally from the underarm to the neckline, eliminating a traditional shoulder seam. This creates a comfortable, flexible fit that is particularly well-suited to children's active wear. The raglan construction is worked in sections and then joined, making it an excellent project for knitters looking to develop their garment-shaping skills.

Cardigan

The cardigan shares the raglan sleeve construction of the jacket and is designed as an open-fronted, button-up layer. Cardigans of this style are a staple of children's knitwear, offering easy dressing and layering options. The design is worked in stocking stitch (st-st) as the primary fabric, giving a smooth, classic finish on the right side.

Sweater

The sweater is a pullover version of the raglan-sleeved design, providing a neat and tidy closed-front garment. Like the jacket and cardigan, it uses stocking stitch as its main fabric, with the characteristic knit-on-right-side, purl-on-wrong-side construction that produces a smooth, even surface ideal for showcasing DK yarn.

Hat

The hat completes the set, offering a matching accessory to coordinate with any of the three garments. It is a straightforward knitted hat design, suitable for the same age range and worked in the same DK weight yarn.

Techniques Used

• Raglan sleeve shaping – a defining structural technique across the jacket, cardigan, and sweater, creating diagonal decrease lines from underarm to neck
• Increasing and decreasing – used throughout to shape the raglan lines, sleeves, and body panels
• Cable stitch – the pattern includes a C4B (cable 4 back) special abbreviation, indicating a decorative cable panel is featured in at least one of the designs; this involves slipping stitches onto a cable needle held at the back before knitting, creating a twisted rope-like texture
• Stocking stitch (st-st) – the primary fabric stitch, worked with knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side
• Tension/gauge swatching – the pattern specifies a tension of 22 stitches and 28 rows to 10 cm (4 inches) over stocking stitch on 4 mm needles, and knitters are strongly advised to check their tension before beginning

Stitches Used

• Knit (K) and Purl (P) – the foundational stitches used throughout all four designs
• Stocking stitch (st-st) – main body fabric
• Cable 4 Back (C4B) – a four-stitch cable crossing worked over a cable needle held to the back, adding textural interest
• Slip stitch (sl) and pass slipped stitch over (psso) – used in decrease sequences for shaping
• Knitting two together (tog) – a standard decrease stitch used in raglan and other shaping

Materials

All four designs are knitted in King Cole DK weight yarn, with the pattern title referencing both