Ladies Jackets in King Cole Drifter Chunky - 4603 - Downloadable PDF

Ladies Jackets Knitted in King Cole Drifter Chunky – Pattern 4603

Pattern 4603 from King Cole is a knitting pattern for ladies' jackets, designed to be worked in King Cole Drifter Chunky yarn. The pattern covers a generous range of sizes, from 81/86 cm (32/34 in) up to 122/127 cm (48/50 in), making it accessible to a wide range of body types and an excellent choice for knitters who want a stylish, cosy outerwear piece. This is a downloadable PDF, so knitters can access and print the instructions immediately after purchase.

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What Is Being Made

The pattern produces ladies' jackets — warm, chunky outerwear garments suitable for cooler seasons. The chunky weight of the yarn and the stitch pattern used combine to create a fabric with excellent drape and texture, ideal for a relaxed yet polished jacket silhouette. The pattern is rated as intermediate in difficulty, making it well suited to knitters who are comfortable with basic shaping techniques and are ready to develop their skills further.

Yarn and Materials

• Yarn: King Cole Drifter Chunky — a chunky weight yarn known for its beautifully blended, tonal colourways that create a subtle, variegated effect as you knit, without the need for complex colour-changing techniques.
• Needles: 6 mm knitting needles, or the size required to achieve the correct tension for the knitter.

Tension

The stated tension for this pattern is 14 stitches and 22 rows to 10 cm (4 in) measured over pattern on 6 mm needles. Achieving the correct tension is essential to ensure the finished jacket matches the intended measurements. Knitters are advised to work a tension swatch before beginning: if fewer stitches are produced, switch to thinner needles; if more stitches are produced, switch to thicker needles.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level pattern draws on a range of standard knitting techniques commonly used in garment construction:

• Shaping: Both increasing and decreasing are used throughout to shape the body and sleeves of the jacket, giving the garment a tailored, fitted appearance.
• Slip stitch techniques: The pattern references slipping stitches knitways and passing slipped stitches over (psso), which are commonly used to create neat, directional decreases.
• Right side and wrong side working: The pattern distinguishes between right side (rs) and wrong side (ws) rows, which is typical of structured garment knitting and helps maintain pattern continuity.
• Alternating rows: The use of alternate (alt) row instructions is noted, a standard technique in garment shaping that spaces increases or decreases evenly over the fabric.
• Pattern repeats: Stitch pattern repeats (rep) are used to build the textured fabric of the jacket consistently across all sections.
• Seaming and garment assembly: As a structured jacket, the pattern involves working separate pieces — such as fronts, back, and sleeves — which are then joined together, requiring basic seaming skills.

Stitches Used

• Knit (k) — the foundational stitch used throughout the pattern.
• Purl (p) — used in combination with knit stitches to create the stitch pattern and any ribbing or edging details.
• Slip 1 stitch (s1) — used as part of decrease techniques for neat, professional shaping.
• Pass slipped stitch over (psso) — combined with slip stitches to form left-leaning decreases.
• Pattern stitch (patt) — the specific stitch combination that creates the main fabric of the jacket, worked consistently across all pieces to ensure a uniform texture.

Difficulty and Suitability