Moss Stitch Sweater in Ella Rae Cozy Soft Print - ER5-04 - Downloadable PDF

Moss Stitch Sweater in Ella Rae Cozy Soft Print – Pattern Summary (ER5-04)

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Ella Rae provides instructions for a classic Moss Stitch Sweater worked in Ella Rae Cozy Soft Print yarn. The design is a children's pullover sweater, offered across multiple size ranges — 3–6 months, 6–12 months, 1–2 years, 2–3 years, and 4–5 years — making it a versatile pattern suitable for babies through to young children. The textured moss stitch fabric gives the finished garment a beautifully classic, tactile appearance that is both practical and visually appealing.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a children's knitted sweater featuring an all-over moss stitch texture. The garment is constructed with a back, front, and shaped armholes, along with back neck and shoulder shaping. The sizing spans five increments from infant to toddler, with stitch counts and measurements adjusted throughout for each size. The sweater is designed to be a neat, fitted pullover with a clean cast-off finish at the shoulders.

Construction and Shaping Techniques

• Armhole shaping: Stitches are cast off at the beginning of right-side and wrong-side rows to create a neat, structured armhole. The pattern specifies casting off 3 stitches at the beginning of the next 2 rows, followed by further decreases of 2 stitches over subsequent rows, with purl rows worked between shaping rows.
• Back neck and shoulder shaping: Worked by dividing stitches and placing remaining stitches on a holder, then casting off in stages — 4 stitches, then 3 stitches — on wrong-side rows to create a sloped shoulder line. The remaining stitches are then cast off to complete each shoulder.
• Front neck shaping: Yarn is rejoined to the remaining stitches after the initial neck division, and stitches are cast off at the beginning of the relevant rows, mirroring the back neck shaping to create a symmetrical neckline.
• Decreases: The pattern uses k2tog (knit two together) as the primary decrease method, which creates a neat right-leaning decrease used in both shaping and, where referenced, eyelet detailing with yf (yarn forward).
• Needle change: The pattern specifies a change to 4.00mm needles at a defined point in the construction, suggesting a smaller needle size is used for a ribbed or border section before the main body is worked.

Stitches Used

• Moss Stitch (Seed Stitch): The primary stitch pattern used throughout the main body of the sweater. Moss stitch is created by alternating knit and purl stitches across the row, then working the opposite stitch over each stitch on the following row. This produces a dense, textured, non-curling fabric that is ideal for garments worn by children.
• Purl rows: Single purl rows are worked at specific points, particularly within the armhole shaping sequence, to maintain the wrong-side structure of the fabric.
• k2tog (Knit Two Together): A standard right-leaning decrease used in shaping sections.
• yf (Yarn Forward): Used in combination with k2tog, suggesting a small eyelet or decorative detail within the pattern.

Materials – Yarn and Needles

The pattern is specifically designed for Ella Rae Cozy Soft Print, a DK weight yarn. Ella Rae's Cozy Soft range is known for its soft handle and printed colorways, making it particularly well suited to children's knitwear. The pattern calls for 4.00mm knitting needles for the main body section, with an implied smaller needle size used for any border or cast-on edging. A stitch holder is also required to hold stitches during neck shaping.

Who This Pattern Is For

This is a pattern well suited to intermediate knitters who are comfortable working a repeating stitch pattern across multiple rows and managing basic garment shaping such as armhole and neck decreases. The moss