Cardigans in King Cole Comfort DK & Comfort Prints DK - 4621 - Downloadable PDF

Cardigans in King Cole Comfort DK & Comfort Prints DK – Pattern 4621

Pattern 4621 from King Cole is a knitting pattern featuring a collection of classic raglan sleeve cardigans for babies and young children, sized from 31 cm to 51 cm (12 to 20 inches) chest. The designs are worked in King Cole Comfort DK and King Cole Comfort Prints DK yarn, offering knitters the choice between a solid, versatile colourway or a ready-made variegated print effect. This is an intermediate-level knitting pattern available as a downloadable PDF, making it instantly accessible for knitters who want to get started right away.

Purchasing this pattern also contributes to a charitable cause — King Cole donates to the Pink Ribbon Foundation for every pattern sold, so your crafting supports a meaningful purpose.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces raglan sleeve cardigans designed for babies and toddlers. The raglan construction is a timeless approach to garment making, where the sleeves extend in one diagonal seam all the way to the neckline, eliminating the traditional shoulder seam. This creates a smooth, comfortable fit that is particularly well-suited to baby and children's knitwear, allowing for ease of movement and a neat, professional finish. The size range of 31 cm to 51 cm (12 to 20 inches) covers a broad span of infant and toddler chest measurements, making the pattern versatile for gifting or wardrobe building across multiple ages and stages.

Yarn and Materials

• Yarn: King Cole Comfort DK (solid shades) and King Cole Comfort Prints DK (variegated/print colourways)
• Yarn Weight: DK (Double Knitting) — a medium-light weight yarn that works up quickly and produces a soft, drapeable fabric ideal for baby garments
• Needles: 4 mm (US size 6) knitting needles, or the size needed to achieve the correct tension

King Cole Comfort DK and King Cole Comfort Prints DK are soft, baby-friendly yarns well suited to garments worn close to delicate skin. The Comfort Prints DK variant adds a playful, self-striping or multi-tonal effect without the knitter needing to manage multiple yarn colours manually, making it an appealing choice for those who want visual interest with minimal complexity.

Tension

The stated tension for this pattern is 22 stitches and 28 rows to 10 cm (4 inches) over stocking stitch using 4 mm needles. As noted in the pattern, achieving the correct tension is described as very important and essential to ensure success. Knitters who find fewer stitches and rows to 10 cm should switch to finer needles; those with more stitches and rows should move to larger needles. Working a tension swatch before beginning is strongly recommended, particularly when making sized garments for children.

Techniques Used

• Raglan sleeve shaping — the defining construction technique of this pattern, creating diagonal sleeve-to-neckline seam lines that eliminate traditional set-in shoulder seams
• Increasing and decreasing — used to shape the raglan lines, body, and sleeve tapers throughout the garment
• Slipping stitches — referenced in the abbreviations, used in specific shaping or decorative techniques within the pattern
• Working through the back of the loop (tbl) — a technique used to twist stitches for neat decreases or textural detail
• Passing a slipped stitch over (psso) — a classic left-leaning decrease technique commonly used in raglan shaping
• Right side and wrong side row management — the pattern distinguishes between RS and WS rows, essential for maintaining stitch pattern consistency

Stitches Used

• Stocking Stitch (Stockinette) — the primary fabric stitch, formed by alternating knit rows on the right side and p