Girls Coat with removable Hood in Bergere de France Calinou - 60387-09 - Downloadable PDF

Girls Coat with Removable Hood in Bergere de France Calinou – Pattern 60387-09

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Bergere de France provides full instructions for a charming girls' coat with a removable hood, worked in the brand's own Calinou yarn. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty and is available in five children's sizes: 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 2 years, and 4 years, making it a versatile project that can grow with a child or be knitted as a gift across a wide age range.

About the Design

The coat is a classic, structured children's outerwear piece featuring elegant cable panels running through the body alongside a garter stitch background. The detachable hood is a particularly practical design choice, allowing the garment to be worn as a simple coat or converted into a hooded coat depending on the weather or occasion. The coat fastens with six olive wood shank buttons (Ø 18 mm, reference 64493), giving it a refined, natural aesthetic, while four flat nylon press studs (Ø 15 mm, reference 50039) are used to attach and detach the hood securely.

Yarn and Materials

• Yarn: Bergere de France Calinou, a 4-ply weight yarn, used double throughout the pattern to achieve the correct tension and fabric density.
• Yarn quantity: The number of balls required varies by size — 7 balls (6 months), 9 balls (12 months), 10 balls (18 months), 11 balls (2 years), and 13 balls (4 years) — in colourway Lac 10056.
• Needles: 4 mm knitting needles are specified for the main fabric.
• Cable needle: A cable needle (aiguille à torsades) is required for working the cable panels.
• Notions: Six olive wood shank buttons (Ø 18 mm, ref. 64493) and four flat nylon press studs (Ø 15 mm, ref. 50039).

Tension / Gauge

Achieving the correct tension is emphasised as essential to the success of this pattern. The stated tension is 20 stitches and 36 rows to 10 cm square in garter stitch on 4 mm needles using two strands of Calinou held together. The 12-stitch cable panel measures 4 cm wide. Knitters are encouraged to work a tension swatch before beginning.

Techniques and Construction

The coat is knitted flat in separate pieces — including the back (dos) — which are then seamed together. The construction is typical of a classic set-in or structured children's coat. Key techniques used throughout the pattern include:

• Garter stitch (point mousse): The primary background stitch, worked by knitting every row. Garter stitch creates a dense, reversible fabric with good elasticity and warmth — ideal for a children's coat.
• Cable knitting (torsades): Two cable variations are used — Cable A (Torsade A) and Cable B (Torsade B) — each worked over 12 stitches and producing a panel 4 cm wide. Cables are created by crossing groups of stitches using the cable needle.
• Right cross cable (Croisée à droite / CàD): Worked by slipping 4 stitches onto the cable needle and holding them behind the work, knitting the next 4 stitches, then knitting the 4 held stitches from the cable needle.
• Left cross cable (Croisée à gauche / CàG): Worked by slipping 4 stitches onto the cable needle and holding them in front of the work, knitting the next 4 stitches, then knitting the 4 held stitches from the cable needle.