Cardigan & Sweater in King Cole Chunky - 4509 - Downloadable PDF

King Cole Chunky Cardigan & Sweater – Pattern 4509: Complete Knitting Guide

Pattern 4509 from King Cole is a downloadable PDF knitting pattern offering two classic garment designs in one package: a raglan sleeve cardigan and a raglan sleeve sweater. Both designs are worked in King Cole Chunky weight yarn, making them an excellent choice for knitters who want a satisfying project that knits up quickly and produces a cosy, substantial fabric. With a beginner-friendly difficulty rating, this pattern is well-suited to those who are building confidence with garment construction while still delivering a polished, wearable result for more experienced knitters seeking a relaxed, enjoyable make.

Sizes and Fit

The pattern covers a generous range of sizes, accommodating chest measurements from 81 cm to 117 cm (32 in to 46 in). This wide size range makes the pattern accessible for a variety of body types, and the chunky yarn weight means that even the larger sizes knit up in a relatively short time compared to lighter-weight garment patterns.

Design One: Raglan Sleeve Sweater

The sweater features the classic raglan sleeve construction, a timeless and practical approach to garment shaping. In a raglan design, the sleeves are joined to the body at a diagonal seam that runs from the underarm to the neckline, rather than at a traditional set-in shoulder point. This creates a smooth, comfortable fit across the shoulders and upper chest, with excellent freedom of movement. The raglan shaping is achieved through systematic decreasing on both the body pieces and the sleeve pieces as they progress toward the neckline.

Worked in stocking stitch as the primary fabric, the sweater has a smooth knit face on the right side and a purl texture on the wrong side, giving it a clean, classic appearance. Chunky yarn in stocking stitch produces a warm, dense fabric that is ideal for cooler weather garments.

Design Two: Raglan Sleeve Cardigan

The cardigan shares the same raglan sleeve structure as the sweater but is worked as an open-fronted garment, typically featuring a button band or front opening. Like the sweater, it is constructed in stocking stitch, ensuring a consistent, professional finish. The cardigan format makes the garment highly versatile — easy to layer over other clothing and practical for everyday wear.

Both garments in this pattern benefit from the structural elegance of raglan construction, which is particularly well-suited to chunky yarn weights because the gradual diagonal shaping distributes the bulk of the fabric evenly across the shoulder area.

Techniques Used

• Raglan sleeve shaping — the defining construction technique for both garments, involving coordinated decreasing across body and sleeve sections
• Increasing and decreasing — used to shape the raglan lines, sleeves, and any neckline shaping; the pattern references inc (increase), dec (decrease), tog (knitting or purling stitches together), and psso (pass slipped stitch over)
• Stocking stitch (st-st) — the main fabric stitch, worked with knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side
• Slipping stitches — referenced in the abbreviations as sl, commonly used within decrease sequences
• Yarn forward (yfwd) — a technique used to create a new stitch or eyelet, often featured in button bands or decorative edging details
• Tension/gauge swatching — the pattern strongly emphasises checking tension before beginning, a fundamental technique for ensuring correct garment sizing
• Seaming — as a traditionally constructed flat-knit pattern, the individual pieces (back, fronts or front, and sleeves) are knitted separately and then joined

Stitches Used

• Knit (K) — the foundational stitch used throughout
• Purl (P) — worked on wrong-side rows in stocking stitch
• Stocking stitch (st-st) — the primary fabric stitch for both garments
• Slip stitch