Cardigan, Sweaters & Hat in King Cole Splash DK and Big Value Baby DK - 5089 - Downloadable PDF

King Cole Pattern 5089 – Cardigan, Sweaters & Hat in Splash DK and Big Value Baby DK

King Cole pattern number 5089 is a downloadable PDF knitting pattern for babies and young children, offering three distinct projects in one leaflet: a cardigan, sweaters, and a hat. All garments are sized to fit chest measurements of 41–61 cm (16–24 inches), making the collection suitable from newborn through to toddler age. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty and is knitted in double knit (DK) weight yarn. A portion of every King Cole pattern purchase is donated to the Pink Ribbon Foundation.

Yarns and Materials

The designs are worked in two specific King Cole yarns used in combination or separately across the projects:

• King Cole Splash DK – used as the main or contrast shade to introduce colour and texture interest
• King Cole Big Value Baby DK – a soft, baby-appropriate yarn used as the main or contrast yarn throughout

The pattern designates yarn colours as A (main shade) and B (contrast shade), allowing knitters to choose their own colour combinations from the available ranges. Two needle sizes are required: 3¼ mm needles for ribbed welts and borders, and 4 mm needles for the main body fabric.

Tension

The stated tension is 22 stitches and 28 rows to 10 cm (4 inches) measured over stocking stitch on 4 mm needles. Knitters are advised to work a tension square before beginning and to adjust needle size accordingly — moving to finer needles if fewer stitches than stated are achieved, or to larger needles if more stitches result.

Design 1 – Raglan Sleeve Cardigan

The cardigan is a classic baby and toddler garment featuring a raglan sleeve construction, which creates a smooth, comfortable shoulder line with no set-in seam — ideal for children's knitwear. The raglan shaping is worked through a series of decrease rows, giving the garment a neat, tailored silhouette without complex shoulder shaping.

Construction and Shaping

The cardigan is worked in separate pieces — back, fronts, and sleeves — which are then seamed together. The back is cast on using 3¼ mm needles and yarn B, beginning with a 2×2 rib border. The rib is worked as knit 2, purl 2 on right-side rows and purl 2, knit 2 on wrong-side rows, creating a firm, elastic welt. After the rib section, the work continues on 4 mm needles in the main fabric.

The sleeves begin with the same ribbed border and then increase gradually at each end on every sixth row to build the sleeve width, reaching between 48 and 62 stitches depending on the size being made. The sleeve length at completion ranges from 15–25.5 cm (6–10 inches). Raglan top shaping is then worked by decreasing one stitch at each raglan edge on alternate rows, using a slip-one, knit-one, pass-slipped-stitch-over (psso) decrease for a tidy, directional finish.

Neck Shaping

Neck shaping on the cardigan involves casting off stitches at the neck edge and continuing to decrease at the raglan edge simultaneously, producing the characteristic raglan neckline. Remaining stitches are reduced to between 15 and 20 stitches depending on size before the neck shaping begins.

Design 2 – Raglan Sleeve Sweaters

The sweaters share the same raglan sleeve construction as the cardigan and are worked across the same size range of 41–61 cm (16–24 inches). Like the cardigan, they are knitted flat in pieces using stocking stitch as the main fabric with 2×2 rib borders at the welts and cuffs. The use of King Cole Splash DK alongside Big Value Baby DK in contrast shades