Cardigans & Hat in King Cole Smarty DK - 4319 - Downloadable PDF

Cardigans & Hat in King Cole Smarty DK – Pattern 4319 Summary

Pattern 4319 from King Cole is a downloadable PDF knitting pattern offering designs for baby and toddler cardigans and a matching hat, sized to fit chest measurements of 41–66 cm (16–26 in). The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty and is worked in King Cole Smarty DK yarn on a combination of needle sizes. It includes a Collared Cardigan design, with instructions covering the back, sleeves, and shaped raglan construction, alongside a coordinating hat. Because the pattern spans five sizes, knitters are encouraged to circle their chosen size before beginning.

Designs Included

Collared Cardigan

The Collared Cardigan is a classic baby and toddler garment featuring a neat ribbed collar, a structured body, and set-in raglan sleeves. Raglan shaping is a popular construction method in which the sleeve and body pieces are decreased simultaneously along diagonal seam lines, creating a smooth, angled join from the underarm to the neckline. This approach is particularly well suited to children's knitwear because it produces a comfortable, flexible fit across the shoulders.

• Back: Cast on using the thumb method with 3¼ mm needles, beginning with a 2x2 rib (knit 2, purl 2 repeated) worked over 9 rows to form the welts. Stitches are then decreased on a set-up row before the body continues in the main pattern.
• Raglan Shaping: Decreases are worked at the raglan edge on specified rows, with frequency varying by size. The shaping instructions are clearly differentiated across all five sizes, requiring the knitter to follow only the figures relevant to their chosen size.
• Neckline: Neck shaping involves casting off stitches and then working further decreases at the neck edge simultaneously with raglan decreases, finishing with a p2tog and fastening off to create a clean, tapered corner.
• Sleeves (both alike): Sleeves are cast on using the thumb method with 3¼ mm needles and begin with the same 2x2 rib as the back. A decrease row is worked before the sleeve body continues, and raglan shaping mirrors that of the body pieces.

Techniques and Stitches Used

The pattern draws on a range of fundamental and intermediate knitting techniques, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with the basics and ready to develop their skills further.

• 2x2 Rib: Formed by alternating knit 2 and purl 2 stitches across the row. This stitch pattern creates an elastic, structured fabric ideal for cuffs, welts, and collars, helping garment edges retain their shape through repeated wear and washing.
• Stocking Stitch: The smooth, classic knitted fabric formed by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows. Tension for stocking stitch is given as 22 stitches and 28 rows to 10 cm over 4 mm needles.
• Textured Pattern Stitch: A secondary stitch pattern used in the body of the garment, with a different tension of 20 stitches and 36 rows to 10 cm on 4 mm needles. This denser row tension reflects the more compact nature of a textured stitch compared to stocking stitch.
• Make 1 (m1): An increase worked by picking up the horizontal strand between the last stitch worked and the next stitch, then knitting into the back of it to avoid a hole. This method creates a nearly invisible increase, useful for sleeve shaping.
• Thumb Cast-On Method: A stretchy and beginner-friendly cast-on technique used throughout the pattern for casting on body and sleeve stitches.
• Raglan Decreasing: Decreases worked at specified intervals on right-side and wrong-side rows to shape the raglan seam lines on both body and sleeve pieces.
• p2tog: Purl two stitches together, used both in shaping rows and as a finishing decrease at the neckline corner.