Cardigans & Mittens in Stylecraft Batik Swirl DK - 9539 - Downloadable PDF

Cardigans & Mittens in Stylecraft Batik Swirl DK – Pattern 9539: Full Summary

Pattern 9539 from Stylecraft is a knitting pattern offering three coordinating designs for children: a Round-Neck Cardigan, a V-Neck Cardigan, and Mittens, all worked in Stylecraft Batik Swirl DK yarn. The pattern is described as featuring easy lace designs, making it an approachable project for intermediate knitters who want to explore simple lace techniques without complex charting. Sizes range from 2–3 years up to 10–11 years, covering chest measurements of 56 cm to 76 cm (22 in to 30 in), making this a versatile pattern to grow with a child or knit as a gift across a wide age range.

Yarn and Materials

All three designs are worked in Stylecraft Batik Swirl DK, a double knitting weight yarn celebrated for its self-striping, hand-painted-effect colour transitions. The variegated, tonal nature of this yarn means the finished fabric has a rich, painterly appearance without the knitter needing to manage multiple yarn colours. 4mm knitting needles are specified for the main fabric of the cardigans, consistent with standard DK weight gauge requirements.

Round-Neck Cardigan

Sizing and Measurements

• To fit chest: 56, 61, 66, 71, 76 cm (22, 24, 26, 28, 30 in)
• Actual measurement: 63, 66, 71, 74, 82 cm (24¾, 26, 28, 29¼, 32¼ in)
• Full length: 38, 42, 48, 52, 56 cm (15, 16½, 19, 20½, 22 in)
• Sleeve length: 18, 21, 24, 27, 30 cm (7, 8¼, 9½, 10½, 12 in)

Construction and Techniques

The Round-Neck Cardigan is constructed in separate pieces — back, fronts, and sleeves — which are then seamed together, a traditional approach well suited to intermediate knitters building confidence with garment construction. The cast-on uses the picot method, which creates a delicate, decorative edging of small loops along the lower hem, adding a charming finishing detail that complements the lace body fabric.

Lace Pattern and Stitches

The body fabric features a simple lace repeat worked over a nine-stitch panel, using the following key stitches and techniques:

• Yfwd (yarn forward) – creates a decorative eyelet hole by bringing the yarn to the front before a knit stitch, adding one stitch to the needle
• Skpo (slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over) – a left-leaning decrease that pairs with the yarn forward to maintain stitch count and create the lace chevron or column effect
• Knit and purl stitches – right-side rows are worked in the lace pattern; wrong-side (alternate) rows are purled throughout, keeping the lace structure clean and readable

The lace repeat shifts position across successive right-side rows, creating a travelling lace column effect that moves diagonally across the fabric. This is a classic easy lace technique that produces a visually interesting texture while remaining straightforward to execute, as it relies only on single eyelets and simple decreases rather than complex cable crossings or multiple yarn-overs.

V-Neck Cardigan

Sizing and Measurements

• Sleeve length (V-neck version): 24, 29, 33, 37, 41 cm (9½, 11½, 13, 14½, 16 in)

The V-Neck Cardigan shares the same chest and body measurements as the Round-Neck version across the five sizes (2–3 years to 10–11 years), but features notably longer sleeves, suggesting