Child’s Sweater with Cables in Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine 120 - 5999 - Downloadable PDF

Child's Sweater with Cables – Knitting Pattern in Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine 120

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Schachenmayr guides knitters through creating a beautifully textured child's cable sweater. The design features classic rope cables running across the body, framed by ribbing and smooth stockinette sections, making it a timeless and practical garment for everyday wear. The pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF, making it an accessible project for knitters looking to build their cable and garment-construction skills.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a child's pullover sweater worked in multiple sizes to fit growing children. The pattern includes three size variations, indicated throughout as sets of three numbers in parentheses, allowing knitters to select the appropriate size and follow a single set of instructions. The sweater features a structured cable panel across the body, ribbed cuffs and borders, and shaped armhole and neckline openings, resulting in a polished, well-fitted garment.

Design Details and Construction

The sweater is constructed flat in separate pieces — front, back, and sleeves — which are then seamed together. The body begins with a ribbed border worked in a combination of knit and purl stitches, establishing the foundational texture before transitioning into the main cable panel. The ribbing pattern is carefully arranged to flow naturally into the cable motifs above.

The central cable panel spans 96 stitches across the body, composed of a repeating 32-stitch cable report worked twice, plus additional edge stitches. This cable section is framed on either side by reverse stockinette (purl) panels, which create visual contrast and help the cables stand out in sharp relief. The cable pattern is introduced after approximately 6.5 cm of ribbing, at which point needle size is also increased to allow the fabric to drape correctly.

Shaping is worked at the armholes beginning at heights of 25 cm, 28 cm, and 30.5 cm respectively across the three sizes, using a sequence of cast-offs: first a larger group of stitches, then decreases every other row to create a smooth, rounded armhole curve. The neckline is shaped by casting off the central 40 to 44 stitches and then working further decreases on either side over subsequent right-side rows, producing a neat, finished neck opening. Shoulder stitches are then cast off straight to complete each piece.

Techniques Used

• Cable knitting – the signature technique of this pattern, creating twisted rope-like columns of stitches by crossing groups of stitches over one another using a cable needle
• Ribbing – a combination of knit and purl stitches worked in sequence to create an elastic, structured border at the cuffs and lower edges
• Reverse stockinette – purl stitches worked on the right side to create a textured background that makes the cables visually prominent
• Armhole shaping – stepped cast-offs followed by paired decreases every other row to form a curved armhole
• Neckline shaping – central stitch cast-off with additional decreases worked on either side over right-side rows
• Flat knitting – all pieces worked back and forth in rows rather than in the round
• Seaming – finished pieces are joined together to complete the sweater

Stitches Used

• Zopfmuster – the German term used in this pattern for the cable stitch pattern, worked over a 32-stitch repeat
• Bündchenmuster – the ribbing stitch pattern used for borders and cuffs, combining knit and purl stitches in a structured arrangement
• Glatt links – reverse stockinette stitch, forming the smooth purl-faced side panels flanking the central cable section
• Randmaschen – selvedge or edge stitches worked at each end of every row to create a neat, stable edge for seaming

Materials

The pattern is designed specifically for Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine 120, a DK weight yarn