Coats in Stylecraft Wondersoft 4 ply - 9388 - Downloadable PDF

Coats in Stylecraft Wondersoft 4 Ply – Pattern 9388: Two Children's Coat Designs

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Stylecraft presents two children's coat designs worked in Wondersoft 4 Ply yarn, sized to fit ages birth through 7 years and chest measurements of 41/46 cm up to 61/66 cm (16/18 in to 24/26 in). The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it a rewarding project for knitters who are comfortable with basic shaping and stitch pattern changes. Both designs produce classic, structured children's coats with a neat finish, ideal for gifting or everyday wear.

Design Overview

Round Neck Coat

The first design featured in pattern 9388 is a Round Neck Coat, a timeless children's garment worked from the bottom up. It is constructed in separate pieces — back, fronts, and sleeves — and then seamed together. The coat is designed with a tidy, classic silhouette and features a combination of textured border stitches and a smooth main body fabric.

Key measurements for the Round Neck Coat include:

• Actual chest measurement: 48 cm / 54 cm / 58 cm / 64 cm / 68 cm across the five sizes
• Full length: 29 cm / 32 cm / 39 cm / 48 cm / 53 cm
• Sleeve length: 17 cm / 20 cm / 24 cm / 29 cm / 33 cm

Second Coat Design

The pattern booklet contains two distinct coat designs, both sized across the same age and chest measurement range. While the full details of the second design are contained within the PDF, both garments share the same yarn, needle, and sizing framework, allowing knitters to choose the style that best suits the recipient.

Techniques Used

The pattern employs a combination of classic knitting techniques that are well-suited to an intermediate-level knitter:

• Thumb method cast on — used to begin the back and other pieces, creating a neat, elastic edge appropriate for a garment hem
• Moss stitch (seed stitch) border — worked over the first 8 rows of the back using 2¾mm needles, this alternating knit-and-purl texture creates a firm, non-curling border that adds a professional finish to the lower edge of the coat
• Stocking stitch (stockinette) body — after the moss stitch border, the work transitions to 3¼mm needles and stocking stitch for the main body fabric, giving a smooth and classic appearance
• Needle size changes — the deliberate switch from smaller to larger needles between the border and body is a standard technique for achieving a neat, slightly firmer hem before the main fabric opens up
• Shaping — the pattern includes standard garment shaping for armholes, sleeves, and neckline, as expected in a structured children's coat

Stitches Used

• Moss stitch — formed by alternating knit 1, purl 1 across every row (both right-side and wrong-side rows worked identically), producing a textured, reversible fabric used for the lower borders and cuffs
• Stocking stitch — the main body fabric, formed by knitting right-side rows and purling wrong-side rows, creating a smooth, flat surface ideal for showcasing the softness of the yarn

Materials Required

Both coat designs are worked in Stylecraft Wondersoft 4 Ply, a yarn chosen for its exceptionally soft handle — particularly well-suited to children's garments worn close to delicate skin. The yarn comes in 100g balls, and the quantity required varies by size:

• Round Neck Coat: 1 / 2 / 2 / 3 / 3 balls of Stylecraft Wondersoft 4 Ply for the five sizes respectively