Ladies Fitted Top and Cardigan in King Cole Authentic DK - 4130 - Downloadable PDF

Ladies Fitted Top and Cardigan in King Cole Authentic DK – Pattern 4130

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from King Cole presents two elegant women's garments: a ladies fitted top and a matching cardigan, both knitted in King Cole Authentic DK yarn. Designed for the advanced knitter, this pattern offers a rewarding project that combines classic shaping techniques with refined finishing details. The pattern covers a wide range of sizes, from 71/76 cm to 112/117 cm (28/30 in to 44/46 in), making it suitable for a broad spectrum of figures.

About the Garments

Ladies Fitted Top

The fitted top is a close-fitting knitted garment designed to follow the natural contours of the body. Its construction involves careful shaping at key points to achieve a tailored silhouette. The top is worked in King Cole Authentic DK yarn, which provides a smooth, consistent fabric ideal for showcasing clean stitch definition. The fitted nature of the design means that precise tension and careful measurement are essential throughout the making process.

Ladies Cardigan

The cardigan is constructed using a raglan sleeve shaping technique, as evidenced by the detailed raglan decrease instructions within the pattern. Raglan construction is a classic method in which the sleeves and body are joined and shaped simultaneously, creating a smooth, diagonal seam line from the underarm to the neckline. This approach gives the finished garment a neat, streamlined appearance and an excellent fit across the shoulders and chest.

The cardigan features neck shaping with cast-off stitches at the beginning of rows to form the neckline, and stitches are picked up evenly along the left side of the neck to create a tidy, professional neckband finish. The pattern also includes a left sleeve with its own set of shaping rows, worked with decreases at each end of specified rows to taper the sleeve toward the cuff.

Techniques Used

• Raglan sleeve shaping: A defining feature of the cardigan, raglan shaping involves working paired decreases at set intervals across multiple rows to slope the sleeve and body pieces toward the neckline. This is a more involved technique than standard set-in sleeve construction and is one of the reasons this pattern is rated advanced.
• Neck shaping and cast-off: Stitches are cast off at the beginning of rows to form the curved or stepped neckline, a standard but important finishing technique in fitted garment construction.
• Picking up stitches: Stitches are picked up and knitted evenly along the neck edge to create a neat neckband, requiring an even eye and consistent technique to avoid puckering or gaping.
• Stitch holder use: Stitches are placed on a stitch holder at the top of the raglan edge, a common technique used to keep live stitches secure while other sections of the garment are completed.
• Decreasing: Multiple decrease methods are employed throughout both garments, including decreases at raglan edges and at each end of rows for sleeve shaping, worked on both right-side and wrong-side rows.
• Working in pattern: Certain cast-off and shaping rows are worked in pattern, meaning the knitter must maintain the established stitch pattern while simultaneously shaping, a skill that requires attention and experience.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch: The pattern references plain knit rows, forming the foundation of the fabric.
• Pattern stitch: The garments are worked in pattern, suggesting a combination of knit and purl stitches to create the main fabric texture, consistent with classic DK-weight garment construction.

Materials

• Yarn: King Cole Authentic DK – a double knit weight yarn, well-suited to fitted garments due to its stitch clarity and drape.
• Needles: Standard knitting needles appropriate for DK weight yarn (typically 4 mm), as specified within the tension section of the pattern.
• Notions: Stitch holders are required to hold live stitches during construction.

Sizing and Tension

The pattern is written to fit bust sizes 71/