Jacket & Blouse in 1 in BC Garn Semilla Fino - 2228BC - Downloadable PDF

Jacket & Blouse in 1 in BC Garn Semilla Fino – Pattern No. 2228BC by Lene Holme Samsøe

This free, downloadable PDF knitting pattern by designer Lene Holme Samsøe for BC Garn presents a clever dual-purpose garment: a single knitted piece that functions both as a jacket and a blouse. The design is rated intermediate in difficulty and is worked in the delicate BC Garn Semilla Fino, a 4-ply weight yarn. The pattern is numbered 2228BC and is available as a downloadable PDF at no cost.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a lightweight, close-fitting top or jacket suitable for sizes S, M, L, and XL, with bust measurements ranging from 84 cm to 108 cm and a total length of 55 cm to 58 cm depending on size. The ingenious construction means the finished garment can be styled and worn in two distinct ways — as a casual blouse or as a more structured jacket — making it a versatile addition to any handknitted wardrobe.

Materials Used

• Yarn: BC Garn Semilla Fino, a 4-ply weight yarn used in two colourways: col. ox117 (lilac) as the main colour, requiring 250–300 g depending on size, and col. ox119 (lavender) as a contrast colour, requiring 50–100 g. A second ball of col. ox117 is also needed for the front section.
• Needles: Straight knitting needles in sizes 2½ mm and 3 mm.
• Crochet Hook: Size 2½ mm crochet hook, used for finishing details.

Tension

The pattern specifies a tension of 27 stitches × 36 rows = 10 × 10 cm in Stocking stitch using 3 mm needles. Achieving the correct tension is especially important for this garment given its fitted silhouette across a range of sizes.

Techniques and Construction

The construction of this garment is notably thoughtful, particularly in the treatment of the front panel. The front is cast on using two colours simultaneously — both col. ox117 and col. ox119 — with the stitches divided across the width to create a central contrast panel flanked by the main lilac sections. This two-colour cast-on approach requires working with multiple balls of yarn at once, and the pattern instructs knitters to twist the yarn strands around each other at colour changes to prevent holes — a standard intarsia technique used when working blocks of colour without carrying yarn across the back of the work.

As the front progresses on the right side rows, the contrast colour section in the centre expands by one stitch on each side with every right-side row, creating a gradual widening effect. This expansion is tracked through a distinctive purl stitch "outline" that marks the boundary between the two colours. This outline purl stitch is deliberately left visible on the right side of the fabric and later used as a guide for a row of double crochet (dc) worked with the crochet hook — adding a neat, decorative, and structural finish along the colour boundary.

A purl row worked on the right side is used to create a folding edge, a classic technique for producing a clean, crisp fold line — often used at hems, cuffs, or facing edges. After this fold line, the knitter switches from the smaller 2½ mm needles to the larger 3 mm needles and continues in standard Stocking stitch.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (St st) / Stockinette: The primary fabric stitch, worked by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side. This creates a smooth, classic knitted surface.
• Purl stitch outline: A single purl stitch worked on right-side knit rows to mark and track the colour boundary — an unusual and creative structural device within an otherwise straightforward stocking stitch fabric.
• Decreases