"Arthur Jumper" - Sweater Knitting Pattern in Willow & Lark Nest

Arthur Jumper – Striped Cable Jumper Knitting Pattern by Willow & Lark in Nest DK

The Arthur Jumper is a children's striped cable jumper knitting pattern from Willow & Lark's Fledgling Collection, designed to be worked in Willow & Lark Nest DK yarn. Rated as an advanced knitting project, this pattern produces a beautifully structured garment featuring an intricate trellis-like cable pattern that weaves boldly around the body, brought to life through striking colour striping and careful blocking. The result is a playful yet modern jumper guaranteed to delight both maker and wearer alike.

What Is Being Made

The Arthur Jumper is a children's pullover sweater designed to fit ages 2–3, 4–5, 6–7, and 8–9 years, with chest sizes ranging from 56 cm to 71 cm (22–28 in) and actual chest measurements of 63 cm to 77 cm (24¾–30¼ in). The finished length to shoulder ranges from 40 cm to 53 cm (15¾–20¾ in), and sleeve seam lengths range from 23 cm to 35 cm (9–13¾ in) across the four sizes. The generous positive ease ensures a comfortable, wearable fit for active children.

Construction Techniques

• Bottom-up construction: The jumper is worked from the lower hem upward toward the shoulders, a traditional approach that gives knitters excellent control over length adjustments.
• Worked flat: Pieces are knitted flat on straight needles rather than in the round, producing separate front, back, and sleeve panels.
• Seamed finishing: The flat-knitted pieces are joined using seaming techniques, creating a structured, durable garment with clean edges — ideal for a hardwearing children's jumper.
• Cable knitting: An intricate trellis-style cable pattern forms the centrepiece of the design, running across the body of the jumper. Cables are created by crossing stitches over one another using a cable needle, producing raised, three-dimensional texture that is particularly striking when worked in a smooth DK yarn.
• Colour striping: The pattern uses up to five colours across the design, with the striped arrangement working in harmony with the cable motif to create bold visual contrast.
• Blocking: The pattern notes specifically highlight that bold colour blocking enhances the cable design, making wet or steam blocking an important finishing step for this project.

Stitches Used

• Cable stitches forming a trellis-like repeating motif across the body panels
• Standard knit and purl stitches used throughout the construction and for any ribbed or textured edging sections
• Stripe sequences worked by changing yarn colour at row intervals across the flat-knitted pieces

Materials – Yarn

The pattern is designed specifically for Willow & Lark Nest, a luxurious DK weight yarn with a fibre composition of 69% Wool, 11% Cashmere, and 20% Tencel, sold in 50g / 1¾oz skeins. This blend combines the warmth and elasticity of wool with the softness of cashmere and the subtle sheen of Tencel, making it an excellent choice for a children's garment that needs to be both comfortable against the skin and durable in wear.

The pattern calls for five colours, labelled A through E. Each size requires 2 balls each of colours A, B, C, and D, and 1–2 balls of colour E depending on size, giving a total yarn requirement of approximately 8–9 balls across all shades.

Suggested Colourways

• Main colourway: Night Sky 219 (A), Shadow Grey 204 (B), Baby Blue 216 (C), Snowdrop 200 (D), Owl Grey 202 (E)
• Alternative colourway: Rhubarb Pink 223 (A), Rose 221 (B), Milk 201 (C), Buttercup 210 (D), Fondant Pink 220