Baby Raglan Cardigans in King Cole Baby Pure DK - 4906 - Downloadable PDF

Baby Raglan Cardigans Knitted in King Cole Baby Pure DK – Pattern 4906

Pattern 4906 from King Cole is a charming collection of baby raglan cardigans worked in King Cole Baby Pure DK yarn. Designed for sizes 36–61 cm (14–24 inches), this pattern covers six sizes, making it suitable for newborns through to toddlers. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and is rated at an intermediate difficulty level, making it ideal for knitters who are comfortable with shaping techniques and working multiple pattern elements simultaneously.

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Designs Included

Cardigan with Deep Welt

The first design featured in this pattern is a classic baby cardigan distinguished by its deep welt hem. The deep welt provides a substantial, neat border at the lower edge, giving the finished garment a polished and structured look. This style is particularly well suited to baby knitwear as the garter stitch welt lies flat without curling and adds a gentle stretch for comfort.

The cardigan is constructed with raglan sleeves, a shaping method in which the sleeve and body pieces are joined diagonally from the underarm to the neckline, eliminating the need for a traditional set-in sleeve seam. Raglan construction is especially popular in baby garments because it creates a smooth, comfortable shoulder line with minimal bulk — ideal for delicate infant skin. The raglan shaping in this pattern is described as fully fashioned, meaning the decreases are worked a stitch or two in from the edge to create a visible, decorative shaping line rather than being hidden within the seam allowance.

• Left Front: Cast on using 4mm needles and worked in garter stitch for the deep welt section, measuring 6–16 cm depending on size, ending on a right-side row. Stitches are then slipped onto a holder at the front band before the main body continues.
• Raglan Shaping: Decreases are worked at the raglan edge on alternating rows and every following alternate row, with neck edge shaping worked simultaneously on specific rows depending on the size being made.
• Short Sleeves: Both sleeves are worked alike, cast on using 3.25mm needles, with sizes beginning at 31 stitches and increasing across the six sizes.

Raglan Sleeve Cardigan (Second Design)

The pattern also includes a second raglan cardigan variation, as indicated by the repeated design references within the leaflet. While both designs share the fundamental raglan sleeve construction, the variations in welt depth, stitch pattern proportions, and finishing details offer knitters a choice of style within the same size range of 36–61 cm.

Both designs make use of the same core construction principles, including the fully fashioned raglan shaping and the combination of garter stitch and stocking stitch sections.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs a range of knitting techniques that make it a satisfying intermediate-level project:

• Raglan shaping: A classic construction method worked by decreasing stitches at set intervals across the raglan edges of both the body and sleeve pieces, shaping all four sections simultaneously when worked flat and seamed.
• Fully fashioned decreases: Decorative decreases placed deliberately within the fabric rather than at the very edge, creating a neat, visible shaping line — a hallmark of quality knitwear construction.
• Simultaneous shaping: Neck edge decreases and raglan edge decreases are worked at the same time, requiring the knitter to keep track of two shaping sequences concurrently.
• Stitch holder usage: Front band stitches are slipped onto a stitch holder mid-construction, a common technique in cardigan knitting to keep live stitches ready for later finishing.
• Casting on and casting off: Standard techniques used throughout, with the final cast-off of remaining stitches completing each raglan section.

Stitches Used

• Garter Stitch (G-St): Every row knitted. Used for the deep welt sections and border areas. Garter stitch creates a