Battenberg In Rowan Kaffe Fassett Kidsilk Haze - Downloadable PDF

Battenberg in Rowan Kaffe Fassett Kidsilk Haze – Pattern Summary

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from Rowan, designed by Kaffe Fassett, presents Battenberg, a striking colour-block sweater or jumper worked in the luxurious Kidsilk Haze lace-weight yarn. The design takes its name from the iconic Battenberg cake, whose distinctive checkerboard arrangement of contrasting squares is translated here into a bold, graphic knitted fabric. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it a rewarding project for knitters who are comfortable with shaping and multi-colour construction techniques.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a colour-block pullover sweater with set-in or drop-shoulder-style sleeves, a shaped front neck, and a neckband. The garment is sized across a wide range of chest measurements, from 71–76 cm (28–30 in) up to 142–157 cm (56–62 in), with actual finished chest measurements ranging from approximately 105.5 cm (41½ in) to 188 cm (74 in). The design is constructed in separate pieces — back, front, and sleeves — which are then seamed together.

Design and Colourwork Details

The defining feature of Battenberg is its bold intarsia block pattern, in which two contrasting shades of Kidsilk Haze are arranged in alternating rectangular or square blocks across the fabric. This produces a clean, geometric checkerboard effect reminiscent of the cake's famous pink-and-yellow grid. The two yarn colours specified in the pattern are:

• Yarn A – Petunia K0011
• Yarn B – Lichen K0016

These two shades from the Rowan Kidsilk Haze palette create a sophisticated tonal contrast that is characteristic of Kaffe Fassett's approach to colour. The blocks alternate consistently across each row, with the repeat and starting stitch count adjusted per size to maintain pattern alignment.

Techniques Used

The primary colourwork method employed throughout this pattern is intarsia. Unlike stranded colourwork (Fair Isle), intarsia uses separate, individual lengths or bobbins of yarn for each distinct colour area. Yarns are joined and broken off as required, and at each colour change the working yarns are twisted around one another on the wrong side to prevent holes forming between blocks. This technique keeps the fabric single-layered and is particularly well suited to large geometric colour sections like those seen in Battenberg.

Knitters new to intarsia should be aware that careful yarn management is essential — working with multiple yarn sources simultaneously requires organisation to avoid tangling. Winding small bobbins for each colour section is a widely recommended approach when tackling this style of pattern.

Additional Construction Techniques

• Garter stitch borders: Both the back and the sleeves begin with 4 rows of garter stitch (knit every row) worked in Yarn A on the smaller needles, providing a neat, stable lower edge that lies flat without curling.
• Stocking stitch body fabric: The main body and sleeves are worked in stocking stitch (knit on right side, purl on wrong side) using the intarsia block arrangement, giving a smooth, classic knitted surface that showcases the colour blocks clearly.
• Front neck shaping: Stitches are divided at the centre front and each side is worked separately. Decreases are worked at the neck edge over several rows and alternate rows to create a smooth, rounded neckline. Centre front stitches are placed on a holder for the neckband.
• Shoulder shaping: Shoulders are shaped by casting off stitches in stages across alternate rows, creating a neat, angled shoulder seam.
• Neckband: Centre front and back neck stitches are retained on holders and later picked up to work the neckband finishing.

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch – used for the lower borders and cuffs
• Stocking stitch – used for the main body and sleeves
• Intarsia colour block pattern – the defining decorative stitch arrangement, alternating Yarn A and Yarn B in structured rectangular blocks across every row