Cardigans Knitted in King Cole DK - 5731 - Downloadable PDF

Cardigans Knitted in King Cole DK – Pattern 5731

Pattern 5731 from King Cole is a downloadable PDF knitting pattern featuring children's cardigans worked in Double Knit (DK) weight yarn. The pattern covers a size range of 51–71 cm (20–28 inches), making it suitable for babies and young children across multiple sizes. Rated at an intermediate difficulty level, this pattern offers a rewarding project for knitters who are comfortable with shaping techniques and reading multi-size instructions.

What Is Being Made

The pattern includes instructions for shaped cardigans for children. Based on the PDF content, the design features a shaped cardigan with raglan shaping, structured front edges, and a classic construction that includes separate left front, right front, and body sections. The cardigans are designed with neat front edges and shaped raglans that give a tailored, fitted appearance suited to young wearers.

Shaped Cardigan

The Shaped Cardigan is the primary design featured in this pattern. It is constructed with a stocking stitch body and incorporates fully fashioned raglan shaping, a technique that creates elegant, visible decreases along the raglan seam lines rather than simple cast-off shaping. This gives the finished garment a professional, hand-crafted look that is a hallmark of classic knitwear design.

The cardigan is worked in separate pieces — including a Left Front and Right Front — which are then seamed together. The front edges are shaped with increases and cast-on stitches to build the front band or border, and the fronts are worked in stocking stitch throughout. Raglan shaping begins after a set number of straight rows, with cast-offs at the beginning of rows to set the armhole, followed by the fully fashioned decreases that run up to the neckline.

Techniques Used

• Fully fashioned raglan shaping – decreases are worked a stitch or two in from the edge, creating a decorative and structural shaping line along the raglan seam
• Front edge shaping – increases and cast-on stitches are used at the front edges to shape and build the cardigan fronts
• Tension/gauge swatching – the pattern emphasises the importance of achieving the correct tension before beginning, with guidance on adjusting needle size accordingly
• Seaming – the garment is knitted in separate pieces and joined, requiring finishing and assembly skills
• Multi-size knitting – instructions are given for multiple sizes simultaneously, with knitters advised to circle their chosen size before beginning

Stitches Used

• Stocking Stitch (St-St) – the main fabric stitch, worked by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows, producing a smooth, classic knitted fabric
• 1x1 Rib – a stretchy, textured stitch pattern formed by alternating knit and purl stitches, typically used for cuffs, hems, and borders to provide elasticity and a neat finish
• Increases (inc) – used to shape the front edges and build stitch counts at the beginning of the pattern pieces
• Decreases (K2tog, psso) – used for raglan shaping; K2tog (knit two together) and psso (pass slipped stitch over) are both referenced in the pattern for reducing stitches neatly
• Slip stitch (sl1) – used in conjunction with decrease methods for clean, fully fashioned shaping

Materials

This pattern is designed to be knitted in King Cole DK yarn — a Double Knit weight yarn from the King Cole brand. DK weight yarn is one of the most versatile and widely used yarn weights, offering a balance between stitch definition and speed of knitting that makes it ideal for children's garments. The recommended needle size is 4mm knitting needles, or the size required to achieve the stated tension of 22 stitches and 28 rows to 10 cm (4 inches) over stocking stitch. Raglan sections are worked at