Child’s Pullover with Hood in Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine 120 - S9051 - Downloadable PDF

Child's Pullover with Hood in Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine 120 – Pattern S9051

This free downloadable knitting pattern (design reference S9051) from Schachenmayr guides knitters through the construction of a child's pullover featuring an integrated hood. The garment is worked in pieces — back, front, sleeves, and hood — and then seamed together, making it an excellent project for intermediate knitters looking to build confidence with shaping, stitch pattern transitions, and hood construction.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a hooded children's pullover (sweater), designed to be warm, comfortable, and visually interesting thanks to a combination of smooth stockinette and a textured stitch pattern. The pattern is offered in four size ranges: 86/92, 98/104, 116/122, and 134/140, covering a broad range of children's sizes from toddler through older child. The hood is worked as an integral part of the design rather than an afterthought, giving the garment a polished, structured finish.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The pattern is designed specifically for Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine 120, a DK weight (double knitting) yarn. As the name suggests, this yarn is made from extrafine merino wool, which is known for its softness against children's sensitive skin, its excellent stitch definition, and its natural warmth and breathability. DK weight yarn strikes a balance between speed of knitting and fabric drape, making it well suited to children's garments that need to be both practical and comfortable. Knitters should use the needle size recommended on the yarn band or as specified in the pattern to achieve the correct tension.

Tension / Gauge

Achieving the correct tension is essential for this pattern, particularly because it involves two distinct stitch fabrics. The stated tension is:

• 22 stitches and 30 rows = 10 x 10 cm, measured over both stocking stitch (Glatt rechts) and the textured stitch pattern (Strukturmuster).

Knitters are strongly advised to work a tension swatch in both stitch patterns before casting on, as the transition between the two fabrics occurs mid-garment and both must match the stated gauge for the sizing to be accurate.

Stitches and Techniques Used

The pullover uses a combination of stitch patterns, each serving a distinct structural or decorative purpose:

• Rib stitch (Bündchenmuster): Used for the welts (lower edges and cuffs), worked over approximately 3 cm / 9 rows. Ribbing creates a stretchy, neat border that helps the garment hug the body at the hem and wrists.
• Stocking stitch (Glatt rechts): The main body of the lower portion of the back and front pieces is worked in smooth stocking stitch — knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows. This creates a classic, flat fabric that shows off the quality of the Schachenmayr Merino Extrafine 120 yarn beautifully.
• Textured stitch pattern (Strukturmuster): The upper portion of the garment — above a defined length from the cast-on edge — transitions into a structured textured pattern. This stitch pattern requires a stitch count divisible by 6, plus 3, plus 2 edge stitches. It is worked over a two-row repeat:
  • Row 1 (right side): Edge stitch, then repeat [1 purl stitch, 1 knit stitch] to end, finishing with 1 purl stitch and an edge stitch.
  • Row 2 (wrong side): Edge stitch, 3 knit stitches, then repeat [3 purl stitches, 3 knit stitches] to end, finishing with an edge stitch.
• Armhole shaping: Stitches are cast off in stages on both sides to create the armhole — first a larger group, then decreases every other row — a standard set-in or modified armhole shaping technique that gives the sleeve a neat fit.
• Stitch adjustment at pattern transition: When switching from stocking stitch to the textured pattern, a