Rapita Pullover in Adriafil Primula - Downloadable PDF

Rapita Pullover Knitting Pattern in Adriafil Primula – Free Downloadable PDF

The Rapita Pullover is a classic knitted sweater pattern designed for use with Adriafil Primula yarn, a DK-weight yarn worked up in mélange grey (shade no. 82). This free downloadable PDF pattern produces a beautifully structured pullover featuring a distinctive double-layered front pouch panel, raglan shaping, and a combination of ribbed and stockinette stitch sections. The result is a garment with excellent texture contrast and a relaxed, wearable silhouette suited to everyday wear.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a knitted pullover (sweater/jumper) with raglan sleeve shaping and a shaped neckline. One of its most distinctive design features is a front kangaroo-style pouch panel, which is worked as a separate double layer over the centre front stitches and then joined to the main body. The garment is available in three sizes: 42–44 and 46, making it suitable for a range of adult fits.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Adriafil Primula in mélange grey no. 82 – 600 grams required
• Knitting needles: sizes 3.5 mm (no. 3½) and 4 mm (no. 4)
• Cable needle: size 4 mm
• Tapestry needle for seaming and finishing

Adriafil Primula is a DK-weight yarn, and at this gauge it produces a fabric with good stitch definition, making it ideal for the combination of ribbing and knit stitch sections featured in this design. The mélange grey colourway gives the finished pullover a contemporary, versatile look.

Tension and Gauge

The stated gauge for this pattern is 22 stitches and 30 rows to 10 cm × 10 cm, measured over knit stitch (stockinette) using 4 mm needles. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for ensuring the pullover knits up to the correct dimensions, particularly given the precise stitch counts involved in the pouch panel and raglan shaping.

Pattern Stitches and Techniques Used

Stitches

• Elastic rib (K1/P1 ribbing): Used for the border at the cast-on edge, worked over 4 rows on the smaller 3.5 mm needles to create a neat, stretchy hem
• K1/P1 rib stitch: Continued beyond the border section, worked for approximately 11 cm to create a longer ribbed lower body section before transitioning to the main fabric
• Knit stitch (stockinette): The primary stitch used for the main body of both the back and front, worked on the larger 4 mm needles

Shaping Techniques

• Side shaping: The body is shaped with decreases worked inside 4 stitches at each end — 2 stitches decreased every 12 rows, 4 times — to create a tapered waist, followed by increases of 1 stitch every 8 rows, 3 times to restore the hip width
• Raglan shaping: Both the back and front feature classic raglan armhole shaping, with 2 stitches decreased every 4 rows inside 4 stitches at each end, worked over 13–15 repetitions depending on size
• Neckline shaping: The front neckline is shaped by casting off centre stitches and then working stepped decreases — 5 stitches, then 3 stitches, then 2 stitches, then 1 stitch — every 2 rows on each side separately

The Front Pouch Panel

One of the most technically interesting elements of the Rapita Pullover is its front pouch construction. After completing the ribbed