Textured Cardigan & Sweater in King Cole Riot Chunky - 5010 - Downloadable PDF

Textured Cardigan & Sweater in King Cole Riot Chunky – Pattern 5010

Overview

Pattern 5010 from King Cole is a knitting pattern offering two classic garment designs in one downloadable PDF: a textured cardigan and a textured sweater. Both feature a stylish raglan sleeve construction and are knitted in the popular King Cole Riot Chunky yarn. The pattern covers a generous size range of 71–117 cm (28–46 in), making it suitable for a wide variety of body sizes. Rated as an intermediate difficulty project, this pattern is ideal for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to explore textured stitch patterns and raglan shaping.

Garments Included

• Textured Cardigan – A front-opening garment featuring a rich all-over textured stitch pattern and raglan sleeve shaping, providing a cosy, structured look suitable for everyday wear.
• Textured Sweater – A pullover version sharing the same textured stitch design and raglan construction, offering a seamless style pairing with the cardigan.

Construction and Design Details

Both garments are built around a raglan sleeve design, a classic construction method where the sleeve extends in one diagonal line from the underarm all the way to the neckline. This creates a smooth, comfortable shoulder fit with minimal bulk at the seams, making it particularly well-suited to chunky-weight knitting. The raglan shaping is achieved through regular decrease rows, giving the garments a neat, tailored silhouette despite the chunky yarn weight.

The defining feature of both designs is the textured pattern, which runs throughout the body and sleeves. Textured knitting patterns typically combine knit and purl stitches in a structured repeat to create surface interest and depth, adding visual appeal without the complexity of colourwork or cable knitting. This makes the fabric both attractive and tactile, with excellent drape and warmth.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• Textured pattern stitch – The primary stitch pattern used across both garments, worked over a set repeat of rows using combinations of knit and purl stitches.
• Knit (K) and Purl (P) stitches – The foundational stitches forming the textured fabric.
• Raglan sleeve shaping – Achieved through systematic decreasing along raglan lines to shape the armhole and sleeve cap simultaneously.
• Decreasing – Techniques including pass slipped stitch over (psso) and knit two together (tog) are used for shaping.
• Increasing – Used to shape the sleeves from cuff to underarm.
• Slip stitch (sl) – Slipping one stitch knitways as part of decrease methods.
• Alternating rows (alt) – Shaping is worked on alternate rows, a standard technique in raglan and armhole construction.

Tension

The stated tension for this pattern is 14 stitches and 20 rows to 10 cm (4 in) over the textured pattern. Achieving the correct tension is essential to ensure the finished garment matches the intended size. Knitters are advised to work a tension swatch before beginning and to adjust needle size accordingly — switching to a finer needle if too few stitches are obtained per 10 cm, or a larger needle if too many stitches are obtained.

Materials

• Yarn: King Cole Riot Chunky – a chunky-weight yarn known for its rich, multi-tonal colourways and excellent stitch definition, making it well-suited to textured knitting.
• Needles: 6 mm knitting needles, or the size required to achieve the correct tension.

Size Range

This pattern is designed to fit chest measurements from 71 cm to 117 cm (28 in to 46 in), covering a broad range of sizes within a single pattern booklet. This inclusive sizing makes it a versatile choice for knitters making garments for themselves or as gifts.