Simple Girl's Knitted Sweater: Stitch Pattern and a Detailed Tutorial
Step-by-step instructions for a girl's sweater for ages 4 to 12 (three sizes): the amount of Viking Bjork Yarn you'll need, a gauge of 25 stitches per 10 cm, knitting the back-and-front piece and the sleeves in the round in 1x1 ribbing and stockinette stitch, joining the pieces into a yoke, and working the yoke decreases from the chart.
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Things you will learn
The pattern comes in three sizes: 4-6 years, 8 years, and 10-12 years — a 74, 79, or 88 cm chest, a 44, 50, or 57 cm body length, and a 33, 38, or 44 cm sleeve length.
You'll need 5, 6, or 7 skeins of Viking Bjork Yarn (90% cotton, 10% merino wool, 150 m per 50 g), depending on the size.
Gauge: 25 stitches = 10 cm in stockinette stitch on size 3 needles.
The back-and-front piece and both sleeves are knit separately in the round, then joined into a yoke, where the decreases are worked from a chart.
What you'll get
You'll get a girl's sweater with a yoke, knit in the round: 1x1 ribbing gives way to stockinette stitch, and the upper part joins the back, front, and sleeves through decreases worked from the yoke chart. The pattern comes in three sizes, for ages 4 to 12.
Materials and tools
Materials
Viking Bjork Yarn, 5 (6, 7) skeins, 90% cotton, 10% merino wool, 150 meters per 50 g; the number of skeins depends on the size
Tools
Size 2.5 needles (straight and circular), for the 1x1 ribbing on the back-and-front piece and the sleeves
Size 3 needles (straight and circular), for the stockinette stitch and the yoke; gauge is measured on these
Markers, to mark the front, back, and sleeve boundaries when working in the round
Preparation
Choose your size
The pattern comes in three sizes: 4-6 years, 8 years, and 10-12 years. Every number in the instructions is given as "size 1 (size 2, size 3)" — pick the value in the same position for your chosen size throughout.
Knit a swatch and check your gauge
The gauge in the source is 25 stitches per 10 cm in stockinette stitch on size 3 needles. Before casting on, knit a swatch and compare your gauge to this figure.
The Back-and-Front Piece
The back and front are knit as one piece in the round, with markers on the sides for the future armholes.
Cast on and knit the ribbing
On size 2.5 needles, cast on 184 (198, 220) stitches and join into a round. Knit 1x1 ribbing in the round up to 3 (4, 4) cm. Place markers on the sides so that you have 92 (99, 110) stitches for the front and back sections.
Switch to stockinette stitch
Switch to size 3 needles and knit in the round in stockinette stitch up to 27 (31, 36) cm. Then bind off 12 stitches on each side for the armholes (6 stitches on each side of each marker).
Check the height before the armhole
The height before the armhole is 27 (31, 36) cm, depending on the size; match it to the value for your size.
Set the piece aside and move on to the sleeves
Set the back-and-front piece aside and start knitting the sleeves.
The Sleeves
Both sleeves are knit separately in the round, with a gradual stitch increase.
Cast on the sleeve stitches and knit the ribbing
On size 2.5 needles, cast on 42 (46, 46) stitches and join into a round. Knit 1 round in knit stitch, then knit 1x1 ribbing in the round up to 3 (4, 4) cm.
Switch to stockinette stitch and start increasing
Switch to size 3 needles and increase to 49 (51, 53) stitches. Keep knitting in stockinette stitch, increasing 1 stitch on each side of the marker every 1.5 cm, until you have 83 (93, 99) stitches on the needles.
Bind off for the sleeve's armhole
Once you've knit the sleeve to 33 (38, 44) cm, bind off 12 stitches (6 on each side of the marker). Set the stitches aside and knit the second sleeve the same way.
Knit both sleeves the same way
Repeat the whole sleeve pattern again to get the second piece before joining everything into the yoke.
The Yoke
All the pieces are joined onto one set of needles, and the yoke's shape comes from the decreases worked from the chart.
Join all the pieces onto one set of needles
Slip all the stitches from the back-and-front piece and both sleeves onto one set of needles. You should end up with 302 (336, 370) stitches.
Work the first decreases
Work decreases along the next round to bring the stitch count down to 288 (336, 384).
A possible inconsistency in the source
For the 8-year size, the source gives the same stitch count before and after this decrease (336 and 336). Keep both figures exactly as given in the source, and check the decrease placement against the yoke chart as you knit.
Knit stockinette stitch before the pattern
Knit in stockinette stitch up to 2 (3, 4) cm.
Knit the yoke from the chart
Knit the yoke following the stitch chart, working decreases at the same time down to 72 (84, 96) stitches.
Bind off and weave in the ends
Bind off the remaining stitches and weave in the yarn ends on the wrong side.
Finish and variations
Finish
Weave in the yarn ends
After binding off the yoke stitches, weave in all the yarn ends on the wrong side of the piece.
Variations
Size 4-6 years
A 74 cm chest, 44 cm body length, and 33 cm sleeve length. Cast-on counts: 184 stitches for the back-and-front piece, 42 stitches for the sleeve.
Size 8 years
A 79 cm chest, 50 cm body length, and 38 cm sleeve length. Cast-on counts: 198 stitches for the back-and-front piece, 46 stitches for the sleeve.
Size 10-12 years
An 88 cm chest, 57 cm body length, and 44 cm sleeve length. Cast-on counts: 220 stitches for the back-and-front piece, 46 stitches for the sleeve.
After the first yoke decrease, the stitch count for the middle size (8 years) matches the count before the decrease (336).
Likely cause
This is a quirk of the source text, not a knitting mistake.
How to fix it
Keep both figures exactly as given in the source (336 and 336 for the middle size), and check the decrease placement against the included yoke chart.
The numbers for different sizes got mixed up
Problem
While knitting, the bracketed values for different sizes got swapped.
Likely cause
Every number is given as "size 1 (size 2, size 3)", and it's easy to grab the wrong one.
How to fix it
Before you start, mark your size and always use the same position in the brackets: the first, second, or third value.
The finished measurements don't match the pattern
Problem
The finished piece comes out wider or narrower than the 74, 79, or 88 cm chest measurement.
Likely cause
Your gauge differs from 25 stitches per 10 cm.
How to fix it
Knit a swatch in stockinette stitch on size 3 needles and compare it to the source's gauge of 25 stitches per 10 cm. Change your needle size if you need to.
?FAQ
How much yarn do I need for the sweater?
Depending on the size, you'll need 5, 6, or 7 skeins of Viking Bjork Yarn (90% cotton, 10% merino wool, 150 m per 50 g).
What needles does this pattern need?
You'll need straight and circular needles in size 2.5 (for the ribbing) and size 3 (for the stockinette stitch and yoke, where the gauge is also measured).
What's the gauge for this pattern?
25 stitches = 10 cm in stockinette stitch on size 3 needles.
How do the sweater's pieces come together?
The back-and-front piece and both sleeves are knit separately in the round, then all the stitches are slipped onto one set of needles and joined into a yoke, where the decreases are worked from the chart.
What ages does this pattern fit?
The pattern comes in three sizes: 4-6 years, 8 years, and 10-12 years, each with its own chest measurement, body length, and sleeve length.
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