Jacket & Sweater in King Cole Fashion Aran - 4240 - Downloadable PDF

Jacket & Sweater in King Cole Fashion Aran – Pattern 4240: A Detailed Summary

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern from King Cole presents two classic knitwear designs — a jacket and a sweater — both worked in the brand's own King Cole Fashion Aran yarn. The pattern is graded as intermediate in difficulty and covers a generous range of sizes, from 86/91 cm (34/36 in) through to 127/132 cm (50/52 in), making it accessible to a wide variety of body shapes. Both garments share the same yarn weight and needle specification, so knitters already comfortable with Aran-weight projects will find the transition between the two designs straightforward.

About the Yarn and Materials

Both designs are knitted using King Cole Fashion Aran, an Aran-weight yarn equivalent to a worsted weight in US terms. The recommended needle size is 5mm knitting needles, though knitters are encouraged to adjust needle size as needed to achieve the correct tension. A cable needle (CN) is also required for working the cable panel featured in the designs.

As with all King Cole patterns, a donation is made to the Pink Ribbon Foundation for every pattern purchased, adding a charitable dimension to your knitting project.

Tension

Achieving the correct tension is essential for a well-fitting finished garment. The pattern specifies:

• 18 stitches and 24 rows to 10 cm (4 in) over stocking stitch using 5mm needles
• The cable panel of 15 stitches measures approximately 6 cm (2½ in) in width
• Raglan shaping rows are worked at a rate of 25 rows to 10 cm (4 in) due to the fully fashioned nature of the raglan decreases

Knitters are strongly advised to work a tension swatch before casting on, as both the stitch count and the row count play an important role in the fit of the raglan shaping and the overall garment dimensions.

The Jacket

Design Overview

The jacket is a structured, Aran-weight knitted outerwear piece designed to be worked in King Cole Fashion Aran. It features classic shaping suited to an intermediate knitter, incorporating both textural stitch patterns and neat finishing techniques. The jacket's construction makes it a versatile layering piece, appropriate for cooler seasons.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• 2x2 Rib — used for welts, cuffs, and borders, creating a neat, elasticated edge that helps the garment retain its shape
• Stocking Stitch (St-St) — the primary body fabric, worked with knit stitches on right-side rows and purl stitches on wrong-side rows, producing a smooth, classic surface
• Cable Panel — a 15-stitch cable panel is incorporated into the design, adding traditional Aran texture and visual interest; cables are worked using a cable needle and involve crossing groups of stitches to create the characteristic twisted rope or plait effect
• Raglan Shaping — the sleeves and body are joined and shaped using fully fashioned raglan decreases, a technique where the decreases are worked a set number of stitches in from the edge, creating a visible and decorative shaping line that is characteristic of classic knitwear construction
• Fully Fashioned Decreasing — involves techniques such as slip one stitch knitways (sl1), knit two together (k2tog), pass slipped stitch over (psso), and working stitches through the back of the loop (tbl) to create neat, directional decreases
• Increasing (inc) — used in sleeve shaping to gradually widen the sleeve from cuff to underarm

Construction Notes

The jacket is worked in separate pieces — back, fronts, and sleeves — which are then seamed together. The raglan construction means that the sleeves and body pieces all converge at the shoulder, a method that distributes ease across the upper body and suits a wide range of figures. The use of