Children’s Toggle Topcoat

Free Child Jacket Knitting Pattern

Sized for kids 2-10, this knitted topcoat provides a stylish and warm outer layer. The 4 toggle-style buttons make for easy on and off. Bulky weight yarn gives the jacket thickness!

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
-Knit & purl, cast on & bind off;
-Increasing: make 1 (m1), knit into front and back (kfr&b;
-Decreasing: knit 2 together (k2tog);
-Picking up stitches;
-Working applied I-cord.
-Basic crochet: chain

Sizes: 2 (4, 6, 8, 10)
Shown in size 4.

Measurements
For chest: 21 (23, 25, 26.5, 28) inches [53 (58, 64, 67, 71) cm]
Length of jacket: 18 (20, 21, 23, 24) inches [46 (51, 53, 58, 61) cm]

Materials:
Lamb's Pride Bulky by Brown Sheep (affiliate link) Co, super bulky weight yarn (85% wool, 15% mohair), 4 oz./113 grams, approx. 125 yards/114m per skein - 5 (5, 6, 7, 9) skeins, color Oatmeal (MC)
Handpainted Dyed super bulky weight yarn (100% wool), 80 yards (73 m)/100 gr – 1 skein (CC)

Notions: 4 buttons, 6 stitch markers, tapestry needle, sewing needle and thread of matching color, crochet hook 5,5 mm.

Needles: US 10.5 (6.5mm) circular 32” (80 cm) needles OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE.

Gauge for stockinette st: 12 sts x 18 rows = 4" x 4" (10cm x 10cm)

Abbreviations:
st, sts - stitch, stitches
k - knit
p - purl
k2tog - knit 2 together
kfr&b - knit into front and back loops
pu&k- pick up and knit
m1 - make 1 increase - I used the increase described by Elizabeth Zimmerman: make a backward loop over the right-hand needle and in the next row/round purl/knit as a regular stitch.
pm - place marker
sm - slip marker
rm - remove marker
RS - right side
WS - wrong side
Bb – button band


Pattern Notes:

Stockinette Stitch in rows:
Row 1 (RS, and all RS rows): knit
Row 2 (WS and all WS rows): purl
Repeat 2 rows

Stockinette Stitch in rounds:
Al rounds - knit

The selvedge/edge stitches here are worked as follows: slip the first st as if to knit/knitwise and purl the last one.

Raglan increases: Increase for raglan by making 1 st (m1) on each side of indicated, marked, stitch in every right side (RS) row, as follows: knit to the marker, m1, sm, k1 (raglan st), m1. There are 4 raglan lines, so the number of sts increases by 8 in each RS row.

Front line increases: in rows 1, 3, 5 and 7 there are also front line increases, immediately after, in the beginning of the row, and before, at the end of the row, of the selvedge sts, make 1 st.

Side line increases: are worked in every 6th RS row on both sides to shape the body of the jacket: work till marker, m1, slip marker (sm), work till the next marker, sm, m1, work to the end of the row. There are 2 side lines and 2 markers, thus the number of sts in each 6th row will increase by 2.

See video instructions for knitting applied I-cord.

Short overview of the pattern:

The jacket is worked from the top down, back and forth, as one piece in stockinette stitch. The sleeves are worked flat, back and forth and seamed afterwards. The jacket is finished with applied I-cord. The bottom of the jacket and of the sleeves is worked in contrast color yarn. You can change the number and the width of the stripes for a different look.

Jacket

With MC yarn cast on 24 (27, 27, 27, 28) sts and purl one foundation row (wrong side). Check the sts and place markers on raglan lines as follows:
1 st (selvedge) + 1 st (front) + 1 st (first raglan, place a marker before this stitch) + 3 (4, 4, 4, 4) sts (sleeve) + 1 st (second raglan, place a marker before this stitch) + 10 (11, 11, 11, 12) sts (back) + 1 st (third raglan, place a marker before this stitch) + 3 (4, 4, 4, 4) sts (sleeve) + 1 st (forth raglan, place a marker before the stitch) + 1 st (front) + 1 st (selvedge).

Row 1 (RS, 1st increase row): sl 1, m1, *knit till marker, m1, sm, k1 (raglan), m1, repeat from * 4 times, knit till last st, m1, p1. (+10 sts) Total 34 (37, 37, 37, 38) sts.

Row 2 (WS) and all WS rows: sl 1, purl all sts.

Repeat 1st increase row three (four, four, four, four) more times, each time the number of sts is increased by 10. Total after last repeat 64 (77, 77, 77, 78) sts.

Row 9 (11, 11, 11, 11) (2nd increase row): sl 1, *knit till marker, m1, sm, k1 (raglan), m1, repeat from * 4 times, knit to the last st, p1. (+8 sts)

Repeat 2nd increase row 6 (6, 7, 8, 9) more times. Total after last increase row 112 (125, 133, 141, 150) sts. Total rows: 22 (24, 26, 28, 30).


Divide for sleeves and bodice:

Row 23 (25, 27, 29, 31): sl1, knit till marker, rm, k1 (raglan), transfer left sleeve sts (all sts till the next marker) to a piece of waste yarn, rm, cast on 4 sts for underarm, knit till next marker, rm, k1 (raglan), transfer right sleeve sts (all sts till the next marker) to a piece of waste yarn, rm, cast on 4 sts for underarm, knit till last st, p1. Place marker in the middle of each underarm (between 2nd and 3rd sts).

Continue to work body as established: RS knit, WS purl.

Work 58 (64, 70, 74, 78) rows or to desired length. To shape the A-line, work side line increases as described in Pattern Notes.

Work the last 24 rows in CC yarn.

Do not bind off. Leave the stitches on a circular needle or a length of waste yarn.



Sleeves

Sleeves are worked back and forth on circular needles. Work one sleeve at a time.
Transfer stitches from waste yarn.

Row 1 (RS): pu&k 2 underarm sts, knit across, pu&k 2 remaining underarm sts, turn.
Row 2 (WS): sl1, purl across. turn.

Work as established 40 (48, 52, 58, 62) rows or to desired length.

Work the last 18 rows in CC yarn.

Bind off using applied I-cord method.


Finishing

Weave in ends.

Join/sew the sleeve seams.

Starting at the bottom of the jacket, bind off the stitches, using applied I-cord method. Continue to work applied I-cord around the front centers and neckline.

Block.

Crochet 4 2-inch length of chain for the button loops. Sew them on the inside of the right front. Sew 4 buttons or toggles to the left front.

Have fun!