Debbie Bliss Tokyo Jacket Knitting Pattern

Debbie Bliss Tokyo Jacket

What Is Being Made

The Debbie Bliss Tokyo Jacket is a striped knitted cardigan designed to fit chest measurements from 91-97 cm up to 122-127 cm (36-50 inches). The finished garment features a modern colorblock stripe pattern and is constructed with a full-length zip closure. The jacket offers four size options with finished chest measurements ranging from 102 cm to 135 cm (40¼ to 53¼ inches) and a consistent sleeve length of 50 cm (20 inches). The length to back neck varies by size from 72 to 78 cm (28¼ to 30¾ inches).

Techniques Used

This jacket is worked using a bottom-up construction method, meaning the garment pieces are knitted from the lower edge upward. The pattern employs a seamed construction, with individual pieces worked flat and then joined together. Striped colorwork is a key design element, created by changing yarn colors at designated points in the pattern. The raglan armhole shaping technique is used to create the sleeve cap, with decreases worked at the beginning and end of rows to form the characteristic diagonal raglan lines from the underarm to the neckline.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (st st) – the primary stitch throughout the body and sleeves, created by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side to produce a smooth, classic fabric
• Ribbing – used for the cuff and hem edgings in a k2, p2 pattern to create elasticity and a fitted finish
• Decrease stitches – including skpo (slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over) and k2tog (knit 2 together) used for raglan shaping
• Make one (m1) – an increase stitch for adding stitches where needed

Materials and Specifications

The Tokyo Jacket is knitted using Debbie Bliss Rialto DK yarn, a double-knitting weight fiber. The color palette consists of three colors: Black 03 (M) for the main color, Scarlet 12 (A) for the primary stripe, and Ocean 72 (B) for accent stripes. Yarn quantities vary by size, ranging from 4 to 5 balls of Black, 8 to 11 balls of Scarlet, and 3 to 4 balls of Ocean, with each ball weighing 50 grams.

The pattern requires two sets of knitting needles: 3.25mm (US 3) for the ribbed edgings and 4mm (US 6) for the main fabric. The gauge is 22 stitches and 30 rows to a 10 cm (4-inch) square when worked in stocking stitch using the 4mm needles. A zip fastener sized to fit the jacket front opening is also required to complete the garment.

Construction Details

The jacket begins with casting on stitches for the back and left front pieces using the smaller needles and ribbing. Once the ribbed cuff is complete, the needles are changed to the larger size and the body is worked in stocking stitch with color changes to create the stripe pattern. The raglan armhole shaping involves casting off a set number of stitches at the beginning of two rows, then working paired decreases on alternating rows to gradually reduce the stitch count. The pattern uses a holder to keep stitches live for the neckline, allowing for a clean finish when the zip is inserted. Seaming joins the individual pieces together to create the finished three-dimensional garment.