Lang PTO28-11 Sweater Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Lang PTO28-11 Sweater: Knitted Cardigan for Children

What is Being Made

The Lang PTO28-11 is a children's cardigan sweater designed in three sizes to fit ages 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8 years, with corresponding chest measurements of 68, 76, and 82 cm and garment lengths of 40, 43, and 46 cm respectively. This is a classic pullover-style sweater featuring a sophisticated brioche rib stitch pattern that creates visual texture and subtle dimension throughout the garment.

Construction Techniques

This sweater is constructed using a bottom-up seamed approach, meaning the knitter begins at the lower edge and works upward toward the shoulders and neckline. The garment is worked flat on straight needles for the main body and sleeves, with the exception of ribbed edgings which are worked in the round using a short circular needle. This hybrid construction method combines the simplicity of flat knitting for the main pieces with circular needle techniques for finishing details, allowing for cleaner edge stitches and more professional-looking ribbed borders.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The sweater features two primary stitch patterns:

• Pattern I (Ribbing): A classic 1x1 ribbed pattern (knit 1, purl 1) worked on 3mm needles for all edgings, cuffs, and waistband. This elastic ribbing helps the garment maintain its shape and provides a snug, comfortable fit at the wrists and hem.
• Pattern II (Main Fabric): A half brioche rib worked on 3.5mm needles using an odd number of stitches. This sophisticated stitch pattern is created over a four-row repeat: the first row establishes the rib structure with purl and knit stitches, the second and fourth rows work the reverse ribbing on the wrong side, and the third row features the distinctive brioche element with "knit below" stitches that create the characteristic brioche texture. After the initial four-row setup, the pattern repeats rows 3 and 4 to maintain the brioche effect throughout the body and sleeves.

The pattern includes a professional fully fashioned decrease technique for shaping the garment edges, ensuring that decreases are worked into the row below for a refined, tailored appearance rather than simple stacked decreases.

Materials and Tools

This pattern is designed for LANGYARNS MERINO 150, a fine-weight merino wool yarn that is mulesing-free, ensuring ethical production standards. The yardage requirements are 300, 350, or 400 grams (equivalent to 6, 7, or 8 balls) depending on the size selected. The primary colorway shown is steel blue (197.0133).

Two additional color variations are provided in the pattern:

• Colour Variant 1: MERINO 150 DÉGRADÉ in green-bordeaux-salmon gradient
• Colour Variant 2: A two-color combination using MERINO 150 DÉGRADÉ in blue-orange-brick (250, 300, or 350 grams) paired with steel blue (50, 100, or 100 grams) for the left sleeve, creating an asymmetrical color-block design

The required needles are ADDI knitting needles in sizes 3mm (US 2.5, UK 11) and 3.5mm (US 4), plus one short circular needle in 3mm for working the ribbed edgings. The gauge for the main brioche rib pattern is 24 stitches and 50 rows per 10 cm (4 inches) when worked on 3.5mm needles.

Pattern Construction Details

The sweater begins with casting on stitches for the back piece on 3mm needles, establishing the 1x1 ribbed edging before transitioning to the 3.5mm needles and the half brioche rib main pattern. The back, front, and sleeve pieces are worked separately in flat knitting, with shaping accomplished through the fully fashioned decrease technique at the edges. Once all pieces are complete, they are seamed together using mattress stitch or a similar invisible seaming method to create a polished, professional finish. The circular needle is used for picking up stitches around the neckline and working the neck ribbing in the round, which creates a smooth, continuous ribbed edge at the neck opening.