Rowan Dino Jumper Knitting Pattern

Rowan Dino Sweater by Martin Storey

What is Being Made

The Rowan Dino is a children's knitted sweater designed by Martin Storey, sized to fit ages 3–4 through 11–12 years. This pullover-style jumper features a decorative intarsia motif worked into the front, making it a charming garment for young knitters and wearers alike.

Techniques Used

This design employs several key knitting techniques:

• Bottom-up construction: The sweater is worked from the bottom edge upward, allowing for straightforward shaping and fitting adjustments.
• Flat knitting: Pieces are worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, with seaming required at the end.
• Intarsia: A decorative motif chart is incorporated into the front using the intarsia technique, enabling the introduction of a contrasting color design while maintaining stocking stitch fabric. The motif spans 56 stitches and 43 rows, worked entirely in stocking stitch with careful yarn management to create a clean, professional appearance.
• Ribbed edging: The garment begins with a 2×2 ribbed cuff worked over 14 rows using smaller needles, providing elasticity and a neat finish at the cast-on edge.
• Armhole and neck shaping: Strategic decreases and cast-offs shape the armholes and neckline for proper fit.

Stitches Used

The pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches:

• Stocking stitch (st st): The primary fabric throughout the body and motif, created by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side.
• Ribbing (2×2 rib): Alternating knit and purl stitches in groups of two, used for the initial cuff and providing textured elasticity.

Materials

The Rowan Dino is worked in Softyak DK, a DK-weight yarn offering softness and durability suitable for children's garments. Yarn quantities vary by size: the main color (Yarn A, Lea 236) requires 4–7 balls of 50g, while the contrast color (Yarn B, Terrain 243) requires 1–2 balls of 50g.

Needles required include one pair of 3¼mm (US 3) needles for the ribbed cuff and one pair of 4mm (US 6) needles for the main body. The pattern is worked to a tension of 22 stitches and 30 rows over 10 centimeters measured in stocking stitch using the 4mm needles, ensuring proper sizing across all age ranges.

Construction Overview

The back is cast on using the smaller needles and worked in ribbing before switching to the larger needles for the body. The front follows the same initial structure but incorporates the intarsia motif chart partway through the body, requiring careful color changes and yarn management. Both front and back pieces are shaped at the armholes and neck according to the specific size being made, then seamed together to complete the finished sweater.