This charming top-down yoke sweater is worked seamlessly from the neckline and features traditional colorwork motifs and short-row shaping. You will enjoy creating a cozy, wearable piece with clear steps for dividing sleeves and working the body and cuffs. The pattern includes full charts, yarn and needle recommendations, and detailed size-specific instructions so you can confidently make the perfect fit for a child.
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— Overview :
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“Guell” Girls’ sweater is worked from the top down entirely seamless, starting at the neckline.
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Sizes: This pattern contains instructions for the following sizes in the indicated order: 12 mos; 18–24 mos; 3 yrs (4 yrs; 5 yrs; 6–7 yrs) (8–9 yrs; 10–12 yrs; 12–14 yrs).
— Needles and Materials :
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Stitch Sisterz Mongolian Cashmere 4 ply (100% cashmere, 100 g – 366 m [3.5 oz – 400 yds]) – for total yardage needed in your size, please refer to table below; Juli by Yarna (100% merino wool, 50 g – 175 m [1.75 oz – 192 yds]) – 25; 25; 25 (50; 50; 50) (75; 75; 75) g; Mechita by Malabrigo Yarn (100% merino wool, 100 g – 384 m [3.75 oz – 420 yds]) – 25; 25; 25 (50; 50; 50) (75; 75; 75) g.
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Circular knitting needles 1.5 mm [US000], 2.75 mm [US2] and 3 mm [US2.5] or other appropriate size to obtain gauge; stitch markers, tapestry needle, stitch holder, spare circular, extra cords or a piece of auxiliary yarn.
— Gauge :
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30 sts and 36 rows/rounds = 10x10 cm [4x4 in], in stockinette stitch, on 2.75 mm [US2] needles, after blocking and stretched.
— Stitch patterns, techniques and abbreviations :
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Stockinette stitch (st st) – in back-and-forth rows with turning: knit on right side, purl on wrong side. In rounds: knit all stitches in all rounds.
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Ribbing – alternate "k2, p2".
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RLI = right-leaning lifted increase: insert right needle into stitch one row below next stitch and knit this additional stitch, then work next stitch as indicated.
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LLI = left-leaning lifted increase: insert left needle into stitch two rows below the stitch just worked, lift stitch onto left needle and knit this additional stitch.
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ssk: slip, slip, knit: slip 2 sts individually knit-wise, return them to the left needle and knit them together through the back loop (left-leaning knit decrease).
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k2tog: knit 2 stitches together.
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RS: right side of work.
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WS: wrong side of work.
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Colorwork pattern charts: Charts indicate the order of work for the colorwork pattern of the circular yoke. Charts show all rows. Read charts from bottom to top and from right to left.
— Order of Work :
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This pattern contains instructions for the following sizes in the indicated order: 12 mos; 18–24 mos; 3 yrs (4 yrs; 5 yrs; 6–7 yrs) (8–9 yrs; 10–12 yrs; 12–14 yrs).
— Begin of work :
Next :
Using 1.5 mm [US000] needles and preferred cast-on method, cast on 140; 140; 140 (152; 152; 152) (152; 152; 152) sts, place BoR marker, and join into the round without twisting.
Round 1 :
Work in Ribbing pattern to a height of 3 cm [1.2 in] from cast-on edge, then change to 2.75 mm [US2] needles, and continue.
Round 2 :
In the next round, increases a total of 0; 0; 0 (2; 2; 2) (2; 2; 2) sts the following way: Measurements 4 yrs; 5 yrs; 6–7 yrs; 8–9 yrs; 10–12 yrs; 12–14 yrs – slip BoR marker to right needle, RLI, k76, LLI, work in st st to end of round.
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After having worked 7 rounds in st st, change to 3 mm [US2.5] needles, and continue from Circular Yoke Chart #1.
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You now have a total of 140; 140; 140 (154; 154; 154) (154; 154; 154) sts.
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Work all rows of Chart #1, then continue from Chart #2; 4; 5 (3; 4; 5) (6; 7; 8). Complete all rows of the chart, then change to 2.75 mm [US2] needles, and continue by working 2 rounds of st st even.
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You now have a total of 240; 260; 270 (275; 286; 297) (308; 319; 352) sts.
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To center the colorwork motif on the circular yoke, move the BoR marker by the number of sts listed for your size in the indicated direction:
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12 mos: 4 sts to the left. 18–24 mos: 3 sts to the left. 3 yrs: 3 sts to the left. 4 yrs: 6 sts to the right. 5 yrs: 6 sts to the right. 6–7 yrs: 7 sts to the right. 8–9 yrs: 7 sts to the right. 10–12 yrs: 6 sts to the right. 12–14 yrs: 4 sts to the right.
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In the next round, distribute the sts as follows for setting sleeve and front/back markers for each size (slip BoR marker and place markers M1, M2, M3 at appropriate places):
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12 mos: slip BoR marker, k45, place marker M1 (right sleeve), k75, place marker M2 (Front), k45, place marker M3 (left sleeve), k75. 18–24 mos: slip BoR marker, k51, place marker M1 (right sleeve), k79, place marker M2 (Front), k51, place marker M3 (left sleeve), k79. 3 yrs: slip BoR marker, k52, place marker M1 (right sleeve), k83, place marker M2 (Front), k52, place marker M3 (left sleeve), k83. 4 yrs: slip BoR marker, k53, place marker M1 (right sleeve), k85, place marker M2 (Front), k53, place marker M3 (left sleeve), k84. 5 yrs: slip BoR marker, k56, place marker M1 (right sleeve), k87, place marker M2 (Front), k56, place marker M3 (left sleeve), k87. 6–7 yrs: slip BoR marker, k58, place marker M1 (right sleeve), k91, place marker M2 (Front), k58, place marker M3 (left sleeve), k90. 8–9 yrs: slip BoR marker, k61, place marker M1 (right sleeve), k93, place marker M2 (Front), k61, place marker M3 (left sleeve), k93. 10–12 yrs: slip BoR marker, k59, place marker M1 (right sleeve), k101, place marker M2 (Front), k59, place marker M3 (left sleeve), k100. 12–14 yrs: slip BoR marker, k61, place marker M1 (right sleeve), k115, place marker M2 (Front), k61, place marker M3 (left sleeve), k115.
— Short row shaping for the yoke :
Next Round :
In the following round, begin short row shaping for the yoke as follows: slip BoR marker, k24; 26; 27 (27; 28; 29) (30; 30; 31), turn work to wrong side, slip 1 stitch purl-wise to the right needle, lead the working yarn behind the stitch, over the right needle. Pull the working yarn taut so both legs of the stitch sit on the right needle. Continue on the WS in purl.
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Work to BoR marker, slip BoR marker, work to marker M3, slip marker M3, p24; 26; 27 (27; 28; 29) (30; 30; 31), turn work to right side, slip 1 stitch knit-wise, lead the working yarn behind the stitch, over the right needle. Pull the working yarn taut so both legs of the stitch sit on the right needle. Continue on the RS.
Next Row 1 (RS) :
Work to marker M3, slip marker M3, knit to BoR marker, slip BoR marker, Work to 5 sts before the Double Stitch, turn work to wrong side. Slip 1 stitch purl-wise to the right needle, lead the working yarn behind the stitch, over the right needle. Pull the working yarn taut so both legs of the stitch sit on the right needle. Continue on the WS in purl.
Row 2 (WS) :
Work to BoR marker, slip BoR marker, purl to marker M3, slip marker M3, Work to 5 sts before the Double Stitch, turn work to right side, slip 1 stitch knit-wise, lead the working yarn behind the stitch, over the right needle. Pull the working yarn taut so both legs of the stitch sit on the right needle. Continue on the RS.
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Repeat Rows 1 and 2 another 1; 1; 1; (1; 2; 2) (3; 3; 3) time(s).
Next Row 3 (RS) :
knit to 3 sts before the Double Stitch, turn work to wrong side. Slip 1 stitch purl-wise to the right needle, lead the working yarn behind the stitch, over the right needle. Pull the working yarn taut so both legs of the stitch sit on the right needle. Continue on the WS in purl.
Row 4 (WS) :
purl to 3 sts before the Double Stitch, turn work to right side, slip 1 stitch knit-wise, lead the working yarn behind the stitch, over the right needle. Pull the working yarn taut so both legs of the stitch sit on the right needle. Continue on the RS.
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Repeat Rows 3 and 4 another 1; 1; 1; (1; 2; 2) (3; 3; 3) time(s).
Next Row 5 (RS) :
knit to 1 st before the Double Stitch, slip 1 stitch purl-wise to the right needle, lead the working yarn behind the stitch, over the right needle. Pull the working yarn taut so both legs of the stitch sit on the right needle. Continue on the WS in purl.
Row 6 (WS) :
purl to 1 st before the Double Stitch, turn work to right side, slip 1 stitch knit-wise, lead the working yarn behind the stitch, over the right needle. Pull the working yarn taut so both legs of the stitch sit on the right needle. Continue on the RS.
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Repeat Rows 5 and 6 another 0; 0; 0; (0; 1; 1) (1; 1; 1) time(s).
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Continue, working st st in the round to BoR marker, knitting both legs of the Double Stitch together as one.
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Work in st st for a total of 0; 0; 1 (1; 5; 8) (12; 16; 19) round(s), then proceed to dividing for the sleeves.
— Dividing for the sleeves :
Next Round – dividing for the sleeves :
slip BoR marker to right needle, transfer 45; 51; 52 (53; 56; 58) (61; 59; 61) right sleeve sts to a spare needle or stitch holder for holding, cast on 10; 10; 10 (12; 12; 14) (14; 18; 18) new underarm sts, slip marker M1 to right needle, work over the sts of the Front in st st to marker M2, slip marker M2 to right needle, transfer 45; 51; 52 (53; 56; 58) (61; 59; 61) left sleeve sts to a spare needle or stitch holder for holding, cast on 10; 10; 10 (12; 12; 14) (14; 18; 18) new underarm sts, slip marker M3 to right needle, work over the sts of the Back in st st to BoR marker.
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After having divided for the sleeves, you should have a total of 170; 178; 186 (193; 198; 209) (214; 237; 266) sts.
— Body :
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Continue working over the sts of the Body of the sweater in st st in the round until piece has either reached a length of 12; 14; 15 (16; 19; 21) (24; 27; 29) cm [4.8; 5.5; 5.9 (6.3; 7.5; 8.3) (9.45; 10.6; 11.4) in] from division for sleeves, or is 10 cm [4 in] shorter than desired length.
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In the next round, increase 6; 9; 1 (5; 0; 0) (6; 5; 9) st(s) evenly distributed as follows:
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12 mos – k14, RLI, k29, (LLI, k28) 3 times, RLI, k29, RLI, k14. 18–24 mos – k10, RLI, k19, (RLI, k20) 3 times, (LLI, k20) 3 times, LLI, k19, LLI, k10. 3 yrs – RLI, k186. 4 yrs – k19, RLI, k38, (RLI, k39) 2 times, LLI, k38, LLI, k20. 5 yrs, 6–7 yrs – Work one round even over an unchanged stitch count. 8–9 yrs – k18, RLI, k35, (LLI, k36) 3 times, RLI, k35, RLI, k18. 10–12 yrs – k23, RLI, k48, (RLI, k47) 2 times, LLI, k48, LLI, k24. 12–14 yrs – k15, (RLI, k29) 2 times, (LLI, k30) 4 times, (RLI, k29) 2 times, RLI, k15.
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Change to 3 mm [US2.5] needles, and continue from Chart #9.
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After having completed all rows of Chart #9, change to 2.75 mm [US2] needles, and continue. Work 7 rounds in st st.
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Before the next round, change to 1.5 mm [US000] needles, and continue as follows: k1, *(p2, k2), repeat from * to last 3 sts of this round, ending with "p2, k1". During the first round, decrease, evenly distributed, a total of 0; 3; 3 (2; 2; 1) (0; 2; 3) st(s).
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You now have a total of 176; 184; 184 (196; 196; 208) (220; 240; 272) sts. After having worked in Ribbing for 3 cm [1.2 in], bind off all sts.
— Right sleeve :
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Take up the formerly held sleeve sts again, and place them on 2.75 mm [US2] needles. RS of work facing, join new working yarn, work in st st to end of round, place marker M1, Work 10; 10; 10 (12; 12; 14) (14; 18; 18) sts into the corresponding underarm sts at the side of the sweater, place BoR marker, and join into the round without twisting.
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You should now have a total of – 55; 61; 62 (65; 68; 72) (75; 77; 79) sts.
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Work in the established pattern for 21 rounds.
Round 1 (decrease rnd) :
slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, k2tog, work in st st to 4 sts before marker M1, ssk, k2 = 2 sts decreased.
Round 2-20 :
Work in earlier established pattern over an unchanged stitch count.
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Repeat Rounds 1–20 another 0; 0; 0 (0; 1; 1) (1; 1; 1) time(s). You should now have a total of 53; 59; 60 (63; 64; 68) (71; 73; 75) sts.
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Work in the established pattern until sleeve has either reached a length of 13; 15; 18 (20; 23; 25) (27; 30; 33) cm [5.1; 5.9; 7 (7.9; 9.1; 9.8) (10.6; 11.8; 13) in] from armhole, or is 6 cm [2.4 in] shorter than desired length.
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In the next round, increase, evenly distributed, 2; 1; 0 (2; 1; 2) (4; 2; 0) st(s) as follows:
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12 mos – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, LLI, work in st st to 2 sts before marker M1, RLI, k2. 18–24 mos – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, LLI, work in st st to end of round. 3 yrs – Work one round even over an unchanged stitch count. 4 yrs – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, LLI, work in st st to 2 sts before marker M1, RLI, k2. 5 yrs – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, LLI, work in st st to end of round.
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6–7 yrs – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, LLI, work in st st to 2 sts before marker M1, RLI, k2. 8–9 yrs – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, LLI, k2, LLI, work in st st to 4 sts before marker M1, RLI, k2, RLI, k2. 10–12 yrs – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, LLI, work in st st to 2 sts before marker M1, RLI, k2. 12–14 yrs – Work one round even over an unchanged stitch count.
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Change to 3 mm [US2.5] needles, and continue from Chart #10. You now have a total of 55; 60; 60 (65; 65; 70) (75; 75; 75) sts.
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After having completed all rows of Chart #10, change to 2.75 mm [US2] needles, and continue. Work 7 rounds in st st.
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Before the next round, change to 1.5 mm [US000] needles, and continue as follows: k1, *(p2, k2), repeat from * to last 3 sts of this round, ending with "p2, k1".
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During the first round, either increase or decrease as listed for your size as follows: 12 mos – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, k2tog, k2, k2tog, work in st st to 4 sts before marker M1, ssk, k2 = 3 sts decreased. 18–24 mos – Work one round even over an unchanged stitch count. 3 yrs – Work one round even over an unchanged stitch count. 4 yrs – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, k2tog, work in st st to end of round = 1 st decreased. 5 yrs – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, k2tog, work in st st to end of round = 1 st decreased.
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6–7 yrs – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, k2tog, work in st st to 4 sts before marker M1, ssk, k2 = 2 sts decreased. 8–9 yrs – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, k2tog, k2, k2tog, work in st st to 4 sts before marker M1, ssk, k2 = 3 sts decreased. 10–12 yrs – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, LLI, work in st st to end of round = 1 st increased. 12–14 yrs – slip BoR marker to right needle, k2, LLI, work in st st to end of round = 1 st increased.
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You now have a total of 52; 60; 60 (64; 64; 68) (72; 76; 76) sts. After having worked in Ribbing for 3 cm [1.2 in], bind off all sts.
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Work the left sleeve the same way.
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Moisten the sweater, and block it spread out flat until completely dry.
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Hide all ends. Happy knitting! ☺
— Charts :
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Circular Yoke Chart #1 through #8 and Colorwork motif Chart #9 and #10 are provided in the pattern PDF; read charts from bottom to top and from right to left; knitting symbols clarify k2tog and ssk directions and indicate 'no stitch' positions.
This delightful yoke sweater pattern combines classic colorwork with a comfortable top-down construction so you can tailor the fit as you knit. Make one in soft cashmere or merino for extra cozy wear, and enjoy the meditative process of charted colorwork. Perfect for gifting or everyday warmth — happy knitting! 🧶👕