American Girl Doll Jacket for Santa's Helper Outfit

Free Doll Jacket Knitting Pattern

This knitted jacket features horizontal stripes at the shoulders and hips. It is part of the Santa's Helper Outfit that also includes a Skirt and Stocking Cap. However, it also works great with other outfits, depending on your color choices.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
--Knit & purl, cast on & bind off
--Increasing: knit front and back (kfr&b), make 1 (m1)
--Working in the round on double pointed needles
--Picking up stitches

Size: fits 18-inch dolls like American Girl, Our Generation and other dolls with similar body.

Materials: Lambs Pride Super Wash by Brown Sheep (affiliate link) Co, sport weight 100% wool yarn 180 yds (165 m)/ 50 g, main color (MC): 1 ball, contrast color (CC) - small amount

Needles: circular US4 (3.75mm) and double pointed of the same size for the sleeves OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE
Note: When working in the round the gauge may change, so you might need dp needles one size higher.

Gauge: 24 sts x 32 rows = 10 x 10 cm (4" x 4") in stockinette st:

Notions:
- 2 stitch markers
- Stitch holders or 2 pieces 10” long of contrasting color waste yarn to hold stitches
- Yarn needle
- 4 buttons
- Sewing needle and thread of color matching the yarn for attaching the snaps

Abbreviations:
dpn – double pointed needles
K – knit
P – purl
St, sts – stitch, stitches
pu&k - pick up and knit
as est. - as established, work as the pattern demands,
co – cast on
RS – right side
WS – wrong side
m 1 - 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 it as a regular stitch.
bb – button band
sm - slip marker

Pattern Notes:

Stockinette stitch in rows:
Row 1 (RS): knit
Row 2: purl
Repeat 2 rows.

Stockinette in rounds: all rounds knit

Garter stitch: all rows knit .

The selvedge/edge stitches are worked as follows: knit the first stitch and purl the last one.

Button Bands (bb) are worked in garter stitch on 3 stitches in the beginning and in the end of each row.

Button holes: are made in the end of the RS rows on the right bb in the following way: k1, yo, k2tog, p1.


Short Overview of the Pattern:

Cardigan is worked top-down, seamlessly, back-and-forth. The cardigan features a round yoke with 3 color stripes and an A-shape silhouette. The sleeves are worked in the round on dpn. Button bands (bb) are worked together with the body of the cardigan, in garter stitch - all rows knit.

Directions:

With MC yarn cast on 46 sts

Row 1 (RS): k45, p1.

Row 2 (WS): k4, p38, k3, p1.

Repeat rows 1-2 two more times. Change to CC yarn.

Row 7 (RS, increase row): k4, *m1, k2 - repeat from * 19 times, m1, k1, yo, k2tog, p1. = 66 sts

Row 8 (WS): k65, p1. Cut CC yarn, change to MC.

Row 9 (RS): k65, p1.

Row 10:k4, p 58, k3, p1.

Repeat rows 9-10 one more time. Change to CC..

Row 13 (RS, increase row): k4, * m1, k2 - repeat from * 29 times, m1, k3, p1 = 96 sts

Row 14 (WS): k95, p1. Cut CC yarn, change to MC

Row 15 (RS): k95, p1.

Row 16: k4, p86, k3, p1

Row 17: k93, yo, k2tog, p1.

Row 18: k4, p88, k3, p1. Change to CC

Row 19: k4,*m1k4 - repeat from *22 times, m1,k4 (?), p1 = 119 sts

Row 20:k118, p1. Cut CC yarn, change to MC



Divide for sleeves and bodice:

Change to MC.

Row 21 (RS): k18, transfer 26 sts on a length of waste yarn, co 3, k31, transfer the next 26 on a length of waste yarn, co 3, k17, p1. = 73 sts

Row 22 (WS): k4, *p65, k3, p1

Place a marker before each 2nd (middle) underarm st.

Row 23 (RS increase row)): knit till marker, m1, sm, k1, m1, knit till the next marker, m1, sm, k1, m1, knit till the last st, p1 = 77 sts

Row 24 (WS and all WS rows, except rows 36 and 42): k4, purl till the last 4 sts, k3, p1

Row 25 (RS): knit till last st, p1.

Row 27 (RS, increase row): knit till marker, m1, sm, k1, m1, knit till the next marker, m1, sm, k1, m1, knit till the last 3 st, yo, k2tog, p1 = 81 sts

Row 29 (RS) like row 25.

Row 31 (RS, increase row) like row 23. = 85 sts

Row 33 (RS) like row 25.

Row 35 (RS, increase row, CC yarn): like row 23 = 89 sts

Row 36 (WS) : knit till last 4 sts, k3, p1. Cut CC yarn, continue with MC

Row 37 (RS): knit till last 3 sts, yo, k2tog, p1.

Row 39 (RS, increase row): like row 23 = 93 sts

Row 41 (RS, with CC yarn): like row 25.

Row 42 (WS) like row 36. Cut CC yarn, continue with MC

Row 43 (RS, increase row) like row 23 = 97 sts

Row 45 (RS): like row 25.

Row 47 (RS, increase row) : like row 23 = 101 sts

Rows 49-53 knit. Bind off.

Sleeves

Transfer 26 sts from waste yarn to dpn, distribute evenly.

Round 1: pu&k 3 underarm sts, k26. (= 29 sts)

Work 35 rounds in stotckinette: all rounds knit.

Bind off. Cut yarn.


Finishing:

Weave in all yarn ends. Block the cardigan. Sew the buttons on the left button band.

Have fun!