English Topper Coat Pattern #561

Size 12 Years

Materials: Chadwick's Red Heart Knitting Worsted, 21 skeins (1¼ oz. skeins).
Milward's Casein knitting pins, 1 pair No. 4 (3½ mm. size).
4 buttons.

Gauge: 6 sts make 1 inch; 8 rows make 1 inch.

Back. Starting at bottom, cast on 138 sts, and work in ribbing of p 2, k 2, for 3 inches. Then dec. 1 st at both ends of next row and every 6th row thereafter, until 96 sts remain. Work straight until piece measures 23 inches.

To Shape Armholes: Bind off 3 sts at beginning of each of next 4 rows. Then dec. 1 st at end of each row until 72 sts remain. Work straight until piece measures 7 inches from 1st row of armhole shaping. To shape shoulders, bind off 3 sts at beginning of each row until 30 sts remain. Bind off.

Pocket Linings and Flaps. It is wise to have these pieces made, ready to be worked into the front. To make lower pocket lining, cast on 18 sts and work in pattern for 3 inches. Lay this piece aside. To make flap, cast on 18 sts and work in pattern for 2 inches. Make another lining and flap for upper pockets, but casting on 14 sts instead of 18 sts.

Right Front. Starting at bottom, cast on 80 sts and work in pattern for 3 inches. Then dec. 1 st at side edge on next row, and every 4th row thereafter, until 60 sts remain. Work straight until piece measures 15 inches. Then, on next row and every 4 inches thereafter, make a buttonhole 4 sts in from front edge, until 4 buttonholes in all are made (To make a buttonhole, on one row bind off 4 sts; then, on next row, cast on 4 sts to replace those bound off.) Work straight until piece measures 16 inches. On next row, starting at front edge, work across 1st 18 sts, then bind off 18 sts, and continue across next 24 sts. Following row: Work in pattern across to within sts bound off; then place the lower pocket sts behind the lower flap sts, having the wrong side of flap against the right side of pocket, and work in pattern across these sts, working together 1 st from each needle until all sts are worked off (thus joining flap to pocket); continue in pattern across remaining sts. Hereafter work as before, decreasing 1 st at side edge every 4th row until 56 sts remain. Work straight until piece measures 23 inches.

To Shape Armhole: Starting at side edge, bind off 5 sts and continue across. Hereafter dec. 1 st at armhole edge every other row, until 44 sts remain. Work straight until piece measures 2½ inches from 1st row of armhole shaping. On next row, starting at front edge, work across 1st 20 sts, bind off 14 sts, and work across remaining 10 sts. Following row: Work in pattern across to within sts bound off; then, work across the sts of upper pocket lining and flap as for lower pocket, and continue across. Work straight until piece measures 4½ inches from 1st row of armhole shaping. To shape lapel, inc. 1 st at front edge on next row and every other row thereafter, until 16 sts are increased. Then, dec. 1 st at same edge each row until 21 sts are decreased; at the same time—when piece measures 7 inches from 1st row of armhole shaping—shape shoulder by binding off 3 sts at armhole edge every other row 7 times. Work over remaining 18 sts for 2½ inches. Bind off.

Left Front. Work exactly as for Right Front, omitting buttonholes and reversing shapings.

Sleeves. Starting at bottom, cast on 56 sts and work in pattern for 3 inches. Then inc. 1 st at both ends of next row and every 8th row thereafter until there are 76 sts on needle. To shape top of sleeve, bind off 4 sts at beginning of each of next 4 rows. Then, dec. 1 st at end of each row until 42 sts remain. Now dec. 1 st at both ends of each row until 6 sts remain. Bind off.

Cuffs. Starting at bottom, cast on 56 sts and work in pattern for 2 inches. Bind off. Sew up side and shoulder seams. Sew up sleeve seams and sew sleeves in. Sew cuffs to lower edge of sleeves. Sew extension pieces of both fronts across neck edge at Back. Sew pocket linings in place. Sew on buttons to correspond with buttonholes.

Shoulder Paddings. With lining material, make an oval measuring 5 inches in length and 4 inches in width. Fold in half and sew oval together placing a layer of cotton batting in between. Sew the straight edge of padding across left shoulder at sleeve seam, having the curved edge extend toward the sleeve.