Knit a striped pullover sweater for kids

Back:
With #8 needle and colour D, cast on 72 (76, 82, 86) sts. Work in seed stitch ribbing for 6 rows as follows: Row 1 (RS): K1, P1. Row 2 (WS): P1, K1.
Change to #9 needle and work in Striped St st until piece measures 10" (10-1/2", 11", 12-1/2") from cast-on edge, ending with a WS row.
Shape armholes:
Bind off 3 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows. Bind off 2 sts at the beginning of the following 2 rows. Then decrease 1 st at each edge, every other row 4 (4, 5, 5) times until 54 (58, 62, 66) sts remain. (See step-by-step instructions below.) Continue working in Striped St st until piece measures 17" (18", 19", 21") from cast-on edge, ending with a WS row. Bind off all sts loosely.

Front:
Work as for back until piece measures 10" (10-1/2", 11", 12-1/2") from cast-on edge, ending with a WS row.
Shape armholes:
Bind off 3 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows. Bind off 2 sts at the beginning of the following 2 rows. Then decrease 1 st at each edge, every other row 4 (4, 5, 5) times until 54 (58, 62, 66) sts remain. Continue working in Striped St st until piece measures 14-1/2" (15-1/2", 16-1/2", 18-1/2") from cast-on edge, ending with a WS row.
Shape crew neck:
Bind off centre 16 (18, 18, 20) sts and then begin working each side of the neck separately. At the beginning of each neck edge, every other row, bind off 3 sts once, 2 sts once, 1 st twice. Continue to work on remaining 12 (13, 15, 16) sts with no further decreasing until piece measures 17" (18", 19", 21") from cast-on edge, ending with a WS row. Bind off all sts loosely.

Sleeves:
With #8 needle and colour D, cast on 34 (36, 38, 40) sts. Work in seed stitch ribbing for 6 rows as follows:
Row 1 (RS): K1, p1.
Row 2: P1, k1.
Change to #9 needle and work in Striped St st. AT THE SAME TIME, increase one st at each edge every 6th row 9 (10, 11, 12) times until you have 52 (56, 60, 64) sts.

Note: Increase leaving 2 edge sts on either side of work. This means you should knit 2 sts, increase 1 st, knit to the last 2 sts, increase 1 st, and then knit the remaining 2 sts. Increasing like this makes it easier to sew up your seams.

When sleeve measures 11-1/2" (12-1/2", 14", 15") from cast-on edge, end with a WS row.
Shape cap:
Bind off 3 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows. Bind off 2 sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows. Then decrease 1 st at each edge, every other row 4 (4, 5, 5) times. Bind off 2 sts at the beginning of the next 14 (16, 16, 18) rows until 6 (6, 8, 8) sts remain. Bind off all sts loosely.

Page 2 of 3

---

Excerpted from The Yarn Girls' Guide to Knits for Older Kids by Julie Carles and Jordana Jacobs, with photography by Ellen Silverman. Copyright 2006 by Julie Carles and Jordana Jacobs. Excerpted with permission from Potter Craft, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced except with permission in writing from the publisher.