Cat Jumper (Worsted/Aran Pullover with Intarsia Cat Face)

Design: Classic crewneck sweater with a centered intarsia cat face on the front. Worked in pieces (back, front, sleeves) and seamed. Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, XXL). Finished chest circumference: 32 (36, 40, 44, 48, 52) inches / 81 (91.5, 102, 112, 122, 132) cm. Model notes: relaxed ease; choose smaller size for a closer fit or larger for more ease.

Yarn

• Weight: Worsted / Aran (US 7 / 4.5 mm recommended gauge)
• Main Color (MC): approx 900 (1,000, 1,150, 1,300, 1,500, 1,700) yards / 823 (915, 1052, 1189, 1372, 1554) m.
• Contrast Color A (Cat face fur/outline): 100 (100, 125, 125, 150, 150) yards / 91 (91, 114, 114, 137, 137) m.
• Contrast Color B (Eyes/inner details): 25–50 yards / 23–46 m (small amount).
• Suggested yarn: worsted/aran spun wool or wool-blend with good stitch definition, 4-ply worsted equivalent.

Needles

• Body needles (stitching & rib): US 7 / UK old 7 / 4.5 mm — for main fabric. (Use circular for body seams if grafting or 2 needles for flat pieces.)
• Optional smaller needles for ribbing: US 6 / UK old 8 / 4.0 mm — to achieve firm 1x1 or 2x2 rib if needed.
• Double-pointed needles (DPNs) or small circulars for finishing neck & sleeves: same metric size as chosen for body.

Notions

• Tapestry needle for seaming and ends
• Stitch holders or scrap yarn
• Waste yarn and bobbins for intarsia
• Measuring tape
• Scissors

Gauge / Tension

18 sts x 24 rows = 4 in / 10 cm in stockinette using US 7 / 4.5 mm needles. Always knit a swatch after choosing needles and adjust to match the gauge.

Abbreviations

• k = knit
• p = purl
• st(s) = stitch(es)
• RS = right side
• WS = wrong side
• k2tog = knit 2 together
• ssk = slip, slip, knit (left-leaning decrease)
• m1 = make 1 (lift strand between sts and knit into back to avoid hole) — or use preferred increase
• CO = cast on
• BO = bind off
• Int = intarsia color change technique

Measurements (finished)

• Chest (circumference): 32 (36, 40, 44, 48, 52) in / 81 (91.5, 102, 112, 122, 132) cm
• Length from shoulder to hem: 22 (22.5, 23, 24, 24.5, 25) in / 56 (57, 58.5, 61, 62, 63.5) cm
• Sleeve length from underarm: 17 (17, 17.5, 18, 18.5, 19) in / 43 (43, 44.5, 45.5, 47, 48) cm

Notes & Techniques

• This sweater is worked flat in pieces and seamed. The intarsia cat face is worked on the front while knitting row-by-row in stockinette; bobbins or small balls of yarn are recommended for each color block.
• When changing colors for intarsia, twist the yarns at each color change to avoid holes (pick up new color from under old color and pull tight).
• Chart is given for RS rows only; on WS rows purl all colors as they appear (or follow chart if you prefer charting WS rows reversed). The chart width is shown in stitches; center the motif on the front.

Instructions

Back

Using MC and US 7 / 4.5 mm needles, CO:

XS: 148 sts; S: 168 sts; M: 188 sts; L: 208 sts; XL: 228 sts; XXL: 248 sts.

Ribbing: Work 2x2 rib (k2, p2) for 1.5 in / 4 cm (or desired hem depth) ending on WS.

Change to stockinette: Row 1 (RS): k all. Work straight in stockinette until piece measures 15 (15.5, 16, 17, 17.5, 18) in / 38 (39.5, 40.5, 43, 44.5, 46) cm from cast-on, ending on RS.

Armhole shaping: BO 4 sts at beg of next 2 rows. Then BO/increase shaping as follows: Dec 1 st at each armhole edge every RS row 3 times (or shape to match schematic) — resulting stitch counts:

XS: 134 sts; S: 154 sts; M: 174 sts; L: 194 sts; XL: 214 sts; XXL: 234 sts.

Work even until armhole depth is 8.5 (9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11) in / 21.5 (23, 24, 25.5, 26.5, 28) cm from armhole bind off, ending on RS.

Shoulder shaping: BO at each shoulder edge 10 (11, 12, 12, 13, 14) sts twice with center neck bound off: BO central 30 (30, 32, 34, 34, 36) sts for neck. (Adjust numbers proportionally if you prefer alternate shaping; aim for balanced shoulders.)

Front

Work same as back to armhole (match length). On the front, center the intarsia chart across the chest. Place the chart centered horizontally: calculate side sts = (Total cast-on sts - chart width)/2 and work side sts in MC while following chart for the motif area.

Intarsia chart placement: Begin chart when front measures same as back at that row (chart height approx 21 rows by 21 sts — see chart below). Work chart on RS rows; on WS rows purl the colors shown. Use separate bobbins for each color block. After chart is complete, continue in MC in stockinette to match back to shoulder shaping, then shape armholes and shoulders same as back.

Cat Face Chart (21 sts x 21 rows; each character is a stitch: M = MC, A = Contrast A (cat color), B = Contrast B (accent/eyes))

Row21:  M M M A A A A A A A A A A A A A A M M M
Row20:  M M A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A M M
Row19:  M A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A M
Row18:  M A A A A A B B A A A A A B B A A A A M
Row17:  A A A A A A B B A A A A A B B A A A A A
Row16:  A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
Row15:  A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
Row14:  A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
Row13:  A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
Row12:  A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
Row11:  A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
Row10:  A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
Row09:  A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A
Row08:  M A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A M
Row07:  M M A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A M M
Row06:  M M M A A A A A A A A A A A A A A M M M
Row05:  M M M M A A A A A A A A A A A A M M M M
Row04:  M M M M M A A A A A A A A A A M M M M M
Row03:  M M M M M M A A A A A A A A M M M M M M
Row02:  M M M M M M M A A A A A A M M M M M M M
Row01:  M M M M M M M M A A A M M M M M M M M M

Chart notes: Replace spaces with stitches; each row is read left to right on RS. You can adapt the shape and size of the cat by changing chart scaling or using duplicate stitch for small changes after knitting.

Sleeves

CO:

XS: 44 sts; S: 48 sts; M: 52 sts; L: 56 sts; XL: 60 sts; XXL: 64 sts.

Ribbing: Work 2x2 rib for 1.5 in / 4 cm. Change to stockinette and increase 1 st each side every 6th row 8 (9, 10, 11, 12, 13) times until sleeve width at upper arm matches sleeve cap width target (approx 70–80% of body armhole width). Work until sleeve length from underarm equals 17 (17, 17.5, 18, 18.5, 19) in / 43 (43, 44.5, 45.5, 47, 48) cm, then shape sleeve cap: BO 4 sts at beg of next 2 rows, then dec 1 st each side every RS row until cap height matches armhole depth; BO remaining sts to shape cap into shoulder seam.

Finishing

1. Block pieces to measurements. Pin shoulder seams.
2. Seam shoulders using mattress stitch.
3. Neckband: With right side facing, pick up stitches around neck evenly (approx 1 pick-up per bound-off stitch plus 1 per 2–3 rows). Use smaller needles (US 6 / 4.0 mm) for firmer rib. Work 2x2 rib for 1 in / 2.5 cm, then BO loosely in rib.
4. Set in sleeves and seam underarms and sleeve seams.
5. Weave in ends, paying attention to intarsia tails; secure bobbin joins with tapestry needle knots or by weaving ends through nearby stitches.

Optional tweaks

• To add cat ears: Pick up a small number of sts at each shoulder corner before seaming, decrease into a small triangle and secure—then seam ear into shape and attach.
• To make the motif larger/smaller: rescale chart or use duplicate stitch after knitting a plain front.
• For extra warmth: work longer rib or add a rolled hem.

Tips for Intarsia

• Wind small amounts of contrast yarn into bobbins so they run freely while you knit. Avoid long floats; catch floats when necessary if a color pass is longer than 3–5 stitches.
• When two colors meet on a WS row, bring colors to front and twist to secure (same as RS) to avoid holes.
• Keep fabric relaxed; do not pull bobbins tight, and block after finishing to even out tension.

Care

Follow yarn label care. For wool: hand wash gently, reshape while damp, lay flat to dry.

Troubleshooting

• If gauge is too tight, try one needle size larger. If gauge is too loose, go down one needle size.
• If intarsia joins gape, weave in ends more securely and block to even joins.

Credits & Support

Pattern created by PurlJam. For pattern support email: team@verde.uk. Visit https://purljam.verde.uk for more patterns. Socials: #purljam.

Want a version for children or a top-down seamless variant? Reply specifying size and construction preference and we can provide adapted instructions.

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