Over the years, as knitwear became my job rather than my hobby, I found that I knit less and less for my family. Last year, I had the strong urge to change that and planned a new design with one of my children. I got her to pick exactly what she wanted for the design: marled, oversized, and a cardigan. That was my starting point, and the designs grew from that.
But as we all know, one is never enough.
The first design led to a matching sweater design, and the subsequent workshops thanks to a few vocal followers on social media. I’ll be honest; it wasn’t hard to get onboard knitting another pattern.
This matching sweater was knit in a lighter colour, which is helpful to show how different the stitch patterns look in different colour yarns. However, the sizing and cables are all the same for both the shawl-collared cardigan and the textured sweater.
Sizing
As you can see, both are oversized, designed to be worn with a lot of positive ease. The sleeves are knit long, and I fold the cuff up when I wear them. They are easy to shorten if you want shorter sleeves, as they are knit from the top down. The main change you need to make is that you will have to move the decreases a little closer together.
In terms of sizing, I show both the ‘To Fit’ size and the ‘Finished Bust Size’ in these patterns. The Finished size is the actual measurements of the cardigan, then the ‘To Fit’ size builds the suggested ease into it. I’ve suggested 10-12″ of positive ease; this means that the ‘To Fit’ size is 10″ smaller than the Finished Measurements.
This is what that looks like in the pattern information:
To Fit Actual Bust Circumference Up To: 32.5 (36.75, 40, 44.25, 48.5, 52.75, 56, 60.25)” / 82.5 (93.5, 101.5, 112.5, 123, 134, 142, 153) cm
10-12″ / 25.5 – 30.5 cm of positive ease recommended.
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Finished Bust Circumference: 42.5 (46.75, 50, 54.25, 58.5, 62.75, 66, 70.25)” / 108 (118.5, 127, 138, 148.5, 159.5, 167.5, 178.5) cm
Size 46.75″ / 118.5 cm modelled with 10″/ 25.5 cm positive ease.
So if you want a different amount of ease you can go from the finished measurements, adding your desired positive ease.
Construction
Both garments are worked from the top down. The centre is Double Moss Stitch, and there are staghorn cables on each side. The Double Moss Stitch texture looks impressive in the marled yarn! They begin at the back, with all stitches cast on. From there, short rows are used to slope the shoulders and then the back is worked down to the underside of the armhole.
After that, you will begin on the front. Both sides are kept separate for the cardigan, but for the sweater, you will join them together at the bottom of the neck. Once the front is complete, it’s time to join the front and back together to work the body in one piece. Again, the cardigan is worked back and forth in rows, but the sweater is worked in the round.
Both sleeves are also worked in the round from the top down. They are worked extra long so that the cuff can be folded. If you want shorter sleeves, you can move the decreases a little closer together.
The neck of the sweater is a simple ribbing, but for the cardigan, you will work a wider collar with short rows used to create a shawl collar.
There are many modification possibilities for this garment; working from the top down allows you to check your sizing and length as you go so that it’s easier to tweak.
Workshops
If you’ve always wanted to knit a cabled garment for yourself, but were very intimidated by the project, you might find the project workshop very helpful. This works you through each stage of the project, talking about sizing, working through each stitch pattern and showing you how to start each new section of the pattern. The workshop is for both garments, and it comes with both patterns included as pdf downloads.
And if you’re wondering what others thought of our project workshops, I’ll leave you with this beautiful message from Miriam.
I just wanted to send you a quick email to let your know that your video workshop is absolutely fantastic! It provides just enough information that I don’t feel like I am working blindly, but not so much that I end up relying on the videos to knit a single stitch.
Miriam
Pattern Details
SIZES
To Fit Actual Bust Circumference Up To: 32.5 (36.75, 40, 44.25, 48.5, 52.75, 56, 60.25)” / 82.5 (93.5, 101.5, 112.5, 123, 134, 142, 153) cm
10-12″ / 25.5 – 30.5 cm of positive ease recommended.
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Finished Bust Circumference: 42.5 (46.75, 50, 54.25, 58.5, 62.75, 66, 70.25)” / 108 (118.5, 127, 138, 148.5, 159.5, 167.5, 178.5) cm
Size 46.75″ / 118.5 cm modelled with 10″/ 25.5 cm positive ease.
Length: 24.75 (25.5, 26.75, 27.25, 28.5, 29, 30, 31.25)” / 63 (65, 68, 69, 72.5, 73.5, 76, 79.5) cm from top of shoulder
YARN
Stolen Stitches ‘Blasta’ (60% Fine Irish Wool, 40% New Zealand Wool; 232 yds / 212 m per 3.6 oz / 100 g); colour: Burgundy Twist; 5 (6, 7, 7, 8, 8, 9, 9) skeins
Approx Yardage: 1150 (1276, 1402, 1520, 1656, 1806, 1928, 2088) yds / 1052 (1165, 1280, 1390, 1513, 1651, 1762, 1908) m
NEEDLES & NOTIONS
2 US size 6 / 4 mm circular needles, 40” / 100 cm long
US size 6 / 4 mm dpns if magic loop not used for sleeves
Always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed, as every knitter’s gauge is unique.
44 stitch markers, 2 lockable stitch markers, cable needle, tapestry needle, 5 buttons approx. 1” / 25 mm diam.
GAUGE
19 sts and 30 rows/rnds = 4″ / 10 cm in St St or Double Moss Stitch blocked
Staghorn Cable = 2.25” / 6 cm wide
1/1 Twist = 0.25” / 0.5 cm wide
21 sts and 30 rows/rnds = 4″ / 10 cm in Ribbing lightly blocked
People often ask me how I name my patterns and this one is personal. The sweater and cardigan are worn here by Dylan and Talia – Dalia. It stuck during the design process and the collection was named. Voila!
Where To Buy
Pattern Only:
Ravelry: Cardigan, Sweater (get 50% off the second pattern when purchased together)
Workshop Only (both patterns are included)