Tea Party Cardi Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Tea Party Cardi

What is Being Made

The Tea Party Cardi is a knitted cardigan designed by Spud and Chloe, available in six sizes with finished bust measurements ranging from 31½ inches to 52½ inches. This is a classic cardigan silhouette featuring raglan shaping and a relaxed, comfortable fit suitable for various occasions.

Knitting Techniques Used

This cardigan is constructed using seamed construction with pieces worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round. The garment is built from individual pieces—back, left front, right front, and sleeves—that are later seamed together. The pattern includes raglan shaping at the armholes and sleeve caps, created through strategic decreases that form the characteristic diagonal lines of raglan sleeves. Decreases are worked at the beginning and end of rows to achieve this fitted shaping.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The primary stitch pattern throughout the Tea Party Cardi is Broken Rib, worked over a multiple of 2 stitches. The Broken Rib pattern is created by alternating knit and purl stitches across every row: *K1, p1, rep from * to end. This creates a textured, reversible fabric with subtle vertical lines.

Decreases used in the raglan shaping include:

• SSK (slip, slip, knit) – slip 2 stitches knitwise one at a time, then knit them together through the back loops, creating a left-leaning decrease
• K2tog (knit 2 together) – a right-leaning decrease worked by knitting two stitches together as one
• P2tog (purl 2 together) – the purl equivalent of K2tog

Additional techniques include M1 (make one) for increases, slip stitch for edge stitches, and binding off loosely in pattern to maintain the textured appearance at all edges.

Materials and Gauge

The pattern specifies a gauge of 19 stitches and 27 rows over 4 inches when worked in the Broken Rib pattern. This gauge is essential for achieving the correct finished measurements. While specific yarn weight and needle size are not detailed in the provided pattern excerpt, the gauge specification indicates the yarn and needle pairing needed to create the proper fabric density and drape for this cardigan design.

Finished Measurements and Sizing

The Tea Party Cardi is available in six sizes with the following specifications:

• Bust: 31½, 36, 40, 44, 48½, or 52½ inches
• Length: 19¼, 20, 20¾, 21¾, 22½, or 24 inches
• Sleeve Length: 10½, 11, 11½, 12, 12½, or 13 inches

Construction Overview

The cardigan begins with cast-on edges for each piece: the back is cast on with 75 to 125 stitches depending on size, while each front panel begins with 37 to 61 stitches. All pieces are worked in Broken Rib pattern until reaching the specified length. Raglan decreases are then introduced at the armholes and sleeve caps, worked symmetrically on both sides of each piece to create the fitted raglan sleeve shaping. The pattern provides multiple rows of decreases to gradually reduce stitches, with final stitch counts given in brackets for each size. All stitches are bound off loosely while maintaining the Broken Rib pattern to preserve the textured finish at the neckline and all edges.