Berroco Belleterre Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Berroco Belleterre Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Berroco Belleterre is an intermediate-level knitted cardigan designed by Amy Christoffers. This garment features a classic button-front closure with six ¾" buttons and is available in eight sizes ranging from 38" to 66" bust measurement (closed). The cardigan offers finished lengths between 28¼" and 31", making it suitable for various body types and style preferences. The design is worked seamlessly from the neck down, providing a modern construction method that allows for easy fitting adjustments during the knitting process.

Construction and Techniques

The Belleterre cardigan employs a top-down construction method, beginning at the neckline and working downward to the underarms before dividing the stitches for the body and sleeves. This technique allows knitters to try on the garment as it progresses and adjust length as needed. The garment incorporates raglan shaping, indicated by the placement of stitch markers at the yoke, which creates smooth, graduated increases from the neckline down to the underarms. The pattern uses waste yarn for holding stitches during construction, and a tapestry needle is required for finishing seams and weaving in ends.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

Fisherman's Rib is the primary stitch pattern used throughout this cardigan. Fisherman's Rib is a textured, reversible fabric created using a special abbreviation, K1rb (knit in the row below), combined with knit and purl stitches. The pattern is worked over an odd number of stitches across two rows: the right-side row alternates knit in the row below with purl stitches, while the wrong-side row alternates purl with knit stitches. This creates a dense, elastic fabric with excellent drape and recovery. The Fisherman's Rib stitch pattern is worked on the larger needles and produces a gauge of 16 stitches and 28 rows over 4 inches, which is essential for achieving the correct finished measurements.

Yarn and Materials

The Berroco Belleterre is knitted using Berroco Mochi yarn in the colorway #3203 Ginnan. The yardage requirement ranges from 6 to 11 balls of 50-gram skeins, depending on the size selected. Berroco Mochi is a soft, smooth yarn well-suited to stitch definition in textured patterns like Fisherman's Rib.

The pattern requires two sizes of circular needles—size 7 (4.5 mm) and size 9 (5.5 mm)—in 24 inches or longer length to accommodate the yoke stitches. A set of double-pointed needles in both sizes is also needed for working the sleeves in the round. Additional notions include four stitch markers for tracking raglan increases, waste yarn for holding stitches, a tapestry needle for seaming and finishing, and six ¾" buttons (provided by Katrinkles). Checking gauge before beginning is strongly recommended to ensure accurate finished measurements.

Sizing and Fit

The pattern provides eight size options with finished bust measurements from 38" to 66" and corresponding lengths from 28¼" to 31". The design recommends 2 to 4 inches of positive ease for a comfortable, relaxed fit. The top-down construction allows knitters to customize the length by continuing to knit the body to their desired measurement before binding off.