Berroco Sirocco Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Berroco Sirocco Cardigan: Seamless Knit Ruana

What is Being Made

The Sirocco is a seamless cardigan ruana designed by Amy Palmer. This garment is worked as a single continuous piece starting from the lower back edge, with construction that divides at the shoulders to create separate front panels before finishing at the lower front edges. The ruana style offers a relaxed, draped silhouette with finished measurements available in four sizes: 46", 50", 55", and 60" across, with lengths ranging from 30" to 36" after blocking.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several key knitting techniques suited to intermediate beginners:

• Bottom-up construction: The garment is knitted from the lower back edge upward toward the shoulders and front edges, allowing knitters to try on the piece as it develops.
• Seamless, worked flat: Despite being seamless, the entire ruana is worked flat on circular needles rather than in the round, eliminating the need for seaming while maintaining traditional flat-panel knitting.
• Stitch pattern integration: A repeating pattern stitch is maintained throughout most of the garment, with selective stockinette stitch edging introduced at the front for a finished appearance.
• Strategic shaping: The pattern includes increases worked at specific points to shape the front edges, creating a structured opening while the body remains relatively straight.
• Waste yarn holders: Stitches are held on waste yarn during the shoulder division rather than bound off immediately, allowing for seamless transitions between sections.

Stitches Used

The Sirocco features a straightforward stitch vocabulary appropriate for knitters developing their skills:

• Pattern Stitch (multiple of 6 stitches): A four-row repeat alternating between knit and purl columns. Rows 1 and 3 feature alternating blocks of three purled stitches and three knitted stitches, while Rows 2 and 4 are worked entirely in purl. This creates a textured, reversible fabric with visual interest.
• Stockinette Stitch: Used selectively at the front edges to create a smooth, refined border that contrasts with the patterned body.
• Garter Stitch elements: The initial purl row at the back edge establishes a finished edge.
• Increases: Make One Left (M1L) increases are used to shape the front edges, worked in conjunction with the established pattern stitch.
• Basic cast-on and bind-off: Standard techniques used for beginning and finishing sections of the garment.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Sirocco is designed specifically for Berroco Remix Light, a yarn that provides excellent drape and stitch definition for this project. Yardage requirements are 6, 7, 8, or 9 balls of 100 grams each, depending on the finished size selected. The color shown in the pattern is #6930 Smoke, a neutral tone that showcases the textured pattern stitch beautifully.

Knitting is worked on a 40-inch circular needle in size 5 (3.75 mm), or whatever size is necessary to achieve the specified gauge. Circular needles are used for their length and manageability when working flat across a large number of stitches, not for working in the round. Waste yarn is required to temporarily hold stitches during the shoulder division.

Gauge and Finishing

The pattern specifies a gauge of 20 stitches and 40 rows equals 4 inches in pattern stitch after blocking. Achieving correct gauge is emphasized as essential to obtaining the intended finished measurements. The garment is designed to be blocked to final dimensions, which helps even out the textured pattern stitch and establish the piece's final drape and fit.

Skill Level

Rated as Easy, the Sirocco is accessible to beginner knitters who have mastered basic stitches and are ready to work with larger stitch counts and simple shaping. The straightforward pattern stitch repeat and minimal increases make this an excellent project for building confidence in garment construction.