Cascade Yarns DK Retro Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Cascade Yarns DK Retro Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Cascade Yarns DK Retro Cardigan is a knitted cardigan sweater designed by Therese Chynoweth. This garment is available in seven sizes ranging from Extra Small to 3X, with bust measurements from 32 inches to 57 inches and lengths between 22½ and 25½ inches. The cardigan features a ¾-inch front overlap, making it a classic layering piece suitable for various occasions and body types.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level cardigan is constructed using several key knitting techniques:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The garment is worked from the bottom edge upward, allowing for easier fitting adjustments and a traditional building method.
• Worked Flat: Pieces are knitted flat on straight needles rather than in the round, creating individual front, back, and sleeve components.
• Seamed Assembly: Individual pieces are sewn together using a yarn needle, creating clean, professional seams throughout the garment.
• Cable Work: The design incorporates both narrow and wide cable panels that create visual interest and texture across the cardigan.

Stitches Used

The Cascade Yarns DK Retro Cardigan employs a variety of essential knitting stitches to create its distinctive appearance:

• K1P1 Rib: An alternating knit and purl stitch pattern used throughout the cardigan for structure and elasticity. This foundational stitch is worked by knitting one stitch and purling one stitch in alternating sequence, then maintaining this pattern by knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches on all following rows.
• Narrow Left Cable (8 stitches): A cable pattern worked over 8 stitches that measures 1 inch wide. This pattern features a 2/2 left cable cross (2/2 LC) that twists stitches to create a left-leaning cable effect, worked over a 6-row repeat with purl stitches flanking the cable on both sides.
• Narrow Right Cable (8 stitches): The counterpart to the narrow left cable, this 8-stitch pattern creates a right-leaning cable using a 2/2 right cable cross (2/2 RC), also measuring 1 inch wide and worked over a 6-row repeat.
• Wide Left Cable (12 stitches): A more dramatic cable pattern worked over 12 stitches that measures 1½ inches wide. This pattern features a 4/4 left cable cross (4/4 LC) that creates a bolder twisted effect, worked over a 12-row repeat with purl stitches creating definition on the edges.
• Wide Right Cable (12 stitches): The wide cable's right-leaning counterpart, this 12-stitch pattern uses a 4/4 right cable cross (4/4 RC) to create a prominent right-leaning cable, also 1½ inches wide and worked over a 12-row repeat.
• Decrease Stitches: The pattern includes k2tog (knit 2 stitches together) and ssk (slip, slip, knit) for shaping the garment at strategic points.
• Yarn Overs: Yarn over (yo) stitches are incorporated to create decorative elements or lace details within the design.

Materials and Tools

The Cascade Yarns DK Retro Cardigan is crafted using premium materials and specific tools to achieve the intended gauge and finished quality:

• Yarn: Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima, which is 100% Pima Cotton. This luxurious natural fiber provides breathability and a soft hand, making it ideal for a cardigan suitable for warm seasons or layering. The yarn comes in 100-gram hanks with 220 yards per hank. The pattern calls for 5 to 9 hanks depending on size, all in color #3801 silver, a neutral tone that works with various wardrobes.
• Needles: US 6 (4.0 mm) knitting needles are used for the main fabric. These needles work with the Pima Cotton yarn to achieve the specified gauge of 26 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches in the rib pattern.
• Additional Tools: A cable needle is essential for