Classic Elite Yarns Take It Easy Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Classic Elite Yarns Take It Easy Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Take It Easy Cardigan is a women's cardigan knitted in one piece from the bottom up using a seamless construction method. Designed by Tonia Barry and originally published in Unwind 1410, this cardigan features simple stitches and raglan shaping, making it an ideal project for intermediate knitters seeking a straightforward yet elegant layering piece. The garment is available in five sizes: Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, and 2X-Large.

Construction Techniques

This cardigan employs a bottom-up, seamless, worked-flat construction approach. The lower body is worked in one continuous piece to the underarms using longer circular needles, with knitting worked back and forth in rows rather than joined in the round. After the sleeves are completed separately, all pieces are joined together and the yoke is worked in one piece, creating a seamless garment with minimal finishing required. This method reduces seaming work and creates a more cohesive final product.

The yoke shaping utilizes raglan decreases, which are worked at marked intervals to create the characteristic diagonal lines that slope from the underarm to the neckline. The pattern provides two decrease options depending on the stitch pattern being worked: standard raglan decreases for stockinette stitch sections and reverse stockinette stitch sections, with both single decreases (8 stitches decreased per round) and double decreases (16 stitches decreased per round) available for customizing the shaping progression.

Stitches Used

• 2 x 2 Rib: A classic ribbed texture used for the lower body cuff. This stitch alternates two knit stitches with two purl stitches in a repeating pattern, creating vertical lines that provide stretch and definition. The pattern includes instructions for working 2 x 2 Rib both flat (back and forth in rows) and in the round.
• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary fabric stitch throughout most of the cardigan body, created by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows to produce a smooth, classic knit fabric.
• Reverse Stockinette Stitch (Rev St st): Used as a textural contrast element, created by purling on right-side rows and knitting on wrong-side rows, producing a bumpy, textured surface opposite to stockinette stitch.
• Cable Stitch (C6F): A six-stitch cable crossed to the front, incorporated into the lower body pattern for visual interest. This stitch is worked periodically across the width of the garment with two-stitch purl separations between cable repeats.
• Decrease Stitches: The pattern employs slip-slip-knit (ssk), knit two together (k2tog), slip-slip-purl (ssp), purl two together (p2tog), and their triple variations (sssk, k3tog, sssp, p3tog) for shaping the raglan armholes.

Materials and Gauge

The Take It Easy Cardigan is designed to be worked with Classic Elite Yarns yarn using longer circular needles in two sizes: a smaller size for the ribbed cuff and a larger size for the main body and yoke. The pattern specifies working with circular needles to accommodate the larger stitch counts required for the lower body, even though the work is done flat rather than in the round. This needle choice provides flexibility and comfort for managing the garment's width during construction.

The lower body begins with a cast-on of 180 to 260 stitches depending on the selected size, establishing the cardigan's width. After the ribbed cuff measures 1½ inches, stitches are either maintained or decreased slightly (0 to 4 stitches depending on size) before transitioning to the larger needles and establishing the main stitch pattern, which combines stockinette stitch, reverse stockinette stitch, and cable elements across the width of the piece.