Classic Elite Yarns Corella Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Classic Elite Yarns Corella Cardigan

Garment Overview

Corella is a V-neck cardigan featuring short sleeves and a flared peplum silhouette, designed by Alice Tang. Originally published in Birdsong 1502, this knit showcases an all-over cable pattern worked in a classic construction method. The cardigan combines elegant stitch work with strategic shaping to create a flattering, feminine garment suitable for various occasions.

Construction Method

This cardigan is worked flat on straight needles using a bottom-up construction approach. The back and front pieces are knitted separately from the cast-on edge upward, then seamed together to create the finished garment. This traditional method allows for precise shaping and easier adjustments during the knitting process.

Primary Stitch Pattern: Cables

The signature design element is the Cable Pattern, which repeats over multiples of 8 stitches. The pattern alternates between stockinette and reverse stockinette sections to frame the cables:

• Rows 1, 3, 5, and 7 (Wrong Side): Knit 2, purl 4, knit 2, repeated across
• Rows 2, 4, and 6 (Right Side): Purl 2, knit 4, purl 2, repeated across
• Row 8 (Right Side): Purl 2, then work a C4B cable cross (cable 4 back), purl 2, repeated across

This 8-row repeat creates a classic twisted cable effect with clear definition between the cable columns and the surrounding reverse stockinette background.

Shaping Techniques: Pleats

The cardigan incorporates two specialized pleating techniques that dramatically reduce stitch count and create the distinctive peplum flare:

Left Pleat: This decrease technique uses double-pointed needles to work three stitches together simultaneously. Two stitches are slipped onto separate double-pointed needles, positioned with their wrong sides facing each other, then knitted together with a stitch from the main needle. This process is repeated twice, decreasing 4 stitches total and creating a structured pleat.

Right Pleat: Similar to the left pleat but with reversed needle positioning, the second double-pointed needle is positioned in front of the first with the wrong side of the second needle against the right side of the first needle. Both needles are held behind the left-hand needle while working the three-stitch decrease twice, also reducing 4 stitches and creating a mirror-image pleat.

These pleats are strategically placed on Row 6 of the cable pattern, occurring after approximately 7 to 9.5 inches of knitting depending on size. The pleats work in tandem—left and right pairs—to create balanced shaping that transitions the garment from a wider body to a fitted waist area.

V-Neck Shaping

The V-neck is achieved through strategic decreases worked in pattern. The pattern notes specify using either knit-together or purl-together decreases as necessary to maintain the established cable pattern. To preserve the visual integrity of the cables during neck shaping, the pattern allows for substituting a C3B cable cross (cable 3 back) in place of the standard C4B cable cross when only 3 stitches remain where a cable cross is required.

Size Range and Stitch Counts

The Corella cardigan is available in five sizes with the following cast-on stitch counts: 164, 192, 212, 240, and 260 stitches. The back piece is established with edge stitches worked in reverse stockinette, flanking a large cable pattern section. After the pleating shaping, stitch counts reduce to 84, 96, 108, 120, and 132 stitches respectively, creating the fitted peplum effect.

Materials and Tools

This pattern is designed for Classic Elite Yarns yarn and requires straight needles for working flat, as well as double-pointed needles for executing the pleat decreases. The specific yarn weight and needle size recommendations are provided within the complete pattern documentation to ensure proper gauge and finished garment dimensions.

Skill Level Consideration

The Corella cardigan incorporates intermediate-level techniques including cable crosses, custom pleat decreases, and pattern maintenance during shaping. Knitters should be comfortable reading stitch patterns, working cables, and managing decreases while maintaining stitch pattern integrity.