Classic Elite Yarns Stratosphere Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Classic Elite Yarns Stratosphere Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Stratosphere is a classic top-down raglan cardigan designed by Susan Mills, originally published in Forecast 1506. This versatile garment offers knitters the flexibility to create either a summer-weight or winter-weight cardigan by adjusting the body length. The cardigan features a simple, elegant construction with a seamless yoke and body worked from the top down, making it an accessible project suitable for knitters of easy skill level.

Techniques Used

This cardigan employs several key knitting techniques that work together to create a well-fitted, seamless garment:

• Top-down construction: The yoke and body are worked from the top down, beginning with a cast-on at the neckline and progressing downward. This method allows for easy fitting adjustments and the ability to try on the garment as you work.
• Seamless construction: The yoke and body are worked without seams, creating a smooth, continuous fabric that requires minimal finishing.
• Raglan shaping: Raglan increases are worked at regular intervals to shape the yoke, creating the characteristic diagonal lines from the neckline to the underarms. These increases are worked using yarn-over decreases that add both shaping and a subtle lace element to the design.
• Worked flat: The yoke and body are worked back and forth in rows on a circular needle (used to accommodate the large number of stitches), rather than in the round. This flat construction method is traditional for cardigan fronts.
• Sleeve cap shaping: The sleeves are separated from the body at the underarm and worked in the round on double-pointed needles, allowing for a properly fitted sleeve cap.

Stitches Used

The Stratosphere features straightforward stitch work that emphasizes clean lines and simplicity:

• Stockinette stitch (St st): The primary stitch throughout the yoke and body, creating a smooth, classic fabric with a distinctive V-pattern on the right side and bumpy texture on the wrong side.
• Garter stitch: Used for the initial 4 rows at the neckline, providing a textured, reversible edge that lies flat and prevents curling.
• Yarn-overs (yo): Incorporated into the raglan increase rows, these create small eyelet holes that add a delicate lace quality to the raglan lines while simultaneously increasing stitches for shaping.
• Knit and purl stitches: The fundamental building blocks used throughout, with knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side to maintain stockinette stitch.

Materials and Tools

The Stratosphere is designed to be worked with Classic Elite Yarns and requires standard knitting equipment:

• Circular needles: Both smaller and larger circular needles are used to accommodate the increasing number of stitches as the yoke expands. The circular needle format allows you to work flat (back and forth in rows) while managing a large stitch count.
• Double-pointed needles: Used for working the sleeves in the round after they are separated from the body.
• Waste yarn: Used to hold the sleeve stitches after they are removed from the main piece, keeping them live and ready to be worked later.
• Yarn: Worked in Classic Elite Yarns, with sizing options for six different garment sizes. The pattern accommodates various yarn weights through the multiple size options provided.

Pattern Details and Sizing

The Stratosphere is offered in six sizes with detailed stitch counts for each size option. The yoke begins with a cast-on of 82 to 106 stitches depending on size, and expands through 16 to 27 raglan increase rows. The finished yoke measures between 6 and 9¼ inches from the cast-on edge at the center back. Knitters can customize their finished garment by choosing between a summer version (3 to 7 inches of body length) or a winter version (12 to 15 inches of body length), allowing for a cropped or full-length cardigan as desired. The underarm is reinforced with backward loop cast-on stitches, and the sleeves are held on waste yarn for later completion.