Classic Elite Yarns Virginia Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Classic Elite Yarns Virginia Cabled Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Virginia is a classic cabled cardigan designed by Tonia Barry, originally published in Early Fall 1606. This garment features a distinctive shawl collar that can be worn up or folded back for versatile styling. The cardigan is available in multiple sizes (XS, S, M/L, XL, 2XL) and three length options—petite, average, and tall—to accommodate different body proportions and personal preference.

Techniques Used

This cardigan is worked flat on straight needles, meaning the pieces are knitted back and forth in rows rather than in the round. The finished pieces are then seamed together to create the complete garment. The construction includes a shawl collar with strategic increases worked on both right-side and wrong-side rows to shape the collar as it grows. Buttonholes are incorporated using a yarn-over and knit-two-together decrease technique, strategically placed at intervals determined by the chosen length option.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch pattern is Diamond Cable, worked from a chart using the larger needles. The cardigan also features a 2 x 2 Rib stitch pattern (a multiple of 4 stitches) used for the front bands and collar shaping. The 2 x 2 Rib is worked with alternating knit and purl stitches in a structured pattern that creates vertical lines and provides elasticity. Additional techniques include yarn-over stitches for buttonholes and make-one increases (both m1 and m1p variations) to maintain stitch pattern continuity while shaping the collar.

Materials

This pattern calls for yarn from Classic Elite Yarns and is worked with two needle sizes: a larger needle for the main diamond cable pattern and ribbing, and an appropriate smaller needle for any ribbed sections requiring tighter gauge. The pattern specifies a gauge of 20 stitches and 26 rows over 4 inches in the Diamond Cable pattern using the larger needle. Additional notions include a cable needle for manipulating cable stitches, stitch markers to track pattern sections and collar placement, and buttons—the quantity and size vary by length option: 5 buttons for petite length, 6 buttons for average length, and 7 buttons for tall length. Button size is specified as 1 inch for all length options.

Construction Details

The front bands measure approximately 2 inches wide and are worked in ribbing using the larger needle. Buttonhole placement begins 1 inch from the cast-on edge, with subsequent buttonholes spaced according to the chosen length: petite lengths have buttonholes 3½ inches apart, average lengths have them 3 inches apart, and tall lengths have them 2¾ inches apart. The shawl collar increases are worked symmetrically on the left and right fronts, with increases occurring on both right-side and wrong-side rows to create a balanced, graduated collar that can be worn folded or standing up. Proper gauge checking is emphasized as essential to achieving the correct finished measurements.