Classic Elite Yarns Honora Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Honora Seamless Cardigan by Classic Elite Yarns

What Is Being Made

Honora is a seamless, open-front cardigan designed by Tonia Barry and originally published in Arietta 1608, a printed collection of designs from Classic Elite Yarns. This garment features a sophisticated construction with diagonal eyelet cables prominently displayed on both the body and sleeves. The cardigan is worked primarily in stockinette stitch with strategic cable placement, creating visual interest through texture and stitch definition. Available in six sizes ranging from XS to 2XL, the finished cardigan offers bust measurements from approximately 34 inches to 51 inches, with a length ranging from 24½ to 27 inches depending on size.

Construction Techniques

Honora employs a bottom-up seamless construction method, which allows knitters to try on the garment as it progresses and adjust fit as needed. The pattern uses a multi-stage assembly approach: the lower body is worked back and forth in rows as a single piece to the underarms, establishing the foundation of the cardigan. The sleeves are worked separately in the round to the underarms, which creates a more refined finish and reduces seaming work. Once the body and sleeves reach the appropriate length, all pieces are joined together for working the raglan yoke in rows up to the neck edge. This construction method eliminates the need for seaming while maintaining the flexibility of flat knitting in key areas.

The seamless design is a hallmark of this pattern, reducing finishing work and creating a more polished final garment. The open-front cardigan style means there is no button band or closure to construct, simplifying the pattern while maintaining an elegant silhouette.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Honora cardigan showcases several key stitches that work together to create its distinctive appearance:

• Stockinette Stitch (St st) forms the primary fabric throughout the body, sleeves, and yoke, providing a smooth, classic knit surface that allows the cable details to stand out prominently.
• Diagonal Eyelet Cables are the signature design element, worked using separate Left Diagonal and Right Diagonal charts. These cables feature eyelet details that create an openwork quality while maintaining the structural integrity of the cables themselves. The charts are worked differently depending on context: in rows for the body and yoke sections, and in the round for the sleeves. When working the cable charts in the round, every chart row is read as a right-side row to maintain pattern consistency.
• 2 x 2 Garter Rib is used for the ribbed edging at the lower body, providing elasticity and a finished edge. This rib pattern is worked in rows for the body ribbing and can also be worked in rounds, using a multiple of 4 stitches. The garter rib combines knit and purl stitches in a 2 x 2 alternation, creating a textured, stretchy fabric that helps the cardigan sit properly at the hem.
• Cable Needle (cn) work is required to create the diagonal cables, necessitating the use of a cable needle to hold stitches while working the cable twists.

Yarn, Needles, and Materials

The Honora cardigan is designed to be worked with Arietta yarn by Classic Elite Yarns. The pattern specifies a gauge of 23½ stitches and 32 rows per 4 inches in stockinette stitch using the larger needles, which is essential for achieving the correct finished measurements. Knitters will need circular needles in two sizes: smaller needles for the ribbed edging and larger needles for the main body and sleeves. The pattern calls for both shorter and longer circular needles to accommodate the different sections of the garment as it grows.

Additional materials required include stitch markers (the pattern suggests using two different colors to distinguish between cable markers on the sleeves and raglan markers on the yoke for easier pattern tracking), a cable needle for working the diagonal eyelet cables, and stitch holders or waste yarn for holding stitches during construction. Taking time to check gauge before beginning is emphasized as critical to achieving the correct finished measurements.

Skill Level and Pattern Notes

Honora is rated as an experienced-level knitting pattern, appropriate for knitters with solid foundational skills who are comfortable working cables, reading charts, and managing seamless construction techniques. The pattern's complexity stems from the cable work, the multi-directional chart reading (different for rows versus rounds), and the seamless yoke construction that requires joining multiple pieces and managing multiple stitch markers simultaneously.