Classic Elite Yarns Sky Chief Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Classic Elite Yarns Sky Chief Cardigan: Lacy Drop Front Design

What Is Being Made

The Sky Chief is a lacy drop front cardigan designed for intermediate knitters. This garment features an elegant, flowing silhouette with decorative lace patterning throughout. The cardigan is worked in separate pieces using a sideways construction method, creating a sophisticated layering piece suitable for various occasions.

Construction and Techniques

This cardigan employs several advanced knitting techniques to achieve its distinctive appearance:

• Sideways construction: The garment is worked from side to side rather than from the top down or bottom up, allowing for unique shaping and patterning possibilities
• Seamed assembly: Individual pieces are completed and then seamed together for a polished, structured finish
• Worked flat: All pieces are worked back and forth in rows on circular needles, despite the circular needle being used primarily to accommodate the large stitch counts rather than for circular knitting
• Provisional cast-on method: The left back and sleeve begin with a provisional cast-on at the center back, which is later removed to allow the right back and sleeve to be worked in the opposite direction
• Front band integration: Both front bands are worked simultaneously with their respective front pieces, eliminating the need for separate band construction

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Sky Chief incorporates multiple stitch patterns to create visual interest and texture:

• Stockinette stitch (St st): Used for edge sections and structural areas, providing a smooth, classic foundation
• Lace Pattern 1 and Lace Pattern 2: Charted lace patterns based on a multiple of 10 stitches plus 15, creating the signature openwork design that gives the cardigan its delicate, airy appearance
• Left Front Band Pattern: A 13-row repeating pattern combining knit and purl stitches on right-side and wrong-side rows to create a textured, reversible band detail
• Right Front Band Pattern: A mirror-image 13-row pattern that complements the left front band with opposite knit and purl placement
• Decrease stitches: Centered decreases (ssk for knit rows, p2tog for purl rows) are used to shape the center front edges

Materials and Tools

This pattern is designed to be worked with Classic Elite Yarns in kettle-dyed colorways. The pattern notes that kettle-dyed yarns can vary visually from hank to hank within the same dye lot, and recommends alternating hanks throughout the project to minimize any visual differences in color. A circular needle is required to accommodate the large number of stitches, though the needle is used to work back and forth in rows on all pieces rather than for circular knitting.

Sizing and Finished Measurements

The Sky Chief is available in six sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL, and 2XL, with finished bust measurements ranging from 36 inches (XS) to approximately 48 inches (2XL). The pattern includes detailed schematic measurements for length and other dimensions across all sizes.

Skill Level and Design Origin

This pattern is rated as IntermediateFall 2012 in Cascading Waters, a printed collection of designs by Tonia Barry.