Classic Elite Yarns Moberly Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Classic Elite Yarns Moberly Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Moberly is a top-down knitted cardigan featuring elegant scalloped lace detailing. This garment is worked as a single integrated piece, beginning at the neckline and progressing downward to create a seamless construction. The cardigan includes a body worked flat, very short sleeves in garter stitch, and a yoke with raglan shaping that transitions smoothly from the sleeves to the neckline. The design offers six size options ranging from Small through 3XL, making it accessible for various body measurements.

Techniques Used

Top-Down Construction: The Moberly cardigan is designed using a top-down knitting method, which allows the knitter to begin at the neckline and work progressively toward the hem. This approach provides flexibility for fit adjustments and eliminates the need for seaming, as the body and sleeves are joined during the yoke shaping process.

Worked Flat: The body of the cardigan is worked back and forth in rows using a circular needle, rather than in the round. This flat knitting method creates a traditional cardigan construction where the front panels and back are worked as a continuous piece until the underarms, where the sleeves are then incorporated.

Lace Shaping: The cardigan features decorative lace elements integrated into the stitch pattern. The Feather and Fan stitch creates an openwork design with characteristic scalloped edges, achieved through strategic yarn overs and decreases that form the lacy aesthetic throughout the garment.

Raglan Shaping: The yoke incorporates raglan-style shaping, which creates diagonal lines from the underarms to the neckline. This shaping technique provides a comfortable fit across the shoulders and allows for smooth integration of the sleeves into the body.

Stitches Used

Feather and Fan with Garter Ridges: This stitch pattern is worked over a multiple of 17 stitches plus 2 edge stitches. The pattern repeats over 4 rows, combining knit and purl rows with yarn overs and double decreases to create the characteristic fan-like lace formations. The garter ridge variation includes a knit row (Row 4) instead of a purl row, creating textured horizontal ridges that interrupt the lace pattern.

Feather and Fan: A variation of the above stitch, this version uses a purl row for Row 4 instead of a knit row, creating a smoother appearance between the lace repeats. The stitch pattern remains over a multiple of 17 stitches plus 2.

Garter Stitch: Used for the very short sleeves and the yoke shaping, garter stitch is created by knitting every row. This produces a dense, textured fabric that provides structure and stability in areas requiring shaping and fit control.

Stitch Pattern Details: The lace patterns utilize yarn overs (yo) to create openwork and knit two together (k2tog) decreases to maintain stitch count while forming the scalloped edges. The patterns are repeated across the width of the garment to create consistent, symmetrical design elements.

Materials

The Moberly cardigan is designed to be worked with yarn and needles appropriate for the Classic Elite Yarns brand. Construction requires a circular needle for working the body flat in rows, with the specific needle size and yarn weight determined by the yarn choice and desired gauge. The pattern accommodates various yarn weights and needle sizes, as evidenced by the multiple size options and construction notes provided in the pattern.

Pattern Overview

Originally published in Century and Winter 1611, the Moberly cardigan was designed by Susan Mills. The pattern is classified as intermediate skill level, making it suitable for knitters with foundational experience in basic stitches and shaping techniques. The body is cast on with 155 to 240 stitches depending on size, and the initial sections feature the Feather and Fan with Garter Ridges pattern repeated three times to create approximately 2½ inches of fabric. The main body continues in the standard Feather and Fan pattern until reaching approximately 14 to 16 inches from the cast-on edge, at which point decreases are introduced to reduce stitch count before the yoke division. The garment is then divided at the underarms to separate the left front, back, and right front sections, with the sleeves and body joined for seamless yoke construction in garter stitch with raglan shaping.