Classic Elite Yarns Rickard Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Classic Elite Yarns Rickard Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Rickard is a seamless, top-down cardigan designed by Susan Mills and originally published in Quest 1710A. This garment features a distinctive construction method that showcases horizontal and vertical stripes in the yarn. The cardigan can be worn open or closed with a pin, or finished with buttons for a more traditional closure.

Construction Techniques

The Rickard employs an innovative modular construction approach that differs from typical cardigan patterns:

• Feather and Fan Border Sections: Each front begins by working the lace border sideways from the center outward, creating a scalloped edge that runs vertically along the center front opening
• Top-Down Center Back Panel: The center back is worked downward from the shoulders, using stitches picked up from the short selvedges of each completed front piece, with additional stitches cast on between them to form the back neck
• Seamless Side and Sleeve Construction: Each side and sleeve section is worked as one continuous piece using the held stitches from the front panels and stitches picked up along the center back panel edges
• Worked Flat: All sections are worked flat on needles rather than in the round, allowing for the distinctive stripe patterning to develop horizontally and vertically throughout the garment
• Modular Assembly: The body and sleeves are worked outward until reaching the side seams, where stitches for the lower body are bound off, leaving only sleeve stitches to be worked down to the cuffs

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Rickard features the Feather and Fan lace stitch as its primary decorative element. This stitch pattern is worked over a multiple of 17 stitches plus 4 edge stitches and repeats over 4 rows:

• Row 1 (Right Side): Knit across
• Row 2 (Wrong Side): Purl across
• Row 3: K2, *k2tog 3 times, yo, [k1, yo] 5 times, k2tog 3 times; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2. This row creates the characteristic scalloped edge through yarn overs and decreases
• Row 4: Knit across

The Feather and Fan pattern is worked for 5 to 8 repeats depending on size, creating a scalloped border measuring approximately 3½ to 5¾ inches at the deepest point of the scallops. The remaining body sections are worked in Stockinette Stitch (knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows), which provides a smooth canvas for the yarn's striping to display prominently.

Materials and Specifications

The Rickard is designed to showcase yarn with horizontal and vertical stripes through its unique construction method. While specific yardage and yarn weight information is not detailed in the provided pattern excerpt, the design is published by Classic Elite Yarns and originally appeared in their Quest 1710A collection. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and includes multiple sizes to accommodate various measurements.