Connie Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Connie Cardigan by Kim Hargreaves in Rowan Summerlite 4ply

What is Being Made

Connie is a classic knitted cardigan designed by Kim Hargreaves, available in nine sizes to fit bust measurements from 71-76cm (28-30 inches) up to 152-157cm (60-62 inches). The cardigan features a button-front closure and is constructed using traditional cardigan shaping with set-in sleeves, a shaped back neck, and front bands.

Craft and Techniques

This is a knitting project classified as intermediate difficulty. The pattern employs several fundamental and intermediate knitting techniques including:

• Moss stitch (alternating knit and purl stitches) for the ribbed edgings and front bands
• Stockinette stitch as the primary fabric
• Yarn overs and decreases for decorative lace detailing
• Shaping through strategic increases and decreases to create armholes and shoulder definition
• Separate construction of front and back pieces with subsequent assembly
• Stitch holder techniques for managing live stitches during neck shaping

Stitches Used

The Connie cardigan utilizes essential knitting stitches including:

• Moss stitch – created by alternating knit and purl stitches across rows, used for front bands and lower edgings to provide elasticity and definition
• Stockinette stitch – the primary fabric formed by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows
• Yarn overs (yfwd) – used in combination with decreases to create lace-like openwork details
• Knit two together (K2tog) – a right-leaning decrease
• Knit two together through back loop (K2tog tbl) – a left-leaning decrease used to balance yarn overs for symmetrical lace patterning

Materials and Gauge

The Connie cardigan is designed to be worked in Rowan Summerlite 4ply yarn, a lightweight four-ply weight yarn ideal for creating delicate, breathable garments. The photographed sample is shown in Pure White 417. The pattern requires 7 balls of 50-gram yarn (though yardage varies by size).

The project requires two pairs of needles: 2.75mm (US 2) needles for ribbing and edgings, and 3mm (US 2/3) needles for the main fabric. The recommended tension is 28 stitches and 36 rows to 10 centimeters measured over stockinette stitch using the 3mm needles.

Additional materials include stitch holders for managing stitches during construction and 7 buttons for the front closure.

Construction Details

The cardigan is constructed in pieces beginning with the back panel. The back is cast on using the smaller needles with a moss stitch foundation, then switched to larger needles for stockinette stitch body. The front panels follow a similar construction with integrated button bands. Armhole shaping occurs after the body reaches the specified length, with shoulder shaping completed through a series of cast-off rows. The back neck features a generous cast-off section, while front neck shaping is worked separately on each side to create the cardigan opening.