Debbie Bliss Rafaela Wrapover Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Debbie Bliss Rafaela Wrapover Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Rafaela Wrapover Cardigan is an advanced beginner knitting project designed as a wrap-style cardigan. This garment features a wrapover front closure and is available in seven size options ranging from 81–86cm to 142–147cm chest measurements. The finished cardigan offers a sophisticated silhouette with finished chest measurements from 105cm to 168cm depending on the chosen size.

Techniques Used

This knitting pattern employs several key techniques suitable for knitters with advanced beginner skills. The construction involves shaping shoulders to create a well-fitted garment. The pattern uses slip stitch techniques for edge finishing, incorporating slipped stitches at the beginning of rows to create neat selvages. The wrapover closure is a defining structural feature that requires careful attention to front shaping and finishing. Back neck border construction is included to frame the neckline appropriately. The pattern also demonstrates sleeve cap shaping through strategic decreasing, with different sleeve lengths provided depending on size (ranging from 42cm to 44cm).

Stitches Used

The Rafaela Wrapover Cardigan is worked primarily in stocking stitch (stockinette stitch in US terminology), which creates a smooth, classic fabric ideal for showcasing yarn texture. The pattern incorporates knit and purl stitches in combination, particularly in the border sections where twisted knit stitches (k1tbl) are used alongside purl stitches to create decorative edging. Decrease stitches including skpo (slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over) are employed for shaping the armholes and shoulders. The structured borders use alternating knit and purl combinations to provide definition and prevent curling at edges.

Materials

This pattern is designed to be worked with Debbie Bliss Paloma yarn in the Pebble 2 colorway. Yarn requirements are approximate and range from 14 hanks (50g/1¾oz each) for the smallest size to 25 hanks for the largest size, providing flexibility for different gauges and personal preferences. The pattern calls for 9mm (US 13) knitting needles and 10mm (US 15) knitting needles, allowing for ribbing or border work on the smaller needles and main fabric construction on the larger needles. The recommended tension (gauge) is 12 stitches and 18 rows to 10cm over stocking stitch using 10mm needles, which should be carefully checked before beginning to ensure proper finished measurements.