Dream Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Dream in Color Shrug

What Is Being Made

The Dream in Color Shrug (design P-601 by Kay Dahlquist) is a one-size knitted shrug constructed as a rectangular piece that is folded and seamed to create arm openings. The shrug is worked from cuff to cuff in a flat construction method, measuring 38½ inches long by 12½ inches wide before seaming. Once folded lengthwise and partially seamed, the shrug creates a draped shoulder garment with ribbed cuffs at each end and a decorative ribbed edging around the central opening.

Techniques Used

This shrug employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its finished structure:

• Flat knitting: The entire body is worked flat on circular needles rather than in the round, allowing for the rectangular shape that becomes the shrug when folded.
• Lace patterning: A 20-row repeating lace stitch pattern creates an open, decorative fabric throughout the body of the shrug. The lace pattern uses yarn overs and decreases to form the openwork design.
• Ribbed edging: Knit-purl ribbing (K2, P2) is used for both cuffs and the final edging around the arm opening, providing elasticity and structure.
• Seaming: The rectangle is seamed along both long edges using a combination of wrong-side and right-side seaming techniques. The seaming strategy—working wrong-side seams for the first 3 inches, then switching to right-side seams for the remaining 4½ inches—prevents the selvage edges from showing when the cuff is folded.
• Picked-up stitches: After the main body is complete and seamed, stitches are picked up around the central opening to create the ribbed edging, which is then worked circularly.

Stitches Used

The Dream in Color Shrug incorporates fundamental and decorative knitting stitches:

• Stockinette stitch: The base fabric for gauge measurement, created by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows.
• Ribbing (K2, P2): Used for both cuffs and the final edging. This alternating knit-and-purl pattern creates vertical columns that provide stretch and recovery.
• Lace stitches: The 20-row stitch pattern includes yarn overs (yo) and decreases—specifically knit-two-together (K2tog) and slip-slip-knit (ssk)—which create the open, decorative lace motif. The pattern is worked in a repeating sequence across 20 rows, with the pattern repeated 9 times plus one additional row 1, for a total of 181 rows in the body.

Materials

The Dream in Color Shrug requires minimal materials, making it an efficient project:

• Yarn: Two skeins of Dream in Color Classy™ worsted weight yarn. The sample shown is in color #120 Giant Peach.
• Needles: One 24-inch circular needle in size 8 US (or the size needed to achieve the correct gauge).
• Notions: A yarn needle for seaming and weaving in ends.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern is designed in one size. Proper gauge is essential for achieving the correct finished dimensions. The specified gauge is 16 stitches and 26 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch. Knitters should measure gauge across the lace pattern rather than the ribbing to ensure accuracy. The shrug begins with 58 cast-on stitches and is worked to the specified row counts to achieve the intended finished measurements.