Jojoba Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Jojoba Cardigan in Rowan Baby Cashsoft Merino

What Is Being Made

The Jojoba Cardigan is a knitted cardigan designed by Erika Knight, available in five sizes to fit bust measurements from 81–86 cm up to 122–127 cm. The finished garment features actual bust measurements ranging from 101.5 cm to 141.5 cm, providing comfortable ease across all size options. This intermediate-level knitting project is constructed as a classic button-front cardigan with shaped armholes and tailored shoulder shaping.

Knitting Techniques Used

This cardigan employs several essential intermediate knitting techniques to achieve its polished, fitted silhouette:

• Armhole shaping: Created through strategic cast-offs at the beginning of rows followed by decreases worked at each end of subsequent rows, resulting in gradually tapered armholes that measure approximately 19.5–25.5 cm depending on size.
• Shoulder shaping: Accomplished using wrap-and-turn short-row shaping, a technique that creates smooth, angled shoulders without visible steps. Stitches are progressively wrapped and turned over multiple rows to build the shoulder slope gradually.
• Right back neck shaping: Worked in conjunction with shoulder shaping to create a neatly finished neckline.
• Stockinette stitch foundation: The primary stitch pattern for the body, providing a smooth, classic fabric base.
• Ribbed detailing: Alternating knit and purl stitches create textured ribbing, visible in the pattern repeat notation.

Stitches Used

The Jojoba Cardigan utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined to create texture and structure:

• Stockinette stitch (st st): The dominant stitch throughout the body, worked in rows to create a smooth, flat fabric with characteristic V-shaped texture on the right side.
• Knit stitch (K): Used for stockinette stitch rows and edge stitches.
• Purl stitch (P): Worked on wrong-side rows for stockinette stitch and incorporated into ribbed sections.
• Knit two together (K2tog) and knit two together through back loop (K2tog tbl): Decrease stitches used symmetrically at armhole edges to create balanced shaping.
• Purl two together (P2tog) and purl two together through back loop (P2tog tbl): Decrease stitches worked on wrong-side rows to maintain pattern consistency.
• Ribbing pattern: A repeating *P1, K1* sequence creates textured ribbed sections for structure and elasticity.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

Yarn: The cardigan is knitted using Rowan Baby Cashsoft Merino, a luxury blended yarn combining the softness of merino wool with the smoothness of cashmere. The pattern requires 11–16 balls of 50-gram skeins depending on the size being knitted (11 balls for the smallest size, increasing to 16 balls for the largest size). The sample cardigan shown in the pattern is photographed in the colorway Cecily 125.

Needles: The pattern calls for two pairs of 3½mm (US 4) needles for working the main fabric, plus one additional 3½mm needle reserved specifically for casting off at the shoulders. A 3¼mm (US 3) circular needle measuring no more than 40 cm in length is also required, likely for finishing details such as neckband or button bands.

Notions: The cardigan is completed with 10 grey buttons, each measuring 2 cm with two holes, providing a classic closure for the front opening.

Tension and Sizing Information

Successful completion of the Jojoba Cardigan depends on achieving the correct tension: 23 stitches and 30 rows to 10 cm measured over stockinette stitch using 3½mm (US 4) needles. This tension specification is essential for ensuring the finished garment matches the intended measurements. The pattern accommodates five distinct sizes, with armholes measuring approximately 19.5 cm in the smallest size and increasing to 25.5 cm in the largest size, allowing the cardigan to fit a wide range of body measurements comfortably.