MillaMia Luna Fairisle Cardigan Knitting Pattern

MillaMia Luna Fairisle Cardigan

What is Being Made

The MillaMia Luna Fairisle Cardigan is a colorful knitted cardigan featuring a traditional fairisle pattern. This garment is designed to fit bust sizes from 82-87cm up to 112-117cm, with four size options available. The cardigan offers a customizable approach to color selection, allowing knitters to create their own unique color combinations while following the fairisle pattern structure. The finished cardigan features a back neck length ranging from 62-68cm depending on size, with consistent sleeve length of 48cm across all sizes.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several key techniques that make it suitable for improving knitters. The cardigan is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, making it more accessible for knitters developing their skills. The construction follows a bottom-up approach, meaning pieces are knitted starting from the lower edges and working upward toward the shoulders and neckline.

The primary decorative technique is stranded fairisle, a colorwork method where multiple yarn colors are carried across the back of the work to create intricate patterned designs. This technique requires careful tension management and color coordination to achieve even, professional-looking results. The pattern includes detailed buttonholes positioned along the front opening, which are essential for the cardigan's closure system. Once all pieces are completed, the cardigan is seamed together using mattress stitch or similar joining techniques to create clean, durable seams. The finished cardigan is secured with seven buttons that run down the front opening.

Stitches Used

The Luna Fairisle Cardigan is primarily constructed using stocking stitch (known as stockinette stitch in US terminology), which creates the smooth, classic knitted fabric that serves as the base for the fairisle colorwork. Stocking stitch is formed by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side, producing the characteristic V-shaped stitch pattern visible on the finished garment.

The fairisle pattern itself is created through strategic color changes within the stocking stitch structure. Additional abbreviations referenced in the pattern include standard decreases such as knit two together for shaping, and increases using the make one technique to add stitches where the garment requires shaping for proper fit. The pattern also references garter stitch and moss stitch (seed stitch in US terms), though these appear to be used selectively, likely for ribbed edges or textural elements.

Materials and Specifications

This cardigan is designed to be knitted using MillaMia Naturally Soft Merino yarn, a premium merino wool yarn available exclusively through Lovecrafts. The yardage requirements vary by size, with the smallest size requiring 4 balls each of Midnight (101) and Grass (141), plus 2 balls of Petal (122), and one ball each of Snow (124), Lipstick Red (108), and Butterscotch (168). Larger sizes require increased yardage in the main colors while maintaining single-ball quantities of accent colors.

Knitting needles required include a 3mm (US 2) needle for ribbed edges and a 3.25mm (US 3) needle for the main body and pattern work. The pattern specifies a gauge of 25 stitches and 34 rows to 10cm over stocking stitch and pattern using the 3.25mm needles, making accurate gauge swatching essential before beginning the project. Seven buttons are required to complete the cardigan's front closure.

Customization and Design Notes

The Luna Fairisle Cardigan emphasizes creative color customization as a key feature. The pattern notes that the cardigan "can truly be customised with your own colour selections and combinations," encouraging knitters to experiment with alternative colorways beyond the suggested palette. A suggested alternative colorway is provided featuring Daisy (142), Yellow (170), Sea (171), Fuchsia (122), Green (141), and Carbon (102), demonstrating the versatility of the fairisle structure. The pattern recommends consulting online tutorials to help perfect color changes and stranded colorwork techniques, acknowledging that fairisle knitting benefits from visual guidance and practice.