Noro Swing Front Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Noro Swing Front Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Noro Swing Front Cardigan is a women's cardigan sweater featuring a distinctive swing front design. This garment is available in four sizes: Small, Medium, Large, and X-Large. The cardigan is characterized by different length measurements at the back and front, with the front panels notably shorter than the back, creating the signature swing silhouette. Finished bust measurements range from 42 to 49 inches (106.5 to 124.5 centimeters), with back length varying from 28 to 30 inches (71 to 76 centimeters) and front length from 23 to 25 inches (58.5 to 63.5 centimeters). Upper arm circumference ranges from 18 to 21 inches (45.5 to 53 centimeters).

Techniques Used

The Noro Swing Front Cardigan is constructed using several fundamental knitting techniques that make it suitable for knitters of all skill levels, rated as EASY difficulty. The garment is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, allowing for straightforward shaping and construction. The cardigan is seamed, meaning individual pieces are knitted separately and then joined together using mattress stitch or similar seaming methods. The construction method is bottom-up, meaning knitting begins at the lower edge of the garment and progresses upward toward the neckline and shoulders.

Throughout the pattern, knitters will employ standard increase and decrease techniques. Make one increases are used to add stitches by lifting the strand between stitches and working into it, available in both knit and purl variations. Slip, slip, knit (or slip, slip, purl) decreases are used to reduce stitch counts by slipping stitches and working them together. Selvage stitches are worked at the edges of pieces to facilitate easier and neater seaming. Pick up and knit techniques are employed when adding stitches along finished edges, such as when working button bands or necklines. Stitch markers are placed on the needle to help track pattern repeats and shaping points throughout construction.

Stitches Used

The Noro Swing Front Cardigan utilizes essential knitting stitches that form the foundation of most sweater patterns. Knit stitches are worked by inserting the needle as if to knit, creating the characteristic V-shaped loops of stockinette stitch fabric. Purl stitches are worked by inserting the needle as if to purl, and can be used for textured stitch patterns or reverse stockinette sections. The pattern includes chart-based instructions that may contain no stitch designations, indicated by shaded spaces on charts where stitches have been decreased or not yet created; knitters simply skip over these spaces and work only the active stitches shown.

Materials

The Noro Swing Front Cardigan is knitted using Noro Kumo yarn in colorway #21. Yarn requirements vary by size: Small and Medium sizes require 5 hanks of 100-gram weight, while Large and X-Large sizes require 6 hanks of 100-gram weight. The total yardage and fiber content are determined by the specific Noro Kumo yarn specifications.

Needles required include one pair of US 3/3.25mm needles (or the size needed to obtain the correct gauge for the yarn being used). Additionally, 8 clip-on stitch markers are needed to track pattern repeats and construction points throughout the knitting process. The use of contrasting yarn as temporary stitch markers is also mentioned as an alternative option for marking stitches during construction.