Rowan Lovely Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Rowan Lovely Cardigan by Lisa Richardson

What is Being Made

Rowan Lovely is a classic knitted cardigan designed by Lisa Richardson. This garment is available in five sizes to fit bust measurements of 81-86 cm, 91-97 cm, 102-107 cm, 112-117 cm, and 122-127 cm. The finished cardigan features actual bust measurements ranging from 94.5 cm to 134.5 cm across the size range, providing comfortable ease for everyday wear.

Knitting Techniques

This cardigan is constructed using bottom-up seamed construction, meaning the pieces are knitted from the lower edges upward and then sewn together. The garment is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, allowing for traditional row-by-row shaping.

Key shaping techniques include:

• Raglan armhole shaping — created by casting off stitches at the beginning of rows and then working paired decreases on subsequent rows to form the characteristic diagonal raglan seams
• Waist shaping — achieved through strategic increases and decreases spaced at regular intervals to create a fitted silhouette
• Front slope shaping — decreases worked at the front edge to create the neckline and front opening
• Garter stitch edging — worked for the first 8 rows on all pieces to create a neat, non-curling border

Stitches Used

The primary stitch throughout Rowan Lovely is stockinette stitch (abbreviated as st st), which creates a smooth, classic fabric with characteristic V-shaped columns. Stockinette stitch is formed by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side.

Additional stitch techniques include:

• Garter stitch (abbreviated as g st) — used for the welted edges at the lower body and cuffs, created by knitting every row to produce horizontal ridges
• Slip stitch decreases — specifically slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over (sl 1, K1, psso) — used for left-leaning decreases in raglan shaping
• Knit two together (K2tog) — a right-leaning decrease used throughout shaping
• Purl decreases — P2tog and P2tog tbl (through back loop) — worked on wrong-side rows to maintain consistent shaping

Materials and Gauge

Rowan Lovely is designed to be knitted in Rowan Pure Cashmere, a luxurious natural fiber yarn. The pattern requires 15, 21, 25, 31, or 37 balls of 50-gram skeins depending on size selected. The photographed sample is shown in the colorway Flannel 100.

The pattern calls for two sizes of needles:

• 3¼mm (US 3) needles — used for the garter stitch welts and the circular needle for the front band
• 3¾mm (US 5) needles — used for the main body worked in stockinette stitch
• 3¼mm (US 3) circular needle — at least 120 cm long, used for picking up and working the front band

The tension (gauge) for this pattern is 22 stitches and 30 rows to 10 centimeters measured over stockinette stitch using 3¾mm (US 5) needles. Achieving correct gauge is essential for the cardigan to fit properly across all five size options.

Construction Details

The back and front pieces are worked separately from the cast-on edge upward. After working an initial garter stitch border for stability, the main body is worked in stockinette stitch with shaping increases and decreases positioned at regular intervals. The raglan armholes are shaped by casting off stitches at the armhole edge and then working paired decreases on every row and alternate rows as specified. The front slope is shaped through decreases worked at the front edge to accommodate the neckline opening. Once all pieces are complete, they are seamed together and finished with a knitted front band worked on the circular needle.