Rowan Teddy Cardigan Coat Knitting Pattern

Rowan Teddy Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Rowan Teddy Cardigan is a cozy, textured cardigan jacket designed to fit bust sizes ranging from 81-86 cm (32-34 inches) up to 122-127 cm (48-50 inches). This garment features a distinctive collar with a notch detail and is constructed as a classic button-front cardigan suitable for layering and everyday wear.

Craft and Construction Method

This is a knitting project classified at Skill Level 2, making it appropriate for knitters with some foundational experience. The cardigan is worked flat on straight needles using a bottom-up construction method, meaning the pieces are knitted from the lower edges upward. The individual pieces—back, fronts, and sleeves—are then seamed together to create the finished garment, allowing for precise shaping and a professional finish.

Primary Stitch and Techniques

The cardigan is worked predominantly in moss stitch, a classic textured stitch that creates a bumpy, tweedy appearance. Moss stitch is formed by alternating knit and purl stitches in a specific pattern: Row 1 reads K1, *P1, K1, rep from * to end, and Row 2 repeats this same sequence. This stitch is worked using yarn held double (two strands worked together), which creates the characteristic thick, bouclé texture and increases fabric density and warmth.

The pattern incorporates strategic shaping techniques including:

• Armhole shaping achieved through casting off stitches at the beginning of rows and decreasing at edges
• Collar shaping with increases worked at the collar edge while simultaneously managing armhole decreases
• A collar notch created by casting off stitches and immediately casting on new stitches to form an architectural detail
• Multiple decrease and increase sequences worked over alternating rows and fourth rows to create smooth, graduated shaping

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The cardigan is knitted using Rowan Soft Bouclé yarn in the colorway Ash 603 (as shown in the pattern photography). Quantities range from 12 x 50-gram balls for smaller sizes (81-86 cm bust) to 14 x 50-gram balls for the largest size (122-127 cm bust). The yarn is worked double throughout, meaning two strands are held together as one.

Construction requires one pair of 9mm (US size 13) needles, which are appropriately sized to work with the doubled yarn and create the correct fabric density. The pattern specifies a tension of 8½ stitches and 12 rows to 10 cm (4 inches) measured over moss stitch using 9mm needles and the yarn held double, making tension checking essential before beginning the project.

Garment Specifications

The finished cardigan lengths measure 69-71 cm depending on size, with actual bust measurements ranging from 106 cm (41¾ inches) for the smallest size to 143.5 cm (56½ inches) for the largest, providing comfortable ease for layering. Armhole depth varies from 21-27 cm across the size range, and the pattern includes detailed instructions for shaping the collar, armholes, and front bands to create a polished, wearable garment.