Rowan Carron Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Rowan Carron Cardigan by Martin Storey

What is Being Made

The Rowan Carron is a knitted cardigan designed by Martin Storey. This garment is tailored to fit bust measurements ranging from 81-86 cm through 122-127 cm, with the actual finished bust measurements spanning from 110 cm to 150 cm across the five available sizes. The cardigan features a classic construction with front button closure and shaped sleeves.

Knitting Techniques

The Carron cardigan is constructed using bottom-up knitting methodology, meaning the garment pieces are worked from the lower edges upward. The design employs seamed construction, where individual pieces are knitted separately and then sewn together to form the complete garment. All pieces are worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, allowing for traditional row-by-row shaping and finishing.

The pattern includes detailed shaping techniques throughout, including strategic decreases at the front slope edge to create the cardigan's distinctive silhouette, and increases for sleeve extensions. The neck shaping involves working each side of the neckline separately after dividing the stitches, with decreases worked at the neck edge over multiple rows to create a refined finish.

Stitches Used

• Garter Stitch (g st): Used for the initial 4 rows at the lower edges of the garment pieces, creating a textured, reversible fabric that prevents curling and provides a neat finished edge.
• Stockinette Stitch (st st): The primary stitch throughout the body and sleeves, creating a smooth, classic knit fabric with characteristic V-shaped columns on the right side.

Materials

The Carron cardigan is knitted using Rowan Cashmere Tweed yarn, a luxury blend that combines the softness of cashmere with the durability and texture of tweed fibers. The pattern requires 21 to 29 balls of 25-gram yarn depending on the size selected, with the photographed sample worked in the Camel colorway (shade 007).

The project requires two pairs of straight needles: 3¼mm (US 3) needles for the ribbed edges and initial cast-on rows, and 4mm (US 6) needles for the main body worked in stockinette stitch. A 3¼mm (US 3) circular needle measuring at least 100 cm long is also needed for working the neckline stitches. The tension is set at 22 stitches and 30 rows to 10 centimeters when measured over stockinette stitch using the 4mm needles.

Pattern Details

The back piece is cast on using the 3¼mm needles and worked with an initial garter stitch border before switching to the larger needles for stockinette stitch. The left front features a distinctive front slope shaping with decreases worked at regular intervals, followed by a sleeve extension section that incorporates both increases and decreases to create the proper sleeve cap depth. The right front mirrors the left front with reversed shaping. The neckline is finished by placing the center stitches on a holder and completing each shoulder separately with graduated bind-offs and neck edge decreases.