Rowan Mette Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Rowan Mette Cardigan by Martin Storey

What is Being Made

The Rowan Mette is a knitted cardigan designed by Martin Storey. This garment is available in five sizes ranging from Small (to fit bust 81-86 cm) through to XXL (to fit bust 122-127 cm), making it suitable for a wide range of body measurements. The cardigan is constructed as a classic button-front style piece with a structured fit.

Construction Techniques

The Mette cardigan is worked using a bottom-up seamed construction, meaning the pieces are knitted individually from the lower edge upward and then joined together with seams. The garment is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, allowing for precise shaping and finishing. This traditional approach provides excellent control over fit and allows for detailed stitch work throughout the piece.

The cardigan features strategic shaping through decreasing and increasing stitches at specific points. The front pieces include decreases worked at the edges to create a tapered silhouette, while increases are incorporated to add shaping detail. The back piece is shaped to complement the front sections, and all pieces are carefully constructed to ensure proper alignment when seamed together.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns Used

The Mette cardigan employs several fundamental knitting stitches:

• Ribbing (K2, P2): Used for the cuff and waistband sections, this elastic stitch pattern helps the garment hold its shape and provides a neat, finished appearance at the edges.
• Stockinette Stitch (st st): The main body of the cardigan is worked in stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, classic fabric with a knit side facing outward.
• Decreases: The pattern uses slip, knit, pass slipped stitch over (sl 1, K1, psso) and knit two together (K2tog) decreases to shape the garment, particularly at the armholes and neckline.
• Purl decreases: Purl two together (P2tog) and purl two together through the back loop (P2tog tbl) are used on wrong-side rows to maintain consistent shaping.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Rowan Mette is designed to be knitted in Rowan Brushed Fleece yarn, photographed in the colorway Den 261. The yarn requirements vary by size, ranging from 9 x 50gm balls for the smallest size (S) to 13 x 50gm balls for the largest size (XXL). This brushed yarn creates a soft, tactile fabric with a luxurious finish.

The pattern calls for two pairs of needles in different sizes to achieve proper tension and fabric characteristics:

• 5mm (US 8) needles: Used for the ribbed cuff and waistband sections, where the smaller needle size helps create elastic, fitted edges.
• 6mm (US 10) needles: Used for the main body worked in stockinette stitch, allowing the fabric to drape appropriately.

The pattern specifies a tension of 13 stitches and 19 rows to 10 centimeters measured over stockinette stitch using the 6mm needles. Achieving this tension is essential for the cardigan to fit correctly across all five size options.

Pattern Details and Skill Level

The Mette cardigan is suitable for knitters with intermediate skills. The pattern involves basic shaping techniques, including regular decreases and increases, as well as the ability to work from written instructions and manage multiple pieces that require seaming. The use of two needle sizes and straightforward stitch patterns makes this an accessible project for those with foundational knitting knowledge who are ready to tackle garment construction.