Rowan Quinn Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Rowan Quinn Cardigan by Marie Wallin

What is Being Made

The Rowan Quinn is a knitted cardigan designed by Marie Wallin, available in six sizes ranging from Small to 2XL (to fit chest 102–127 cm / 40–50 inches). This garment features a sophisticated yoke construction with cable detailing and is fastened with five toggle fasteners, making it a refined layering piece suitable for various occasions.

Construction Method and Techniques

The Quinn cardigan is constructed using a bottom-up, worked-flat approach, meaning the pieces are knitted individually from the lower edge upward and then seamed together. The garment employs cable knitting techniques as a primary design element, creating textured interest throughout the yoke and body sections. The use of a cable needle is essential for executing the cable stitches, which are manipulated to create raised, twisted patterns characteristic of cable-knit design.

The yoke features a charted pattern that is worked in rows, with shaping occurring at the armholes and shoulders to create a fitted silhouette. The construction includes separate front and back pieces, with the left and right fronts shaped individually to accommodate the button band and toggle fastener closure.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns Used

The pattern incorporates several key stitches and abbreviations:

• Ribbing (K3, P3): Used as a foundation pattern on the fronts, creating vertical texture and elasticity
• C6B (Cable 6 Back): Slip 3 stitches onto a cable needle and hold at back of work, knit 3, then knit 3 from cable needle—creates a cable that twists to the right
• C6F (Cable 6 Front): Slip 3 stitches onto a cable needle and hold at front of work, knit 3, then knit 3 from cable needle—creates a cable that twists to the left
• T4F (Twisted 4 Front): Slip 3 stitches onto a cable needle and hold at front of work, purl 1, then knit 3 from cable needle—creates a twisted cable effect combining knit and purl
• Stockinette stitch (knit and purl in alternating rows): Forms the base fabric in many sections
• Garter stitch and reverse stockinette: Used in charted yoke pattern sections for textural variety

The yoke pattern is worked from Chart B, repeating rows 1 to 8, which provides the primary decorative element of the finished cardigan. The charted pattern creates a coordinated design across the yoke area where the front and back pieces meet.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Quinn cardigan is designed to be knitted with Rowan Lima yarn, a premium yarn choice from the Rowan brand. The pattern requires 28–40 x 50g balls depending on the size being made, with the photographed sample shown in Nazca 887 colorway. For current yarn color options and specifications, the pattern references www.knitrowan.com.

Two needle sizes are required to achieve proper tension and fabric characteristics:

• 7mm (UK size 2 / US size 10½) needles: Used for the ribbed sections and initial cast-on
• 8mm (UK size 0 / US size 11) needles: Used for the main body and yoke pattern sections

Additional tools include a cable needle for manipulating cable stitches and a stitch holder for temporarily securing stitches during shaping. The pattern also calls for 5 toggle fasteners as the closure mechanism, providing both functional and decorative finishing.

Tension and Fit

The pattern specifies a tension of 20 stitches and 19 rows to 10 cm when measured over the charted yoke pattern using 8mm needles and 2 ends of yarn. Achieving this tension is critical for obtaining the correct finished measurements and garment fit across all six size options.