Stacy Charles Fine Yarns Margot Duster Knitting Pattern

Stacy Charles Fine Yarns Margot Duster Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Margot Duster is an intermediate-level knitted cardigan designed by Lidia Karabinech. This garment is a sophisticated lace cardigan worked in a bottom-up construction method, creating an elegant duster-length piece. Available in four sizes—Small through Extra Large—the cardigan features a fitted bust measurement ranging from 35 to 47 inches with 1–3 inches of positive ease for comfortable wear. The length to shoulder measures a generous 29½ inches, making this a longer, flowing cardigan style ideal for layering.

Techniques Used

The Margot Duster employs several key knitting techniques that define its construction and aesthetic appeal:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The cardigan is knitted from the bottom edge upward, allowing knitters to try on the garment as it progresses and easily adjust length if desired.
• Worked Flat: All pieces are created on straight needles using flat knitting rather than circular needles or in-the-round methods, making this accessible to knitters who prefer traditional flat construction.
• Seamed Assembly: Individual pieces—back, fronts, and sleeves—are knitted separately and then seamed together, providing structure and professional finishing.
• Lace Patterning: The design incorporates intricate lace stitch patterns throughout, creating openwork sections that add visual interest and an airy quality to the finished garment.

Stitches Used

The Margot Duster utilizes a combination of fundamental and decorative stitches to achieve its elegant appearance:

• Garter Stitch: Created by knitting every row, this stitch provides a textured, reversible fabric often used in borders and structural sections.
• Stockinette Stitch: Formed by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side, this classic stitch creates a smooth, refined fabric base for much of the cardigan.
• Lace Stitches: The pattern features multiple lace motifs including yarn overs (yo), central double decreases (cdd), and slip-slip-knit decreases (ssk). These techniques create the characteristic openwork patterns that define the design. Different lace pattern variations are used for the back, fronts, and sleeves, with specific stitch multiples (multiple of 10 stitches plus 3 for back/fronts/sleeves, and multiple of 10 stitches plus 8 for right front in sizes S and L) creating balanced, symmetrical designs.
• Edge Stitches: Single edge stitches are maintained throughout for clean selvage edges that facilitate seaming.

Materials and Gauge

The Margot Duster is designed to be worked with Stacy Charles Fine Yarns JEWEL, a luxurious blend composed of 89% extrafine merino, 6% polyamide, and 5% metallic fiber. This yarn is available in color 1140 sand and comes in 50-gram balls yielding 218 yards (200 meters) per ball. The pattern requires 7 balls for size Small, 8 balls for size Medium, 10 balls for size Large, and 11 balls for size Extra Large.

Knitters should use US 6 (4.0mm) needles or adjust needle size as necessary to obtain the correct gauge. The pattern gauge is 21 stitches and 32 rows over 4 inches (10 centimeters) in stockinette stitch, making accurate gauge swatch completion essential before beginning the project. Additional materials needed include stitch holders for managing stitches during construction and a yarn needle for weaving in ends and seaming pieces together.