Stanley In Rowan Alpaca Soft DK Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Stanley Cardigan in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK

What Is Being Made

The Stanley cardigan is a sophisticated knitted garment designed to fit chest measurements ranging from 71–76 cm up to 152–157 cm, offering nine size options for a wide range of wearers. This advanced beginner project creates a structured cardigan with button closure, featuring extended sleeves and shaped shoulders for a tailored silhouette. The garment is photographed in the Rainy Day colorway of Rowan Alpaca Soft DK yarn.

Knitting Techniques

The Stanley cardigan employs several intermediate knitting techniques that make it suitable for advanced beginners looking to expand their skills. The construction involves increasing stitches strategically at sleeve edges to create sleeve extensions, with increases worked at specific intervals: one increase at each end of a row, followed by increases on every fourth row, then on alternating rows, and finally on consecutive rows. The pattern requires casting on stitches mid-garment at the beginning of rows to form the extended sleeves, a technique that adds visual interest and structural complexity. Shoulder shaping is achieved through progressive cast-offs over multiple rows, creating a professional fit. The cardigan also incorporates back neck shaping with decreases worked at the neckline edge, and the pattern specifies working each side of the neck separately to maintain pattern continuity and shaping precision.

Stitches and Pattern Details

The Stanley cardigan features a 34-row repeating textured pattern stitch that forms the foundation of the garment's visual interest. The pattern sequence includes stockinette stitch (knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows), reverse stockinette stitch (purl on right-side rows, knit on wrong-side rows), and garter stitch (knit every row). Specifically, the 34-row pattern repeat consists of:

• Rows 25–26: Garter stitch (knit)
• Rows 27–28: Reverse stockinette stitch (purl)
• Rows 29–30: Reverse stockinette stitch worked over 2 rows
• Rows 31–34: Stockinette stitch worked over 4 rows

This combination of textured stitches creates visual depth and dimension throughout the garment. The pattern is worked continuously across all pieces, maintaining consistency and allowing the texture to develop as a cohesive design element. The front band is worked on a circular needle to accommodate the button bands, which feature four buttons for closure.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Stanley cardigan is knitted using Rowan Alpaca Soft DK, a lightweight double-knit weight yarn supplied in 50-gram balls. The yarn quantity varies by size, ranging from 14 balls for the smallest size (71–76 cm chest) to 17 balls for the largest sizes (142–147 cm and 152–157 cm chest). This yarn choice provides a soft, luxurious drape appropriate for a tailored cardigan.

The pattern requires two sizes of needles to create proper tension and structure. 3mm (US 2/3) needles are used for ribbing and the front band, providing a firm, elastic fabric that frames the garment. 3.5mm (US 4) needles are used for the main body and sleeves, allowing the textured pattern stitch to develop at the correct gauge. A 3mm circular needle at least 100 cm long is essential for working the front band, which must accommodate a large number of stitches. The pattern also calls for stitch holders to manage stitches during neck shaping and stitch markers to track pattern repeats and shaping points.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern specifies a tension of 24 stitches and 36 rows to 10 cm measured over the textured pattern stitch using 3.5mm needles. Achieving correct gauge is essential for the garment to fit properly across the nine available sizes. The actual chest measurement of the finished garment ranges from 104 cm for the smallest size to 184 cm for the largest, with proportional adjustments to length and sleeve dimensions throughout the size range.