String Natalie Cardigan Knitting Pattern

String Natalie Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Natalie Cardigan is a knitted cardigan designed by Lidia Karabinech. This garment is offered in four sizes: Small, Medium, Large, and XL, with finished bust measurements ranging from 36 inches (91.5 cm) to 48 inches (122 cm) and length to shoulder from 20 inches (51 cm) to 21½ inches (54.5 cm). The pattern is rated as EASY, making it accessible to knitters with basic to intermediate skills.

Techniques Used

The Natalie Cardigan is constructed using several key knitting techniques that create both structure and visual interest:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The cardigan is knitted from the bottom edge upward, allowing for easier fitting adjustments and a natural progression through the garment pieces.
• Worked Flat: The pattern is worked on straight needles in flat pieces rather than in the round, with pieces later seamed together for a classic cardigan construction.
• Tubular Cast-On: The pattern employs a tubular cast-on method using waste yarn and provisional stitches, which creates a polished, finished appearance at the lower edge without a visible cast-on line.
• Lace Details: An eyelet rib pattern incorporates lace elements through yarn-overs and decreases, adding delicate openwork to the design.
• Seamed Assembly: Individual pieces are knitted separately and then seamed together, providing clean seams and professional finishing.

Stitches Used

The Natalie Cardigan utilizes a variety of fundamental and decorative stitches:

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary stitch throughout most of the cardigan, created by knitting all stitches on right-side rows and purling all stitches on wrong-side rows. This creates the smooth, classic fabric base.
• 1x1 Rib: A textured stitch used for ribbed sections, alternating knit and purl stitches to create vertical columns. The pattern specifies 12 rows of 1x1 rib at the lower edge, providing elasticity and a fitted finish.
• Eyelet Rib: A decorative lace pattern combining ribbing with yarn-overs and knit-two-together decreases (k2tog). This stitch creates small openwork holes while maintaining the structure of ribbed fabric, adding visual interest to specific sections.
• Decreases: The pattern uses RDD (right-leaning double decrease) and LDD (left-leaning double decrease) techniques for shaping the armholes, ensuring decreases slant appropriately for a professional appearance.

Materials and Specifications

The Natalie Cardigan is designed to be worked with premium yarn and appropriately sized needles:

• Yarn: String BLOSSOM, a luxurious blend of 50% cashmere and 50% silk. The yardage requirements are 6 balls for Small, 6 balls for Medium, 7 balls for Large, and 8 balls for XL. Each ball contains 75 ounces per 50 grams and provides 177 yards (162.5 meters) of yardage. The pattern specifies color 200737 almond.
• Needles: US 5 (3.75mm) straight needles for the main fabric and US 4 (3.5mm) circular needles measuring 32 inches (60 cm) long for ribbed sections. Needle size should be adjusted as needed to obtain the specified gauge.
• Additional Supplies: Stitch holders for holding live stitches, waste yarn for the provisional cast-on, a cable needle for any cable work, and a yarn needle for seaming and weaving in ends.

Gauge

The pattern specifies a gauge of 21 stitches and 26 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) when worked in stockinette stitch using the larger size needles. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for proper fit, and knitters are advised to knit a gauge swatch before beginning the project.