String Nicole Hoodie Cardigan Knitting Pattern

String Nicole Hoodie: Luxe Cashmere Knit Cardigan with Cable Details

What Is Being Made

The String Nicole Hoodie is a sophisticated cardigan-style sweater designed by Lidia Karabinech. This garment features a classic button-front closure with a hoodie construction, offering both elegance and comfort. Available in four sizes—Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large—the Nicole Hoodie is designed to fit bust measurements from 32 to 44 inches, with finished bust measurements ranging from 34½ to 45 inches. The piece measures 28½ inches in length to the shoulder, creating a versatile silhouette suitable for layering or wearing as a standalone piece.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

This design calls for String CLASSICA, a luxurious 100% cashmere yarn. Depending on size, the project requires 16 to 19 balls of yarn, with each ball weighing 1.75 ounces (50 grams) and providing 125 yards (114 meters) of yardage. The yarn is worked in color #200058. Construction requires US 8 (5.0 mm) needles or the size needed to obtain proper gauge. Additional tools include a tapestry needle for finishing, a cable needle for cable work, seven stitch holders for managing stitches during shaping, stitch markers for pattern tracking, and 10¾ inches of buttons for the front closure.

Gauge and Fit

The pattern specifies a gauge of 18 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for obtaining the intended finished measurements and proper fit of the garment.

Knitting Techniques

The Nicole Hoodie employs several intermediate to advanced knitting techniques that create visual interest and structure:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The sweater is knitted from the bottom edge upward, allowing for easier fitting adjustments and a more intuitive building process.
• Worked Flat: Rather than working in the round, this design is worked flat on straight needles, requiring seaming to join pieces together at the end.
• Seaming: Finished pieces are seamed together using a tapestry needle, creating clean, professional-looking seams that contribute to the garment's polished appearance.
• Cable Work: The design incorporates cable stitches as a primary decorative element, adding texture and visual depth to the finished piece.

Stitches and Pattern Details

The Nicole Hoodie features two distinct cable patterns that provide the garment's signature textured design:

Cable 1 Pattern is worked over 12 stitches and repeats over 8 rows. This pattern combines knit stitches with cable crosses that are created by slipping stitches to a cable needle and holding them to either the back or front of the work while knitting the following stitches. The cable crosses occur on rows 1 and 5, with row 1 slipping 4 stitches to the cable needle and holding to the back, knitting 4 stitches, then knitting the 4 stitches from the cable needle, followed by 4 additional knit stitches. Row 5 reverses the cable direction by holding stitches to the front. Rows 3 and 7 are worked entirely in knit stitches, while rows 2, 4, 6, and 8 are worked in purl stitches, creating the reverse stockinette background typical of cable patterns.

Cable 2 Pattern is worked over 8 stitches and also repeats over 8 rows. This smaller cable features double cable crosses on row 1, where 2 stitches are slipped to the cable needle and held to the back, 2 stitches are knitted, then the 2 stitches from the cable needle are knitted, followed by slipping 2 more stitches to the cable needle and holding to the front, knitting 2 stitches, then knitting the 2 stitches from the cable needle. Row 5 features another set of cable crosses using the same technique with alternating front and back positions. Like Cable 1 Pattern, rows 3 and 7 are worked in knit, and even-numbered rows are worked in purl.

The main fabric is worked in stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, classic knit surface. Decreases are incorporated using k2tog (knit 2 together) and SSK (slip, slip, knit) techniques to