String Piper Cocoon Cardigan Knitting Pattern

String Piper Cocoon Cardigan: Knitted Cocoon-Style Wrap

What is Being Made

The String Piper Cocoon is a luxurious knitted cardigan designed by Lidia Karabinech. This garment features a distinctive cocoon silhouette with generous, flowing sleeves that create an elegant wrap-like appearance. The cardigan is available in three sizes: Small/Medium, Large/XL, and 2X/3X, with finished back widths ranging from 17 to 20½ inches and lengths from 15 to 19 inches, making it suitable for various body types and style preferences.

Construction Techniques

The Piper Cocoon employs a bottom-up construction method, meaning the garment is knitted starting from the lower edge and working upward. The back and sleeves are worked as one continuous piece, which streamlines the knitting process and minimizes seaming requirements. The front panel is knitted separately and then seamed to the back and sleeves, creating clean, professional finishing. The garment is worked flat on circular needles, allowing for easy stitch management and the ability to work back and forth in rows rather than in the round.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Piper Cocoon incorporates two primary stitch patterns that work together to create visual interest and structure:

• Garter Stitch: Used for the edgings and borders throughout the garment, including the initial 10-row foundation at the cast-on edge and the final 10-row bind-off edge. Garter stitch is created by knitting every row, producing a reversible fabric with characteristic horizontal ridges. This stitch provides excellent elasticity and a classic, textured appearance ideal for garment edges.
• Seed Stitch: The primary stitch pattern for the body of the cardigan, worked over an odd number of stitches. Seed stitch is created by alternating knit and purl stitches within each row, then knitting the purl stitches and purling the knit stitches on subsequent rows. This creates a fine, bumpy texture that is visually interesting while remaining relatively lightweight and drapes beautifully.

Shaping and Sleeve Construction

The cocoon silhouette is achieved through strategic increases worked on right-side rows. After the initial garter stitch foundation and the beginning of the seed stitch pattern, the pattern calls for increases at both edges using the kfb (knit front and back) technique. These increases are repeated every right-side row for 35 to 41 times depending on size, creating the characteristic generous, flowing sleeves that define the cocoon style. New stitches created by increases are worked into the established seed stitch pattern to maintain visual consistency throughout the piece.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Piper Cocoon is designed to showcase the luxurious qualities of String BLOSSOM yarn, a premium blend consisting of 50% cashmere and 50% silk. This fiber combination creates an exceptionally soft, lustrous fabric with excellent drape and a subtle sheen. The yarn is provided in balls of 1.75 ounces (50 grams) with 177 yards (162 meters) per ball. Depending on size, the pattern requires 6 to 9 balls of yarn, providing ample yardage for the generous cocoon silhouette. The sample shown is worked in color 309436 grass, a natural, earthy tone.

Needles and Gauge

The pattern calls for Size 6 (4mm) circular needles measuring 32 inches (80 centimeters) in length, or whatever size is necessary to obtain the correct gauge. A gauge of 20 stitches and 36 rows equals 4 inches (10 centimeters) in seed stitch. Achieving the correct gauge is emphasized as critical to the finished garment's fit and proportions. Circular needles are used for their versatility in managing the large stitch counts created by the sleeve increases, even though the garment is worked flat rather than in the round.

Finishing Details

The cardigan includes sleeve edgings that add a refined finishing touch. These edgings are created by picking up stitches along the bound-off edges of the sleeves, working 9 rows in garter stitch, and then binding off. The picked-up stitches are spaced at a ratio of one stitch every two rows, plus one stitch in the next row, creating a balanced, even edge. The ends of the sleeve edgings are sewn together, and the long edge of the front panel