Universal Yarn Undulate Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Universal Yarn Undulate Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Undulate is a lacy, striped raglan cardigan designed by Rachel Brockman. This garment features an elegant combination of openwork lace patterns and contrasting color stripes, creating a sophisticated layering piece. The cardigan is available in four sizes ranging from Extra Small/Small through 3X/4X, with finished bust measurements from 33½" to 57½" and lengths from 23" to 26¼". The design is shown modeled with 1½" of positive ease for a comfortable, relaxed fit.

Techniques Used

The Undulate cardigan is constructed using several key knitting techniques that create its distinctive appearance and structure:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The garment is worked from the lower edge upward, allowing for easy length adjustments and intuitive sizing as you knit.
• Worked Flat: All pieces are knitted flat on straight needles rather than in the round, making this an ideal project for knitters who prefer traditional flat knitting methods.
• Seamed Assembly: Individual pieces are sewn together using a tapestry needle, creating clean, professional seams. The buttonband stitches are picked up and worked after the main seaming is complete.
• Striped Colorwork: The design incorporates strategic color changes between the main color (Citrus) and contrasting color (Mineral), creating visual interest without the complexity of fair isle or intarsia techniques. When changing colors, yarn is not broken, allowing for efficient color transitions.
• Lace Patterning: The cardigan features intricate lace sampler patterns that create openwork sections, adding elegance and visual texture to the finished garment.

Stitches Used

The Undulate employs a variety of knitting stitches to achieve its lacy, textured appearance:

• Knit and Purl Stitches: Fundamental stitches that form the base of the fabric and create texture variation.
• Yarn Overs (yo): These stitches create the characteristic holes and openwork in the lace patterns, allowing light to pass through the fabric.
• Decreases: Techniques including ssk (slip, slip, knit), k2tog (knit two together), and sl 2-k1-p2sso (slip 2 stitches, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over) are used to decrease stitches and shape the lace patterns.
• Lace Sampler A and B Patterns: These are multi-row stitch patterns that repeat over a multiple of 10 stitches plus 5 edge stitches, creating the signature lace design throughout the garment.
• Slip Stitches: Used both within pattern repeats and during bind-off for a finished edge.

Materials

The Undulate cardigan is knitted with premium materials chosen for their drape and breathability:

• Yarn: Fibra Natura Lina, a linen-cotton blend comprising 68% linen and 32% cotton. This fiber composition creates a lightweight, breathable fabric ideal for warm-weather layering. The yarn provides 252 yards per 100-gram skein. Two colors are used: 103 Citrus as the main color and 106 Mineral as the contrasting color. Yardage requirements range from 2 to 4 skeins of each color depending on size.
• Needles: US Size 5 (3.75 mm) straight needles are recommended, though the pattern notes that size may be adjusted to obtain the correct gauge.
• Notions: A tapestry needle for seaming, stitch markers to track pattern repeats, six ½" buttons for closure, and two removable stitch markers to help navigate the lace patterns.
• Gauge: The pattern is worked to a gauge of 20 stitches by 28 rows over 4 inches in the Lace Sampler A or B patterns, which is essential to achieving the correct finished measurements.