Valley Yarns Tanglewood Cascading Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Tanglewood Cascading Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Tanglewood Cascading Cardigan is a summer-weight cardigan designed by Kirsten Hipsky, inspired by the cultural landmark Tanglewood in the Berkshires. This garment features a cascading lace pattern that creates visual movement and elegance, making it an ideal piece for warm-weather wear. The cardigan is available in two sizes: S/M with a finished back width of 15.75 inches, and M/L with a finished back width of 18 inches. The piece measures approximately 47.25 inches (S/M) to 54 inches (M/L) from the garter stitch border at the beginning.

Knitting Techniques

This cardigan employs several advanced knitting techniques suitable for intermediate-level crafters. The garment is worked flat, meaning it is knitted on straight needles or long circular needles rather than in the round for most sections. The construction is seamless, utilizing strategic bind-offs and cast-ons to create armholes without requiring seaming. The design incorporates lace work throughout, featuring yarn overs and decreases that create an open, flowing aesthetic. The cardigan includes a garter stitch border at the beginning and finishing sections, providing structure and definition to the edges. Sleeves are picked up around the armholes and worked in the round using a 16-inch circular needle, then finished with garter stitch rounds before binding off.

Stitches Used

The Tanglewood Cascading Cardigan features a sophisticated pattern stitch worked over a multiple of 11 stitches plus 5. The stitch pattern is an 18-row repeat that combines knit and purl stitches with lace elements. Key stitches include:

• Yarn overs (yo) – used to create the open lace design
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk) – a left-leaning decrease that balances the yarn overs
• Knit (k) and purl (p) stitches – form the foundation of the pattern
• Garter stitch – created by knitting every row on flat sections or alternating knit and purl rounds on circular sections, used for borders and finishing

The pattern stitch creates a cascading visual effect through the strategic placement of yarn overs and decreases across rows 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 of the repeat, with rows 2, 4, 16, and 18 providing structure between the lace sections.

Materials and Tools

The Tanglewood Cascading Cardigan is designed to be knitted with premium yarn options that suit warm-weather wear. Crafters can choose between two yarn alternatives:

• Valley Yarns Southwick – a blend of 52% Pima Cotton and 48% Bamboo, offering breathability and drape. This option requires 14 skeins for size S/M or 16 skeins for size M/L, with each skein providing 105 yards at 50 grams.
• Valley Yarns Lenox in Red – a luxurious blend of 60% Baby Alpaca and 40% Merino, providing softness and elasticity. This option requires 12 skeins for size S/M or 14 skeins for size M/L, with each skein providing 109 yards at 50 grams.

The recommended gauge is approximately 4 stitches and 6.25 rows per 1 inch when worked in the pattern stitch. Needles required include US size 9 straight needles or long circular needles for the body, and a 16-inch circular needle for the sleeves, or the size needed to obtain proper gauge. The pattern includes finishing instructions for blocking to desired measurements and weaving in ends for a polished final product.