Valley Yarns Staghorn Cabled Tunic Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Staghorn Cabled Tunic

What is Being Made

The Staghorn Cabled Tunic is a knitted waistcoat-style garment designed by Kirsten Hipsky. This tunic features a sophisticated cable-knit construction and is available in five finished sizes ranging from 32 inches to 48 inches in circumference. The design combines textured cable panels with stockinette and garter stitch sections, creating visual interest and dimension throughout the garment.

Techniques Used

This tunic is constructed using a bottom-up approach, meaning knitting begins at the lower edge and progresses upward toward the neckline. The garment is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, which allows for easier shaping and construction of the front and back pieces separately. The finished pieces are then seamed together to create the complete garment. This traditional flat construction method provides excellent control over fit and shaping, particularly for the armholes and neckline.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Staghorn Cabled Tunic showcases two primary cable stitches that define its visual character:

• C2-R (Cable 2 over 2 Right): Created by slipping 2 stitches to a cable needle and holding them to the back, then knitting 2 stitches from the left needle, followed by knitting the 2 stitches from the cable needle. This creates a rightward-leaning cable twist.
• C2-L (Cable 2 over 2 Left): Executed by slipping 2 stitches to a cable needle and holding them to the front, then knitting 2 stitches from the left needle, followed by knitting the 2 stitches from the cable needle. This produces a leftward-leaning cable twist.

The cable stitch pattern is worked over a panel of 16 stitches and repeats every 4 rows. The pattern alternates between purl rows on the wrong side and cable-crossing rows on the right side, with the cable crosses occurring on rows 2 and 4 of the repeat. The cables are positioned symmetrically within the panel, with knit stitches framing the cable twists on either side.

Beyond the cables, the tunic employs stockinette stitch (knit on right-side rows, purl on wrong-side rows) for the cable panels themselves and garter stitch (knit every row) for the side sections and straps. The lower body begins with 2.5 inches of garter stitch worked on smaller needles before transitioning to the larger needles for the main patterned sections. This creates a stable, textured foundation for the tunic.

Shaping throughout the garment is accomplished using standard decreases: ssk (slip, slip, knit) for left-leaning decreases and k2tog (knit 2 together) for right-leaning decreases. These decreases are worked symmetrically at the edges to create balanced armhole and neckline shaping.

Materials and Gauge

The Staghorn Cabled Tunic is designed to be worked in Valley Yarns Northampton, a 100% wool yarn available in multiple colors including Light Grey. Yardage requirements range from 4 skeins for the smallest size to 7 skeins for the largest size, with each skein containing 247 yards and weighing 100 grams.

The pattern calls for two needle sizes to achieve proper gauge and fabric characteristics. Size 7 needles are used for the garter stitch foundation and straps, producing a gauge of 4.5 stitches and 8 rows per inch. Size 8 needles are used for the main body sections, yielding a gauge of 4.5 stitches and 6 rows per inch in stockinette stitch. A cable needle is required for executing the cable twists. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for obtaining the finished measurements and proper fit of this garment.