Valley Yarns Schell Cropped Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Schell Cropped Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Schell Cropped Cardigan is a fitted, waist-length cardigan designed by Kirsten Hipsky. This knitted garment features a cropped silhouette and is available in five finished sizes ranging from 34" to 50" across the bust, making it suitable for a variety of body types. The cardigan is constructed with a classic button-front closure and tailored shaping at the armholes and shoulders.

Knitting Techniques

This intermediate-level cardigan employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its polished appearance:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The cardigan is worked from the hem upward, allowing knitters to try on the garment as it progresses and adjust length as needed.
• Seamed Construction: Individual pieces (left front, right front, back, and sleeves) are knitted separately and then seamed together, creating clean, professional-looking seams that contribute to the garment's structured fit.
• Worked Flat: All pieces are worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, which is ideal for creating pieces with defined edges that will be seamed.
• Cable Details: The cardigan incorporates cable stitching, adding textural interest and visual depth to the design. Custom cable abbreviations are used, including Left Twist (LTP) and Right Twist (RTP and RT) variations with purl backgrounds, demonstrating the pattern's sophisticated stitch work.

Stitches Used

The Schell Cropped Cardigan utilizes a variety of stitches to create its finished appearance:

• Reverse Stockinette Stitch (Rev St st): Used extensively throughout the body of the cardigan, creating a smooth, refined surface that serves as the foundation for the design.
• Stockinette Stitch (St st): Employed in specific sections, particularly in the gauge swatch reference for the Pier-Glass Pattern.
• Ribbing: Used at the sleeve cuffs to create elasticity and a fitted finish. The pattern includes specific rib row instructions to establish the ribbed texture.
• Cable Stitches: Left Twist and Right Twist variations with purl backgrounds add decorative cable elements throughout the garment, requiring careful attention to stitch manipulation and crossing techniques.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Schell Cropped Cardigan is designed to be knitted with Valley Yarns Northfield, a luxury blend yarn offering excellent drape and softness. The yarn composition is 70% Merino, 20% Baby Alpaca, and 10% Silk, creating a sophisticated fiber blend that provides warmth, breathability, and a subtle sheen. Each skein contains 50 grams and 124 yards of yarn. The pattern requires 10 to 16 skeins depending on the finished size selected, with the sample shown in color 10 Sea Spray, a serene blue-gray shade.

Needles and Gauge

The pattern calls for US size 3 and US size 5 needles, or the size needed to obtain the specified gauge. Two different gauges are referenced: 27 stitches and 31 rows over 4 inches when working the Pier-Glass Pattern with the larger needle, and 22 stitches and 28 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch with the larger needle. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for proper fit, particularly given the cardigan's tailored construction and multiple size options.

Construction Details

The cardigan is constructed in separate pieces that are later seamed together. The sleeves are worked flat, beginning with a cast-on of 66 stitches and incorporating ribbing at the cuff for a fitted finish. The body pieces include detailed armhole shaping, with decreases worked every right-side row to create a fitted sleeve cap. Shoulder shaping is accomplished through strategic bind-offs at the beginning of right-side rows, creating a sloped shoulder line. The pattern includes specific stitch counts for each size at key points, such as the left front piece which decreases to 37 to 59 stitches depending on size after armhole shaping, ensuring proper proportions across all finished sizes.