Valley Yarns Teal Top-Down Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Teal Top-Down Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Teal Top-Down Cardigan is a seamless, top-down knit cardigan designed by Melissa LaBarre. This garment is worked flat and features a classic cardigan construction with set-in sleeves, a button band trim, and a decorative ruffled edging. The cardigan is available in five finished sizes to fit 35", 38", 41", 44", and 47" chest measurements, making it suitable for a range of body types.

Techniques Used

This cardigan employs several key knitting techniques that define its construction and appeal:

• Top-down construction: The sweater is knit from the neckline downward, allowing for easy customization of length and fit as you work
• Seamless, worked flat: Despite being seamless in design, the body is worked flat on circular needles rather than in the round, then sleeves are picked up and worked separately
• Increase shaping: Strategic increases are worked every 8th row a total of 6 times to create proper fit and shaping through the body
• Sleeve cap pick-up: Sleeves are created by picking up stitches at the underarm and working them in the round on double-pointed needles
• Decorative ruffle trim: A ruffled edging is attached to the front and neck opening, created separately and sewn on using a second circular needle

Stitches Used

The cardigan primarily features stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, classic fabric ideal for showcasing the yarn's color and drape. Stockinette stitch is worked by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side when working flat. The pattern also incorporates garter stitch (knit 4 rows) at the hem for a finished edge, and ribbing created through alternating purl and knit rounds on the sleeves. The ruffle trim uses stockinette stitch combined with decrease shaping (K2tog across) to create the gathered, ruffled effect.

Materials and Specifications

The Valley Yarns Teal Top-Down Cardigan is crafted using Valley Yarns Goshen yarn in color 23 Pacific, a luxurious blend of 48% Peruvian Cotton, 46% Modal, and 6% Silk. Each skein weighs 50g and contains 92 yards of yardage. Depending on size, the project requires 8 to 13 skeins of yarn.

The pattern calls for US size 9 (5.0 mm) circular needles—specifically two sets of 40" circular needles, with one set reserved for attaching the ruffle. A set of US size 9 (5.0 mm) double-pointed needles is used for working the sleeves in the round. The recommended gauge is 16 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch, which is essential for achieving the correct finished measurements. Additional supplies include stitch markers to track pattern repeats and waste yarn to serve as stitch holders during construction.

Construction Details

The cardigan body is worked in stockinette stitch with increases strategically placed every 8th row to shape the garment. The body is worked even until it measures 15 inches from the underarm, then finished with 4 rows of garter stitch before binding off. The sleeves are picked up at the underarm with additional stitches cast on to create the cap, then decreased at the beginning and end of the first round for proper fit. Sleeves are worked even in stockinette stitch to 9 inches from the underarm, then finished with alternating purl and knit rounds before binding off. The trim is created by picking up stitches along the front edges and back neck opening at a ratio of 3 stitches for every 4 rows on the front edges and 1 stitch for every stitch across the back neck. A separate ruffled edging is then attached using a second circular needle, creating a decorative finished detail.