Valley Yarns Masonic Street Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Masonic Street Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Masonic Street Cardigan is an intermediate-level knitted cardigan featuring a distinctive mock cable design. This garment is worked flat and seamed, creating a peasant-style silhouette with a surprisingly soft and flattering drape. The cardigan is available in five finished sizes ranging from 36" to 52" in width, making it suitable for a variety of body types. The design was created by Kirsten Hipsky and showcases the beautiful sheen of Valley Yarns Colrain yarn.

Techniques Used

This cardigan employs several key knitting techniques that contribute to its sophisticated appearance:

• Worked Flat: The entire garment is constructed using flat knitting rather than in-the-round, allowing for easier shaping and seaming
• Seamed Construction: Pieces are knitted separately and then seamed together, providing clean finishing and structural integrity
• Buttonholes: The cardigan features buttonholes for closure, though specific placement and construction details are referenced in the full pattern
• Cable Techniques: A fascinating mock cable pattern is created using yarn wrapping and stitch manipulation rather than traditional cable crossing, reducing bulk while maintaining visual interest
• Decreasing: Strategic decreases are worked at the armhole to create proper garment shaping, with varying decrease frequencies depending on size

Stitches Used

The Masonic Street Cardigan utilizes two primary stitch patterns that work together to create the cardigan's distinctive texture:

• Twisted Rib Pattern: A multiple of 2 stitches plus 3, this pattern alternates knit-through-the-back-loop (k1b) stitches with purl stitches to create an elastic, textured edge. The twisted rib is worked for 1" at the lower body to provide a fitted, ribbed hem that helps the cardigan maintain its shape
• Cable Pattern: A multiple of 9 stitches plus 3, this mock cable pattern is the focal point of the design. It combines knit-through-the-back-loop stitches with a sophisticated cable effect created by wrapping yarn twice around the needle for specific purl stitches, then manipulating those stitches by slipping them while dropping the extra wraps and crossing them using the left-hand needle. This technique creates the appearance of a traditional cable without the bulk, resulting in a soft, wearable fabric. The cable pattern is repeated throughout the body and continues up the fronts and back until the armhole reaches its full depth

Materials

The Masonic Street Cardigan is designed to be knitted with Valley Yarns Colrain, a luxurious blend yarn that contributes significantly to the garment's appeal. The pattern calls for 11 to 18 skeins depending on size, with each skein containing 109 yards and weighing 50 grams. Valley Yarns Colrain is composed of 50% Merino wool and 50% Tencel, creating a yarn that offers both the warmth and elasticity of merino with the smooth, lustrous sheen and breathability of Tencel. This fiber blend makes the yarn particularly suitable for the mock cable design, as the sheen accentuates the stitch definition while the soft fiber composition ensures comfort against the skin. The yarn is worked on needles appropriate for the gauge required by the pattern, with the specific needle size determined by the crafter's individual gauge swatch to ensure proper fit across all five available sizes.