Valley Yarns 40th Anniversary Windchill Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns 40th Anniversary Windchill Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Windchill Cardigan is a top-down, seamless knit cardigan designed by Melissa LaBarre as part of the Valley Yarns Guest Designer Series. This cardigan features open fronts that do not meet, making it an ideal layering piece suitable for wear throughout most of the year. The design includes three-quarter-length sleeves, offering versatile coverage while maintaining a contemporary silhouette. The cardigan is available in seven sizes, ranging from 32¾ inches to 53¾ inches chest measurement, accommodating a wide range of body types.

Techniques Used

This cardigan employs several key knitting techniques that contribute to its seamless construction and polished finish:

• Top-Down Construction: The cardigan is worked from the neckline downward, allowing knitters to try on the garment as it progresses and easily adjust the length to their preference.
• Seamless Knitting: The garment is worked in one piece without seaming, creating clean lines and eliminating the need for finishing seams.
• Worked Flat: Despite being seamless, the cardigan is worked flat using circular needles rather than in the round, which is ideal for creating the open front cardigan construction.
• Raglan Shaping: The yoke features raglan-style increases at marked intervals, creating diagonal lines from the neckline to the underarms and allowing for proper sleeve cap shaping and bust expansion.
• Strategic Increases: The pattern uses make-one-left (m1L) and make-one-right (m1R) increases positioned before and after raglan markers, distributing shaping evenly across the front, back, and sleeve sections.

Stitches Used

The Windchill Cardigan employs fundamental knitting stitches that create a clean, classic fabric:

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary stitch throughout the cardigan, created by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side, producing a smooth, V-textured fabric.
• Knit (k): The basic knit stitch used in stockinette and shaping rows.
• Purl (p): The basic purl stitch used in stockinette and shaping rows.
• Knit Two Together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used for shaping.
• Make One Left (m1L): An invisible left-leaning increase created by lifting the strand between stitches and knitting through the back loop.
• Make One Right (m1R): An invisible right-leaning increase created by lifting the strand between stitches and knitting through the front loop.

Materials

The Windchill Cardigan requires specific materials to achieve the intended drape, fit, and durability:

• Yarn: Valley Yarns Superwash DK in color 24 Passion Plum. This yarn is composed of 100% superwash merino, offering softness, breathability, and easy care through machine washing. The yardage requirement ranges from 8 to 11 skeins depending on size, with each skein containing 137 yards at a 50-gram weight. The DK weight provides a lightweight fabric suitable for layering.
• Needles: US size 5 (3.75mm) circular needles in 40-inch length for the ribbed yoke and initial cast-on, along with US size 6 (4.00mm) circular needles in 40-inch length for the body. Double-pointed needles in US size 5 are also required for working smaller circumferences, particularly in the sleeve caps.
• Additional Materials: Stitch markers for tracking raglan increases and pattern sections, waste yarn for holding stitches, and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge and Fit

The pattern specifies a gauge of 22 stitches and 30 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch using the smaller needles. Achieving this gauge is essential for proper fit, as the cardigan is sized to fit specific bust measurements without the fronts meeting. The sizing note recommends selecting the size closest to your bust measurement without exceeding it