Valley Yarns Pacifica Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Pacifica Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Pacifica Cardigan is a seamless, bottom-up raglan-sleeve cardigan designed by Kirsten Hipsky. This advanced beginner knitting project features a classic cardigan silhouette with button closures, available in six finished sizes ranging from 32 inches to 52 inches. The design showcases a striking colorwork element, with golden yellow accents (Goldenrod) creating suns that reign above teal waves of reverse garter stitch on the main body worked in Pacific Teal.

Techniques Used

This cardigan employs several key knitting techniques suitable for advanced beginners:

• Bottom-up construction: The garment is worked from the lower body upward, allowing for easy length adjustments before completing the sleeves and yoke
• Seamless knitting: The use of circular needles and the raglan-sleeve method eliminates the need for seaming, creating a smooth, professional finish
• Raglan shaping: Sleeves are increased at regular intervals to create the characteristic raglan sleeve cap
• Buttonhole placement: Three buttons are integrated into the cardigan front for closure
• In-the-round knitting: Sleeves are worked circularly using double-pointed needles or circular needles
• Colorwork integration: The pattern incorporates a secondary yarn color for visual interest

Stitches Used

The Pacifica Cardigan utilizes fundamental knitting stitches executed with precision:

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary stitch for the main body and sleeves, creating a smooth, classic fabric
• Reverse Garter Rib: A textured stitch pattern used for the lower body ribbing and decorative elements. This stitch is worked over a multiple of 4 stitches, alternating knit and purl stitches to create visual texture and elasticity
• Garter Stitch: Used in the ribbing sections to provide structure and prevent curling
• Basic decreases: Knit 2 together (k2tog) and slip, slip, knit (ssk) techniques are employed for raglan shaping

Materials and Gauge

The Pacifica Cardigan is worked in Valley Yarns Buckland, a luxury blend yarn composed of 60% Fine Superwash Merino, 20% Mulberry Silk, and 20% Polyamide. This fiber composition creates a soft, durable, and lustrous fabric suitable for a refined cardigan. The pattern requires 9 to 14 skeins of the primary color (Pacific Teal, Color A) depending on size, plus 1 skein of the accent color (Goldenrod, Color B). Each skein weighs 50 grams and yields 109 yards.

Knitting is worked on US size 8 (5.0mm) circular needles and double-pointed needles, with a gauge of 18 stitches and 24 rows equaling 4 inches in Stockinette Stitch. Additional materials include 4 stitch markers for tracking pattern sections, 3 buttons for front closures, and stitch holders for managing stitches during construction.

Construction Details

The lower body begins with a cast-on of 140 to 232 stitches (depending on size), divided into right front, back, and left front sections marked with stitch markers. The ribbed lower edge is worked in Reverse Garter Rib for 8 inches, followed by Stockinette Stitch body sections measuring 16 inches from the cast-on edge to the underarm.

Sleeves are constructed separately, beginning with a cast-on of 36 to 44 stitches worked in the round. Each sleeve features a 2-inch ribbed cuff in Reverse Garter Rib before transitioning to Stockinette Stitch. Strategic increases are worked at the beginning and end of every 5th to 10th round (depending on size) to accommodate the raglan shaping, building from the initial cast-on to 58 to 82 stitches. Sleeves measure 18 inches from the cast-on edge before joining to the body.