Valley Yarns Firedance Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Firedance Cardigan

What Is Being Made

The Firedance Cardigan is a women's cardigan knit from the bottom up, featuring a classic silhouette with drop shoulders and V-neck shaping. Designed by Elizabeth Vindedahl, this cardigan is available in five finished sizes ranging from 33.5 inches to 47.5 inches across the bust, making it suitable for a wide range of body types. The cardigan showcases a sophisticated two-stitch pattern combination: a decorative lace pattern at the lower body and a texture pattern for the main garment body.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several key techniques that add visual interest and construction sophistication:

• Bottom-up construction: The cardigan is worked from the lower edge upward, beginning with a cast-on of 166 to 242 stitches depending on size
• Lace patterning: A four-stitch repeat lace pattern creates an elegant openwork section at the cardigan's hem, worked over eight rows and repeated five times for dimensional texture
• Seamed construction: Pieces are worked flat on circular needles and later seamed together, including shoulder seams, sleeve seams, and sleeve cap seams
• Worked flat: All pieces are knitted flat rather than in the round, allowing for traditional shaping and seaming
• Stitch increases: Strategic increases of 12 to 16 stitches are worked evenly across the first row of the texture pattern to shape the garment
• V-neck shaping: The fronts are divided from the back to create the characteristic V-neckline

Stitches Used

The Firedance Cardigan employs a focused selection of fundamental knitting stitches that create both the lace and texture patterns:

• Knit stitch (k): The foundational stitch used throughout the garment
• Purl stitch (p): Used to create texture and pattern definition on wrong-side rows
• Knit 2 together (k2tog): A left-leaning decrease used in both lace and texture patterns
• Purl 2 together (p2tog): A decrease worked on purl-side rows
• Purl 2 together through back loops (p2tog tbl): A right-leaning decrease that adds directional interest to the texture pattern
• Yarn over (yo): Creates the openwork eyelets characteristic of the lace pattern
• Slip, knit, pass slipped stitch over (skp): A right-leaning decrease that pairs with yarn overs for balanced lace shaping
• Bind off (BO): Used to secure stitches at armhole openings and garment edges

Materials

The Firedance Cardigan is knitted using Valley Yarns Northfield, a premium blend yarn composed of 70% Merino wool, 20% baby alpaca, and 10% silk. This fiber composition creates a supple, stitch-defining fabric ideal for showcasing the lace and texture patterns. The yarn is available in the color Firedance and is used in quantities ranging from 9 skeins for the smallest size (33.5 inches) to 17 skeins for the largest size (47.5 inches). Each skein contains 50 grams and yields 124 yards, providing approximately 1,116 to 2,108 yards of yarn depending on finished size.

The project requires two sizes of circular needles: US size 5 (3.75mm) needles for the ribbed cast-on edge and US size 7 (4.5mm) needles for the main body, or sizes adjusted as needed to achieve the specified gauge. The cardigan is completed with one button for closure. Blocking is recommended as a finishing step to even out the lace and texture patterns and achieve proper garment dimensions.

Gauge and Finished Dimensions

The pattern is worked to a gauge of 5.5 stitches and 7 rows per inch in the texture pattern using the larger US size 7 needles. The lower body, worked in the lace pattern, measures 14.5 to 16 inches in length depending on size before the garment is divided for armholes and front shaping. Achieving the correct gauge is essential for