Valley Yarns Safira Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Safira Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Safira Cardigan is an open, top-down raglan cardigan designed by Kirsten Hipsky. This garment features delicate eyelets adorning the short sleeves and a V-neck construction with overlapping fronts that gently curl due to stockinette stitch fabric. The cardigan is available in seven finished sizes ranging from 36 inches to 60 inches, making it suitable for a wide range of body measurements.

Techniques Used

Top-Down Construction: The cardigan is worked from the top-down, beginning with a small cast-on at the neckline and expanding outward through strategic increases. This method allows for easy customization of length and eliminates the need for seaming.

Raglan Shaping: The garment uses raglan increases to create the sleeve cap and body shaping. Increases are distributed across the back, both sleeves, and front panels to achieve proper fit and drape.

V-Neck Shaping: V-neck increases are worked throughout the body length, creating the characteristic overlapping front panels that define this cardigan's open silhouette.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch: The primary stitch throughout the body and sleeves, creating a smooth, classic fabric with natural curl at the edges
• Eyelet Stitches: Delicate eyelets are created using yarn overs (yo) and knit 2 together (k2tog) decreases on the short sleeves, adding visual interest and texture
• Garter Stitch: The first and last stitch of each row are worked in knit, creating a finished selvage edge
• Increases: Make 1 right (m1R) and make 1 left (m1L) increases are used to shape the raglan and V-neck

Materials and Specifications

Yarn: Valley Yarns Conway, a blend of 60% cotton and 40% microfiber. The yarn is worked at 127 yards per 50-gram skein. Yardage requirements range from 7 skeins for the smallest size (36 inches) to 14 skeins for the largest size (60 inches). The cardigan shown is knitted in color 14 periwinkle.

Needles: US size 5 (3.75mm) circular needles measuring 40 inches in length, plus double-pointed needles for working small circumferences.

Additional Materials: Four stitch markers are required to track the raglan increase lines and pattern repeats.

Gauge: 5.5 stitches and 7.5 rows equal 1 inch when worked in stockinette stitch. Achieving proper gauge is essential for accurate sizing.

Construction Details

The yoke begins with a small foundation cast-on divided into five sections: right front, right sleeve, back neck, left sleeve, and left front. Stitch markers are placed between each section to track increases. The pattern works a 4-row repeat that increases 8 stitches per repeat in the initial rows, then 10 stitches per repeat in subsequent rows, with increases distributed across the back, sleeves, and front panels. This repeat is worked 13 to 19 times depending on size, gradually expanding the yoke until the desired body measurements are achieved. The overlapping V-neck fronts and short sleeves with eyelet details emerge naturally from this construction method.