Valley Yarns Dassin Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Dassin Cardigan

Overview

The Dassin Cardigan is a sheer, minimalist knit cardigan designed by Kirsten Hipsky. This unstructured garment is worked in the round and features a modern, easy-to-wear silhouette. The finished cardigan measures approximately 40 inches square (one size fits most), making it an accessible project for advanced beginners seeking to expand their circular knitting skills.

What Is Being Made

This cardigan is constructed as a large square that is folded and seamed to create the finished garment. The unique construction method begins with a flat garter stitch square, which is then transformed into a three-dimensional piece through strategic picking up of stitches and working in the round. The result is a lightweight, open cardigan with minimal shaping that drapes elegantly on the body.

Techniques Used

• Worked in the round: After the initial flat square is created, stitches are picked up along three edges and the piece is joined to work circularly, allowing for seamless construction and efficient knitting.
• Picking up stitches: The pattern requires picking up and knitting stitches along the edges of the initial square, a foundational technique for connecting different sections of a knit garment.
• Blocking: The finished piece is blocked to the specified 40-inch square dimensions, which helps even out the fabric and achieve the desired drape.
• Seaming: The folded square is seamed along two shorter edges to create side seams, with intentional openings left for armholes.

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch: Used for the initial flat square base, creating a textured, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges.
• Stockinette stitch: The primary stitch used throughout the circular sections, creating a smooth, classic knit fabric.
• Make one (m1): Knit into the back of the strand running between needles; used for strategic increases that shape the cardigan as it expands from the square base.

Materials and Specifications

Yarn: One cone of Valley Yarns 2/14 alpaca silk in the color Dusk. This yarn is composed of 80% alpaca and 20% silk, offering a luxurious blend that creates a sheer, fluid fabric. The yarn provides 1736 yards per 8.8 ounces, with approximately 1200 yards used for the finished cardigan.

Needles: US size 8 (5.00mm) circular needles in a range of lengths, or the size needed to achieve proper gauge. Multiple circular needle lengths are recommended to accommodate the increasing stitch counts as the cardigan expands.

Additional Materials: Four stitch markers are required to mark the four sections created when stitches are picked up and the piece is joined to work in the round.

Gauge: Approximately 5 stitches equals 1 inch in stockinette stitch before blocking. The pattern notes that exact gauge is not critical, making this a forgiving project for knitters still refining their tension.

Construction Details

The Dassin Cardigan begins with casting on 30 stitches and working back and forth in garter stitch for 60 rows, creating a 30-ridge square on each side. The transformation to circular knitting occurs when stitches are picked up along three edges of this square, creating four marked sections. From this point, the cardigan is worked in stockinette stitch in the round with strategic increases in each section every other round, allowing the piece to expand symmetrically until each section reaches approximately 160 stitches. The piece is then bound off very loosely and blocked to the final 40-inch square dimensions. The finishing process involves folding the square in half to create a 20-by-40-inch rectangle and seaming the side edges approximately 10 inches up from the open corners, leaving roughly 10-inch openings toward the fold to serve as armholes with a total circumference of about 20 inches.