Valley Yarns Nightfall Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Nightfall Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Nightfall Cardigan is a versatile, open-front cardigan designed by Melissa LaBarre, perfect for layering during day or night wear. This garment features a sweet and simple silhouette with raglan sleeves and a narrow, textured collar. The cardigan is available in six sizes to fit chest measurements of 30, 34, 40, 45, 51, and 56 inches, making it adaptable for various body types and fit preferences.

Knitting Techniques

This cardigan is constructed using advanced-beginner level techniques that create a polished, professional finish. The garment is worked top-down, meaning you begin at the neckline and work downward toward the hem, allowing for easy fit adjustments as you progress. The design is worked seamless, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, continuous fabric. The piece is worked flat on circular needles rather than in the round, which provides flexibility in shaping and construction.

The yoke features strategic raglan shaping with increases worked along raglan lines to create the sleeve cap and upper body silhouette. The pattern uses the long-tail cast-on method to establish the initial stitches at the neckline, then incorporates increases throughout the yoke section to gradually expand the garment. Once the yoke is complete, the sleeves are separated from the body, allowing independent completion of each section.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The primary stitch used throughout the Nightfall Cardigan is stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, classic fabric with a flat appearance on the right side and bumpy texture on the wrong side. This fundamental knitting stitch is achieved by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side.

Shaping is accomplished through strategic increases worked at specific intervals:

• M1R (Make 1 Right): An invisible increase that leans to the right, used to add stitches while maintaining fabric continuity
• M1L (Make 1 Left): An invisible increase that leans to the left, creating balanced shaping on opposite sides of the garment

The pattern also incorporates k2tog (knit 2 together) decreases and marker placement techniques to track raglan lines and maintain proper stitch counts throughout the construction process.

Materials and Specifications

The Nightfall Cardigan is knitted with Valley Yarns Colrain, a yarn composed of 50% Merino wool and 50% Tencel, offering a blend of warmth and breathability. The yarn weight is 50 grams per skein with 109 yards per skein. Yardage requirements vary by size: 6 skeins for the smallest size (30"), increasing to 11 skeins for the largest size (56").

The recommended needles are US 7 (4.50mm) circular needles measuring 32 inches in length, along with double-pointed needles (dpns) of the same size for working smaller circumferences, particularly when completing the sleeves. The pattern calls for a gauge of 20 stitches and 26 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch, which is essential for achieving proper fit.

Additional materials needed include removable stitch markers to track raglan lines and pattern sections, a blunt needle for weaving in yarn ends, and scrap yarn for provisional cast-on or stitch holding purposes.

Pattern Structure and Progression

The pattern begins with a small cast-on at the neckline and systematically increases stitches through the yoke section using paired increases on either side of marked raglan lines. The yoke shaping continues for multiple rounds, gradually expanding from the initial 45 to 53 stitches (depending on size) to over 200 stitches by the time the yoke is complete. Once sufficient width is achieved, the sleeves are separated from the body, and the lower body continues in stockinette stitch to the desired length.