Willow & Lark Flora Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Willow & Lark Flora Cardigan

What is Being Made

The Flora Cardigan is a children's knitted cardigan designed as part of the Fledgling Collection by Willow & Lark. This garment is sized for children ages 2 to 9 years, with chest measurements ranging from 56 cm to 71 cm (22 to 28 inches). The cardigan features a modern interpretation of traditional fairisle design, incorporating a kaleidoscopic floral pattern created through multiple coordinated yarn colors. The finished cardigan is a button-front style with long sleeves, offering both style and practicality for young wearers.

Techniques Used

The Flora Cardigan is constructed using several key knitting techniques that create its distinctive appearance and structure:

• Stranded Colorwork (Fairisle): The primary technique used throughout this design, stranded colorwork involves carrying multiple yarn colors across rows to create the intricate floral pattern. This method produces a dense, textured fabric with excellent durability, making it ideal for children's garments that require longevity.
• Bottom-Up Construction: The cardigan is worked from the lower edge upward, allowing for straightforward sizing adjustments and a natural progression through the pattern repeats.
• Seamed Assembly: Individual pieces are knitted flat and then seamed together, providing clean, structured seams that contribute to the garment's polished finish and proper fit.
• Worked Flat: Rather than working in the round, this cardigan is constructed using flat knitting on straight needles, which simplifies the fairisle colorwork and makes pattern management more accessible for intermediate-level knitters.

Stitches Used

While the pattern documentation emphasizes fairisle as the primary stitch technique, the Flora Cardigan relies on fundamental knitting stitches executed with precision. The fairisle method itself requires proficiency with knit and purl stitches worked in a coordinated manner across multiple colors. The pattern notes that fairisle skills are required, indicating that knitters should be comfortable managing two colors per row, maintaining even tension across color changes, and reading fairisle charts to execute the complex floral motifs accurately.

Materials

The Flora Cardigan is designed to be worked in Willow & Lark Nest yarn, a premium DK-weight blend composed of 69% wool, 11% cashmere, and 20% tencel. Each ball weighs 50 grams (1¾ ounces). The pattern specifies seven distinct colors for the main design:

• Milk (M): The main color, requiring 3 to 5 balls depending on size
• Garnet (A): 1 ball for all sizes
• Baby Pink (B): 1 ball for all sizes
• Seedling Green (C): 1 ball for all sizes
• Rhubarb Pink (D): 1 ball for all sizes
• Peashoot Green (E): 1 ball for all sizes
• Buttercup (F): 1 ball for all sizes
• Baby Blue (G): 2 to 4 balls depending on size

The pattern also provides alternative colorway suggestions, including Night Sky, Heather, Peashoot Green, Rose, Verdigris Green, Owl Grey, and Baby Blue, allowing knitters to customize the design while maintaining the intended aesthetic.

Tools Required

Three pairs of knitting needles in different sizes are required to complete the Flora Cardigan. The pattern specifies 3.25mm (UK 10, US 3), 4.00mm (UK 8, US 6), and 4.50mm (UK 7, US 7) needles, allowing for proper gauge control across different sections of the garment. Additionally, 5 to 6 buttons are needed for the cardigan front, depending on the size being knitted.

Difficulty Level

The Flora Cardigan is rated as an intermediate project. This classification reflects the requirement for fairisle colorwork skills, the management of multiple yarn colors, and the ability to work from charts and follow pattern instructions with precision. While not suitable for complete beginners, knitters with foundational skills and some experience with colorwork techniques will find this project achievable and rewarding.