INFO

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Techniques used in this pattern:

• Long-tail cast-on
• Rib knitting
• Stockinette stitch
• Raglan increases
• Putting stitches on hold
• Picking up new stitches
• Bind-off
• I-cord

Measurements:
The cardigan is knitted in an oversized style. Measurements such as sleeve length and total length of the cardigan are adapted according to your own wishes.

Gauge / Stitch tension:
To calculate the gauge / stitch tension, you need to knit a swatch. Even though the correct yarn and needle size are used, it can differ because we all knit more tightly or loosely. This is easily corrected by changing the needle size. Following the correct gauge is crucial for your project to get the right dimensions and fit.

The gauge is 11 stitches in width and 15 rows in height in stockinette = 10x10 cm.

Neckline

Use circular needle 10 mm 80/100 cm.

Cast on 49 stitches using the long-tail cast-on technique. If you are unsure how to do this, see the video below.

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The cast-on should be firm, but not too tight. Long-tail cast-on is a good method to create an elastic and decorative edge.

Do as follows:

1. Measure a sufficiently long thread – the length depends on the number of stitches we are going to cast on, the thickness of the yarn, and the size of the needles. Make a loop.
2. Thread the loop onto the needle and pull both yarn ends to tighten it. Now we are ready to start casting on stitches.
3. Wrap the loose thread around the left thumb, the end should be on the outside of the thumb. Wind the yarn from the ball over the left index finger, from the inside to the outside. Hold both yarn ends in the palm using the little and ring fingers.
4. Insert the right needle from below through the loop on the thumb.
5. Use the needle to catch the yarn from the index finger and pull it back through the loop, so that a new stitch is formed.
6. Let the loop slip off the thumb and tighten the new stitch on the right needle. Wrap the thread around the thumb again and repeat the steps until you have cast on the desired number of stitches.

When we have 49 stitches on the needles, these should be divided into 4 different parts: front piece, sleeves, and back piece. No stitches should be knitted yet, only divided into groups.

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Divide

7 stitches (front piece), marker, 1 stitch, marker, count 8 stitches (sleeve), marker, 1 stitch, marker, 15 stitches (back piece), marker, 1 stitch, marker, 8 stitches (sleeve), marker, 1 stitch, marker, there should now be 7 stitches left (front piece).

The stitches between the markers will later become raglan stitches for the increases on the yoke.

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Ribbing

Ribbing for the neckline is worked 1x1, one knit stitch and one purl stitch alternately.
The number of cast-on stitches is odd so that both edges begin/end with a knit stitch for a neat edge.
If you are unsure how a knit stitch and a purl stitch are made, see the videos below.

Let the stitch markers jus slip along at this point, we don't need them yet.

Row 1 (right side):

1. Knit 1 stitch
2. Purl 1 stitch
   Repeat steps 1 & 2 the entire row. The row ends with a knit stitch.

Row 2 (wrong side):

1. Purl 1 stitch
2. Knit 1 stitch
   Repeat steps 1 & 2 the entire row. The row ends with a purl stitch.

Repeat these 2 rows twice. In total, we have knitted 4 rows (two right, two wrong). The next row to be knit is from the right side.

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A knit stitch is worked as follows:

1. Hold the needles:
   Hold the needle with the stitches in your left hand and the empty needle in your right hand. The yarn should come from the first stitch on the left needle.
2. Insert the right needle:
   Insert the right needle through the first stitch on the left needle. Insert the right needle diagonally through the stitch from the left side.
3. Catch the yarn:
   Hold the working yarn with your left hand, use the right needle to catch the yarn.
4. Pull through the stitch:
   Pull the right needle back the same way it was inserted, so that a new stitch forms on the right needle.
5. Slip off the old stitch:
   Slip the old stitch off the left needle so that the new stitch is now on the right needle.

Now we have knitted a knit stitch!

A purl stitch is worked as follows:

1. Hold the needles:
   Hold the left needle with the stitches in your left hand and the right needle in your right hand.
2. Place the yarn in front of the work:
   Lay the working yarn over the left needle (instead of behind, as with knit stitches); the yarn should lie just in front of the first stitch on top of the needle.
3. Insert the right needle:
   Insert the right needle from the front under the working yarn and through the first stitch (from the right side).
4. Catch the yarn:
   Catch the yarn with the right needle by “twisting” it around the needle to bring it through.
5. Pull through the stitch:
   Pull the right needle back through the stitch the same way it went in, so that a new stitch is formed.
6. Slip off the old stitch:
   Slip the old stitch off the left needle so that it is now on the right needle.

Now we have knitted a purl stitch!

Yoke

Now we will knit the yoke! The yoke is knitted through raglan increases. Our 49 stitches are previously divided into 4 parts (front, sleeve, back, sleeve, front). Between each stitch marker is a raglan stitch. It is very important to keep track of the raglan stitch throughout the yoke.

Raglan increases are knitted on every right side row, which means increases happen every other row.

Each right side row increases by a total of 8 stitches. Two increases at each raglan stitch.

M1R (make one right) and M1L (make one left) mean we increase stitches on both sides of the raglan stitch, creating a neat diagonal line from the neckline down to the arm.

Knit as follows:

1. Right side: Raglan increases at each raglan stitch, total of 8 increases/row.
2. Wrong side: Purl stitches.

Repeat rows 1 & 2 a total of 17 times (S/M) or 20 times (L/XL).

Increases are knitted as follows:

Increase right (M1R): The right increase happens in front of the raglan stitch.

Pick up the “stitch”:
Between the last stitch on the right needle and the raglan stitch on the left needle, there is a straight piece of yarn that tightens when we pull it. This part we call the “bar” between the stitches.

Pick up the bar with the left needle from the back. A “V” should be formed by the raglan stitch and the picked-up bar on the front of the needle.

Knit the stitch:
The picked-up bar should be knitted as a knit stitch. Insert the right needle into the “V” and knit. Be careful not to drop the next stitch on the needle. You will feel resistance – that’s how it should be.

Now we have made a right-side increase!

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Increase left (M1L): The left increase happens immediately after the raglan stitch.

Pick up the “stitch”:
Between the raglan stitch already knitted on the right needle and the next stitch on the left needle you find the bar. When we pull on this thread, the next stitch should tighten.

Pick up the bar with the left needle from the front. A “V” is formed on the back of the left needle.

Knit through back loop:
The picked-up bar should be knitted as a knit stitch through the back loop. Insert the right needle between the “V” and knit as a knit stitch.

Now we have made a left-side increase!

After these 17 (S/M) or 20 (L/XL) rows, we should have a total of:

• 185 stitches (S/M) or
• 209 stitches (L/XL) divided as follows:

Front piece – 24 (S/M), 27 (L/XL) stitches + 1 raglan stitch = 25 (28) stitches/side
Sleeves – 42 (S/M), 48 (L/XL) stitches / side
Back piece – 49 (S/M), 55 (L/XL) stitches + 2 raglan stitches = 51 (57) stitches = total 185 (209) stitches

Next row should be from the right side!

Divide the work

We will now put the sleeves on hold to continue knitting the body.

Put the sleeves on hold as follows:

• Knit 25 (S/M), 28 (L/XL) stitches (including the raglan stitch).
• Transfer 42 (S/M), 48 (L/XL) stitches to a piece of yarn and tie together.
• Cast on 4 new stitches using the loop cast-on method (see below), this creates the armpit.
• Knit 51 (S/M), 57 (L/XL) stitches (including 2 raglan stitches).
• Transfer 42 (S/M), 48 (L/XL) stitches to a piece of yarn and tie together.
• Cast on 4 new stitches using the loop cast-on, this creates the second armpit.
• Knit 25 (S/M), 28 (L/XL) stitches (including the raglan stitch).

Loop cast-on is done as follows:

1. Put the left needle aside. The yarn comes from the back of the needle.
2. Create a loop from the yarn so the yarn from the ball lies on top/in front of the created loop. Slip the loop onto the right needle. The yarn now comes from the front of the right needle.
3. Repeat this 4 times. Make sure to tighten properly to avoid large gaps under the arm. Then continue knitting as usual.

Now we have a total of 109 (S/M), 121 (L/XL) stitches on the needles. The sleeves are now on hold and the body will be knitted.

If you're unsure how to do the loop cast-on, see the video below.

The body

The body is knitted with knit rows (right side) and purl rows (wrong side) until the work measures the desired length. To check the length, we can simply transfer all stitches to a thread to try on the cardigan.

When the cardigan has reached the desired length, finish the body with a piece of rib knitting just like at the neckline.

Next row should be from the right side.

Rib knitting:
Rib is knitted 1x1, that is one knit stitch and one purl stitch alternately. The number of stitches is odd so that both edges end with a knit stitch (from the right side) for a neat edge, just like the neckline.

Row 1 (right side):

1. Knit 1
2. Purl 1
   Repeat 1 & 2 the whole row. End with a knit stitch.

Row 2 (wrong side):

1. Purl 1
2. Knit 1
   Repeat 1 & 2 the whole row. End with a purl stitch.

Repeat these 2 rows twice. A total of 4 rows (two right, two wrong). The next row should be from the right side.

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Bind off the body

When binding off, it's important not to tighten too much.

Tip: Use a 10 mm crochet hook instead of the right needle.

Bind off as follows:

1. Knit two stitches, now you have 2 stitches on the right needle/crochet hook.
2. The first stitch should now be passed over the second stitch. Gently lift the first stitch over the second stitch. Hold a finger on the second stitch to avoid dropping it.
   • With crochet hook: Pull the last knitted stitch through the first one using the hook.

Now the first stitch is bound off!

Repeat this to the end of the row. When you reach the last stitch, cut the yarn and pull the thread through. We weave in all ends at the end of the work.

Knit the sleeves

The body is done and it's time to knit the sleeves. Choose one sleeve. All stitches we previously placed on a piece of yarn should now be transferred to 10 mm 40 cm needles. We will pick up the 4 stitches we cast on earlier, as well as 2 additional stitches to avoid a hole at the sleeve.

Do as follows:

1. Place the “armpit” in front of you, so the body of the cardigan is facing you.
2. Take the yarn and place about 15 cm on the inside where the armhole is.
3. Put the left needle aside, place the yarn in the left hand and the needle in the right.

The stitches are picked up in the previous stitches' “V”s to create an invisible transition between body and sleeve.

1. Insert the right needle 1–2 cm before the cast-on stitch, this is our first extra stitch. Where you pick up the stitch doesn’t matter much.
2. Pick up the yarn on the inside of the work and pull the needle out the same way.
   Now we’ve made a new stitch!

Continue the same way with the next 3 stitches we previously cast on. Go down two rows (about 1 cm) to make the transition invisible. Be careful to go into the “V”s of the stitches. End by picking up one more extra stitch just like on the right side. We should now have picked up 6 stitches.

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Knit the sleeve in the round on circular needles:

Place a stitch marker in the middle of the cast-on stitches and let it follow the work.

Knit all stitches in the round until desired length is reached. Try it on and stop when the sleeve is about 4–5 cm from the desired total length.

Rib knitting:

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The same technique is used as for the neckline and bottom edge of the body.

The round begins at the stitch marker.

Knit as follows:

1. Knit 1
2. Purl 1

The round always starts with a knit, ends with a purl.

Repeat the above for 4 rounds total.

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Bind off.

Repeat Step 8 for the other sleeve.

Front Rib Edge

Now the cardigan is almost done, just a little bit left!

We will pick up stitches on the front edges, from the neckline to the hem. We pick up stitches the same way as at the armpit.

Choose a side, hold the right side of the cardigan facing you. Pick up stitches from right to left.

Pull apart the previous stitches to more easily see where they are. We should see “lines” between each stitch – that’s where we pick up new ones!

The number of stitches we pick up depends on how many rows we knitted on the body. One row = one new stitch!

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Now the stitches are picked up, and we will knit the rib edge the same way as before.

We begin from the wrong side:

1. Purl
2. Knit

Right side:

1. Knit
2. Purl

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Repeat the row to the end, total of 3 rows. That is, 2 rows from the wrong side, 1 row from the right side. Next row should be from the right side.

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Bind off!

Repeat on the other side!

I-cord

The bow consists of i-cord attached on each side of the neckline.

Make an i-cord as follows:

Choose one of the corners of the neckline. 1–2 cm down, pick up 3 stitches on the inside of the cardigan. We can use the small edge that was created on the inside of the rib edge we just knitted, so the i-cord attachment won’t show on the right side.

Slide the stitches to the other needle so that the working yarn always comes from the third stitch on the needle.

Knit as follows until the i-cord measures 50–60 cm, or desired length:

1. Knit
2. Slide to other needle
3. Knit

If you are unsure how to knit i-cord, see the video below.

Bind off!

Repeat on the other side.

Tip: Attach the i-cord to the inside of the rib edge with a stitch or two to prevent the edge from lifting from the i-cord when tying the bow!

Finishing off

Weave in all ends neatly on the inside. Try to weave the thread in the same direction as the stitches are knitted for a neat result.

Block the sweater for a nice finish.

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