Feather Lace Cardigan
I've had this lovely yarn for several years, and I had a picture in my head of what I wanted it to become--a lacy cardigan. But I just couldn't find the pattern that matched my mental image. So I decided to make up my own. I did, and I knit it and here's the cardigan.
It is a bit big for me, because I hadn't really worked with alpaca before (the yarn I used is 50% alpaca) and wasn't aware of how much it would grow after I washed it. Lesson learned the hard way. Still, this was my first experience creating a pattern and I learned a whole lot.
Finished Measurements
Bust circumference: 38 inches
Hip Circumference: 42 inches
Warning: If you're using a yarn that's mostly alpaca, as I did, this sweater will grow in length after it's wet. If I knit this again, I would make the yoke shorter and do at least one less repeat of the lace pattern on the sleeves.
Yarn
2 skeins Blue Moon Fiber Arts Peru, 50% Alpaca, 30% Merino, 20% Silk, 8.01 ounces, 500 yards, color of sample is Nodding Violet
Needles
for body 40-inch circular needle, size US 9 or size needed to obtain gauge
for sleeves either 2 circular needles or a set of double point needles, size US 9 or size needed to obtain gauge
Other Materials
One button, I used a 1.75-inch ceramic button
smooth waste yarn to hold sleeve stitches
yarn needle
H crochet hook
Gauge
4 stitches/inch in garter stitch
lace pattern: 4 repeats=7 inches, or 1.75 inches per repeat
Yoke
Cast on 92 stitches
rows 1-4: Knit
row 5:(RS) k1, *k1 wrapping yarn around needle 3 times* repeat until 1 stitch from the end of the row, k1
row 6: (WS) k1, slip 5 stitches purlwise dropping extra loops, return these stitches to the left needle, then work into these stitches together as follows: k1, p1, k1, p1, k1* repeat until 1 stitch remains, K1
row 7: k16, kfb, pm, kfb, k10, kfb, pm, kfb, k32, kfb, pm, kfb, k10, kfb, pm, kfb, k16
row 8-9: Knit
row 10 (increase row): *knit to one stitch before marker, kfb, sm, kfb* repeat 3 times, knit to end
repeat rows 8-10 seventeen times
you will now have 236 stitches, arranged as follows: right front-35 stitches, right sleeve-48 stitches, back-70 stitches, left sleeve-48 stitches, left front-35 stitches
row 11: *knit to marker, remove marker, place sleeve stitches on waste yarn, remove marker, CO 6 stitches* twice, knit to end
rows 12-16: knit
I stopped the garter section here. Try on your cardigan and feel free to add more rows of garter stitch if you would like, just make sure to end the garter stitch section with a WS row
Body
To begin with, there are 152 stitches, after working the increase chart once, there will be 164 stitches. The first and last four stitches of the body are worked in garter stitch, knit on both sides
work chart A once (Feather Lace Chart)
work chart B once (Feather Lace Increase Chart)
work chart A five times, or until cardigan is an inch-and-a-half shy of the desired length
Hem
rows 1-4: Knit
row 5:(RS) k2, *k1 wrapping yarn around needle 3 times* repeat until 1 stitch from the end of the row, k2
row 6: (WS) k2, slip 5 stitches purlwise, dropping extra loops, return these stitches to the left needle then work into these stitches together as follows: k1, p1, k1, p1, k1* repeat until 3 stitches remain, K2
rows 7-10: Knit
Bind off loosely
Sleeves
Place 48 arm stitches on 2 circular needles or a set of double point needles. If you need a clear explanation of knitting in the round on two circular needles, the following page explains very well http://weebleknits.net/twocirculars.html. Pick up 6 stitches along the underarm and join to knit in the round.
round 1, 3, & 5: Purl
round 2 & 4: Knit
Work Chart A once
Work Chart C once
Work Chart A until sleeve is within an inch and a half of desired length. For me, this was 8 1/2 repeats.
Cuffs
round 1: k2tog, knit to end of round
round 2: p2tog, purl to end of round
round 3: k2tog, knit to end of round
round 4: purl
round 5: k2, *k1 wrapping yarn around needle 3 times* repeat until 1 stitch from the end of the row, k2
To make the crown motif match those on the collar and hem, it's necessary to knit the rest of the cuff back and forth and seam those few rows together at the end.
row 6: (WS) k2, slip 5 stitches purlwise, dropping extra loops, return these stitches to the left needle then work into these stitches together as follows: k1, p1, k1, p1, k1* repeat until 3 stitches remain, K2
rows 7-10: Knit
Bind off loosely, leaving a tail that is long enough to sew together the ends of these last few rows.
Finishing
Sew up cuffs, weave in yarn ends. Block lightly to open the lace pattern. Attach more yarn to crochet a button loop. Chain as many stitches as needed to fit your button. My button took 16 stitches. However, I will be replacing that button with a much lighter one. As it turns out, a 1.75-inch ceramic button is way too heavy to use on this cardigan. I make these errors to save you the pain of them. Try a smaller or lighter button, perhaps a smaller and lighter button. Sew on the button and you're done.
CHART A Feather Lace Chart
CHART B Feather Lace Increase Chart
CHART C Feather Lace Decrease Chart
ERRATA
the chart legend for the first symbol should read "knit on RS, purl on WS"
It is a bit big for me, because I hadn't really worked with alpaca before (the yarn I used is 50% alpaca) and wasn't aware of how much it would grow after I washed it. Lesson learned the hard way. Still, this was my first experience creating a pattern and I learned a whole lot.
Finished Measurements
Bust circumference: 38 inches
Hip Circumference: 42 inches
Warning: If you're using a yarn that's mostly alpaca, as I did, this sweater will grow in length after it's wet. If I knit this again, I would make the yoke shorter and do at least one less repeat of the lace pattern on the sleeves.
Yarn
2 skeins Blue Moon Fiber Arts Peru, 50% Alpaca, 30% Merino, 20% Silk, 8.01 ounces, 500 yards, color of sample is Nodding Violet
Needles
for body 40-inch circular needle, size US 9 or size needed to obtain gauge
for sleeves either 2 circular needles or a set of double point needles, size US 9 or size needed to obtain gauge
Other Materials
One button, I used a 1.75-inch ceramic button
smooth waste yarn to hold sleeve stitches
yarn needle
H crochet hook
Gauge
4 stitches/inch in garter stitch
lace pattern: 4 repeats=7 inches, or 1.75 inches per repeat
Yoke
Cast on 92 stitches
rows 1-4: Knit
row 5:(RS) k1, *k1 wrapping yarn around needle 3 times* repeat until 1 stitch from the end of the row, k1
row 6: (WS) k1, slip 5 stitches purlwise dropping extra loops, return these stitches to the left needle, then work into these stitches together as follows: k1, p1, k1, p1, k1* repeat until 1 stitch remains, K1
row 7: k16, kfb, pm, kfb, k10, kfb, pm, kfb, k32, kfb, pm, kfb, k10, kfb, pm, kfb, k16
row 8-9: Knit
row 10 (increase row): *knit to one stitch before marker, kfb, sm, kfb* repeat 3 times, knit to end
repeat rows 8-10 seventeen times
you will now have 236 stitches, arranged as follows: right front-35 stitches, right sleeve-48 stitches, back-70 stitches, left sleeve-48 stitches, left front-35 stitches
row 11: *knit to marker, remove marker, place sleeve stitches on waste yarn, remove marker, CO 6 stitches* twice, knit to end
rows 12-16: knit
I stopped the garter section here. Try on your cardigan and feel free to add more rows of garter stitch if you would like, just make sure to end the garter stitch section with a WS row
Body
To begin with, there are 152 stitches, after working the increase chart once, there will be 164 stitches. The first and last four stitches of the body are worked in garter stitch, knit on both sides
work chart A once (Feather Lace Chart)
work chart B once (Feather Lace Increase Chart)
work chart A five times, or until cardigan is an inch-and-a-half shy of the desired length
Hem
rows 1-4: Knit
row 5:(RS) k2, *k1 wrapping yarn around needle 3 times* repeat until 1 stitch from the end of the row, k2
row 6: (WS) k2, slip 5 stitches purlwise, dropping extra loops, return these stitches to the left needle then work into these stitches together as follows: k1, p1, k1, p1, k1* repeat until 3 stitches remain, K2
rows 7-10: Knit
Bind off loosely
Sleeves
Place 48 arm stitches on 2 circular needles or a set of double point needles. If you need a clear explanation of knitting in the round on two circular needles, the following page explains very well http://weebleknits.net/twocirculars.html. Pick up 6 stitches along the underarm and join to knit in the round.
round 1, 3, & 5: Purl
round 2 & 4: Knit
Work Chart A once
Work Chart C once
Work Chart A until sleeve is within an inch and a half of desired length. For me, this was 8 1/2 repeats.
Cuffs
round 1: k2tog, knit to end of round
round 2: p2tog, purl to end of round
round 3: k2tog, knit to end of round
round 4: purl
round 5: k2, *k1 wrapping yarn around needle 3 times* repeat until 1 stitch from the end of the row, k2
To make the crown motif match those on the collar and hem, it's necessary to knit the rest of the cuff back and forth and seam those few rows together at the end.
row 6: (WS) k2, slip 5 stitches purlwise, dropping extra loops, return these stitches to the left needle then work into these stitches together as follows: k1, p1, k1, p1, k1* repeat until 3 stitches remain, K2
rows 7-10: Knit
Bind off loosely, leaving a tail that is long enough to sew together the ends of these last few rows.
Finishing
Sew up cuffs, weave in yarn ends. Block lightly to open the lace pattern. Attach more yarn to crochet a button loop. Chain as many stitches as needed to fit your button. My button took 16 stitches. However, I will be replacing that button with a much lighter one. As it turns out, a 1.75-inch ceramic button is way too heavy to use on this cardigan. I make these errors to save you the pain of them. Try a smaller or lighter button, perhaps a smaller and lighter button. Sew on the button and you're done.
CHART A Feather Lace Chart
CHART B Feather Lace Increase Chart
CHART C Feather Lace Decrease Chart
ERRATA
the chart legend for the first symbol should read "knit on RS, purl on WS"