The weather is slowly starting to become chilly and local retailers (*ahem* HomeSense, Michaels) have been stocking pumpkin-related items for weeks now, so I figure it must be time to get started on some seasonal garments. First up… the “Better Be Heirloom” Cardi.
The Yarn
Truthfully, I bought these skeins without knowing exactly what I wanted to make with them, but after multiple (failed and frogged) attempts at making other sweater patterns, I decided to wing it and make my own.
Caron’s Macchiato Cakes are an 80/20 Acrylic/Wool blend, and the Loops & Threads Soft Classic is 100% Acrylic.
The Pattern
Materials
- Yarn*
- Caron® Macchiato Cakes™ Yarn (2 Skeins = 962 Yards)
- Loops & Threads® Soft Classic™ Yarn (3 Skeins = 1062 Yards)
- US L-11 (8mm) Crochet Hook
- Tapestry Needle
*I was, unfortunately, playing “yarn chicken” throughout the initial writing of this pattern. Yardage may not be exact as I lost track of exactly how much I purchased. I will update this in the future once I have time to make this cardigan a second time!
Notes
- This pattern is worked in panels and seamed together at the end
- To adapt the width of any of your panels, adjust your chain (working in multiples of 3 + 2)
- To adapt the length of any of your panels, simply work more or less rows as desired
- This sweater was made to measure for a 5’4″ female with a bust circumference of ~37″ and has lots of positive ease
- While it’s not necessarily “one size fits all”, this pattern is super easy to adjust to achieve your desired size/fit
Instructions
Back Panel
Ch 50.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and across. (49 sts)
Row 2: Ch 3, turn. Make 1 dc in same st as ch3. *Sk 2 sts, make 3dc in next st* – repeat from * to * across. Make 2dc in last st.
Row 3: Ch 3 (counts as 1dc), turn. *3dc in sp between dc clusters from previous row* – repeat from * to * across. Make 1dc in last st.
Row 4: Ch 3 (counts as 1dc), turn. Make 1dc in same st as ch3. *3dc in sp between dc clusters from previous row* – repeat from * to * across. Make 2dc in last st.
Rows 5+: Repeat Row 3-4 until you are happy with the length of your panel. For me, this was after 30 rows of the dc clusters.
Finishing: Ch 1, turn. Sc across. (50 sts). Work 2 rows of hdc, each beginning with a ch2. Cut yarn and fasten off.
Front Panels (Make 2)
Ch 20.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and across. (19 sts)
Row 2: Ch 3, turn. Make 1 dc in same st as ch3. *Sk 2 sts, make 3dc in next st* – repeat from * to * across. Make 2dc in last st.
Row 3: Ch 3 (counts as 1dc), turn. *3dc in sp between dc clusters from previous row* – repeat from * to * across. Make 1dc in last st.
Row 4: Ch 3 (counts as 1dc), turn. Make 1dc in same st as ch3. *3dc in sp between dc clusters from previous row* – repeat from * to * across. Make 2dc in last st.
Rows 5+: Repeat Row 3-4 until front panel matches the length of your back panel.
Finishing: Ch 1, turn. Sc across. (20 sts). Work 2 rows of hdc, each beginning with a ch2. Cut yarn and fasten off.
Sleeves (Make 2)
Ch 44.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and across. (43 sts)
Row 2: Ch 3, turn. Make 1 dc in same st as ch3. *Sk 2 sts, make 3dc in next st* – repeat from * to * across. Make 2dc in last st.
Row 3: Ch 3 (counts as 1dc), turn. *3dc in sp between dc clusters from previous row* – repeat from * to * across. Make 1dc in last st.
Row 4: Ch 3 (counts as 1dc), turn. Make 1dc in same st as ch3. *3dc in sp between dc clusters from previous row* – repeat from * to * across. Make 2dc in last st.
Rows 5+: Repeat Row 3-4 until you are happy with the length of your sleeves. For me, this was after 10 rows of the dc clusters.
Finishing: Cut yarn and fasten off.
Seaming
At this point, you may wish to lightly block your panels before seaming. I gave mine a light steam just to loosen the stitches a bit.
With wrong sides facing out:
Stitch the front and back panels together using a slip stitch seam. I used the same hook size (US L-11 8mm) for this part.
Line up the middle of each sleeve with your shoulder seam. Using locking stitch markers, place markers along the front and back panels to indicate where your sleeves should go. This helps keep them in place so that you can watch your gauge as you seam. Stitch the sleeves and the body panel together using a slip stitch seam.
At this point, you should have everything seamed together except for the sides and underarm. Fold your sweater accordingly, keeping the wrong sides facing out.
Starting at the bottom of the sweater, stitch the front and back panels together using a slip stitch seam. When you reach the armpit, continue to stitch together the sleeves, ending at the cuff.
Sleeve Cuffs & Neckline
At this point, I was happy with how the sweater fit but wanted to pull the bulky sleeves in a bit at the cuff. To do so, follow these instructions, beginning at the seam edge and working with right side facing out.
Row 1: Ch2, hdc around the entire cuff. Sl st to join at end of round.
Row 2: Ch2, hdc2tog around the entire cuff. Sl st to join at end of round.
Row 3: Ch2, hdc around the entire cuff. Sl st to join at end of round.
Row 4: Ch1, sc around the entire cuff. Sl st to join, cut yarn and fasten off.
For the neckline, you could leave it as-is or reinforce it with an extra row. Because my sweater was feeling rather bulky in weight, I opted to add the extra row so that it wears better over time. To do so, follow these instructions, beginning at the bottom of the left* front panel and working with right side facing out.
*This is actually the right front panel when you are wearing the sweater, but while it is laying in front of you it will be the panel on your left.
Row 1: Ch2, working 1hdc into the edge of each row of dc clusters leading up to the neckline. Continue to work 1hdc into each stitch along the top of the back panel, then down the right* front panel until you reach the bottom of the sweater. Cut yarn and fasten off.
*This is actually the left front panel when you are wearing the sweater, but while it is laying in front of you it will be the panel on your right.
Finishing
Weave in ends, possibly while regretting ever deciding to make this sweater (why are there so many ends?!) – it will be worth it soon, I promise!
Because this sweater was made with (mostly) acrylic yarn, I decided to steam block mine to give it a flowier look and to remove a bit of the weight. To do so, place a towel between the iron/steamer and your sweater, and give each section a brief steam on both sides. With acrylic yarn, too much heat will melt the stitches, so apply sparingly and do not iron without a towel between.
I sometimes do multiple rounds of gentle steaming until I reach a look and feel that I’m happy with! If you prefer to wet block or just toss your garment in the washing machine, go for it. I washed mine in a pillow case after, then tossed it in the dryer on high (still in the pillow case).
Warning: While this step definitely softened the fibers and made it look “lived in” even before its first wear, it definitely got fluffy after this. I had to take a fabric shaver to it, but I figure this will happen less over time… hopefully.
Wear it proudly & enjoy!
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