Lucia's Cardigan from The Knitting Fiend!

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As always, you can recreate the shaping directions for free.  Just visit the sweater pattern generator page. This page describes the stitches and settings I used to knit the sweater. If you don't' "get" the idea of running a pattern generator visit one of the easy generators: Hat , Socks, Head band. Back to school! I can't control the temperature in my office, lab or lecture halls.  So, I need something I can put on and take off easily when I move from room to room.  The color needs to hide white board marker, and the garment needs to be machine washable.  To make things more difficult, I only like soft natural fibers!  So, here's my solution: A luscious lambs wool cardigan in Jagger SuperLamb.  I picked tourmaline because I just love the color and it goes with everything in the stores this fall. My sweater used about 12 oz of Jagger SuperLamn.   I picked a double bed tuck stitch for the body  and knit the welts circular.  The sweater is light as a feather, but wonderfully soft and warm.  This is a Knitting Fiend pattern, so you can easily duplicate my sweater in your size.  Do pick your favorite color of Superlamb and make the sweater in your own size.   If you want to duplicate mine exactly, you can replicate my style selections, stitch patterns and partial knitting directions.  For complete knitting directions, you must run the cardigan generator. By the way, this tuck stitch pattern gives a very wide stitch gauge, so it can be used to make large size sweaters on any machine with ribber.  My sweater used 100 needles for the back.  The factor limiting the width will be the choice of welt stitch. My sweater used 120 needles for the welts!  If you are knitting for a very large person, consider a knitting technique that spreads for the wrist and lower welts, or experiment with a looser stitch tension. Lucia

Style selections:

Page 1:
Make these style choices:
 

Units: I used inches, but you can use cm if you wish. Neckline type: V Sleeve length: Long Sleeve cap type: Fitted. Body Shaping: Straight. Estimate yarn requirements.  Your choice. Cuff shaping: Yes.

Hip rib shaping: Yes. Bust size: Enter yours. Hip size: Enter  yours. Neck circumference: Enter yours. Size range: This setting is used to "guess" the rest of your measurements.  I used Woman_Misses.  You can knit this cardigan for a man, woman or child!

After you sent this information, the form will change slightly.  If you open the measurement forms, you will find most of the boxes are filled.  Read the second form.  Knit your own swatch and enter your specific swatch gauge.  If you don't know how to do this, visit the swatch page.

Verify all your body measurements. If you don't know how to measure, visit the measurement page.  Change numbers to match your measurements.  I changed my arm length, because mine are short.  I also changed my shoulder width, because my shoulders are narrow.

If you want a sweater just like mine, there are some important pieces of style information you'll want to verify or enter.

Information for the button band:
 

Button diameter 0.625" (i.e. 5/8" Button Band width:  twice_button (This will be 1.3") Band thickness: single  Band orientation: vertical Top button direction: horizontal Other button directions: horizontal

Trim knit first: neck.  Front bands overlap or meet at center?: overlap. Band width. 1.3" Number of buttons: 7 Wrist welt depth 1.3" Welt depth 1.3"

Other style information to change:

• Length: 29"
• Neck ribbing length: doesn't matter for a V.  Type whatever you want.
• Length of ribbing at bottom of sweater: 1.3"
• Length of cuff ribbing 1.3"

Stitch pattern

Note: This fabric is beautiful, and has a soft drape.  It has a light subtle texture; it's almost lacy..  The sweater is just warm enough for most offices.  If you want a firmer texture or a warm outdoor sweater, knit the same stitch pattern using Superlamb double stranded, or use a tighter tension. You'll love it!

If you knit on a standard gauge, I recommend using Jagger Spun Superlamb single or double stranded for double bed work and double or triple stranded in single bed work.  It knits very easily.  The yarn could be used multi stranded on mid gauges.  However, I don't own a midgauge, so I can't make specific recommendations.

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Passap settings

Main stitch:

• Single strand of Jagger SuperLamb.
• Stitch setting 3 / 3.
• N/KX (Knit,Tuck).
• Pushers on front.  No pushers on back.
• Each black grid tucks 4 rows. White knits four rows.
• Handle down. (Needles off-set)
• Violate the needle rule and raise and extra needles on the left side of the back bed.  This prevents stitches from dropping.

Welt:

• Double strand of Jagger SuperLamb
• Body and wrist welts knit at stitch setting 6/6.
• Closed end cast on for tubular. (Cast on #8).
• Continue knitting in tubular.
• No reader card.

Passap setting for button bands:

• Double strand of Jagger SuperLamb.
• Stitch setting 5.5/5.5
• Closed end cast on for tubular. (Cast on #8).
• Continue knitting in tubular.
• No reader card.

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Specific knitting directions:

Welts:

• Welts are knit circular. Follow shaping directions from generator.  Because this sweater uses the "yes" selection for the wrist and hip welt  shaping, you may need to increase or decrease stitches when you change to the body stitch.  I increased after the wrist welts but decreased after the hip welt.

• The body stitch is the tuck stitch just described.
• Follow shaping directions from generator.

• The directions for the button bands are extensive.  I found the smaller buttonholes were large enough for my 5/8" buttons.  However, I have read articles suggesting that the larger size button hole is required.  So, until I've made at least 10 sweaters, the really long directions about buttonholes are staying!  Do make the practice button holes and test before making the whole band!
• You must stretch the band slightly when sewing to the body.
• I knit button bands using circular knitting using a tighter tension than for the welts.  This made nice firm bands. In any case, I find that my tension is always different when I knit over really small numbers of stitches!  So, even if  you use the same tension for the welts and bands, it's worth double checking the gauge.
• I don't like the technique I used for making the buttonholes; they are too "fat" and look sort of like ovals instead of slits.  So I'm not going to explain it in detail.  Consult your knitting machine manual.

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Your first yarn estimate.

This should give you a fairly decent estimate.  But do rerun the pattern generator after you make your swatch.  Otherwise the sweater won't fit.

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