244 Schell Cropped Cardigan - Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Northfield

244 Schell Cropped Cardigan - Knitting Pattern Overview

What Is Being Made

The 244 Schell Cropped Cardigan is a women's knitted cardigan designed by Kirsten Hipsky, featuring a cropped silhouette available in five finished sizes ranging from 34" to 50" bust measurements. This garment is ideal for layering and offers a contemporary, fitted style suitable for intermediate knitters.

Techniques Used

This cardigan employs several key knitting techniques that contribute to its polished construction:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The garment is worked from the lower edge upward, allowing for easy fitting adjustments and a logical progression through the pattern pieces.
• Worked Flat: All pieces are knitted flat on straight needles rather than in the round, making this an accessible project for knitters who prefer traditional flat knitting methods.
• Seamed Assembly: Individual pieces are carefully seamed together, creating clean, professional-looking seams that enhance the garment's finished appearance.
• Cable Details: The pattern incorporates cable stitches, adding visual interest and textural depth to the design.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The 244 Schell Cropped Cardigan utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined with more advanced stitch patterns. Reverse Stockinette Stitch (Rev St st) forms the primary fabric base, creating a smooth, refined surface. The pattern also features cable work, which requires crossing stitches over one another to create dimensional, twisted textures. The inclusion of the Pier-Glass stitch pattern adds sophisticated visual complexity to the design.

Construction Details

The cardigan features structured shaping throughout. The armholes are created through strategic bind-offs, with decreases worked every right-side row to achieve proper fit. Shoulder shaping is accomplished through graduated bind-offs at the beginning of right-side rows, ensuring a smooth transition from sleeve cap to neckline. The neckline is finished with a comfortable neck piece that extends to the middle of the back neck, providing both function and style.

Materials and Yarn Information

The 244 Schell Cropped Cardigan is designed to be worked in Valley Yarns Northfield, a premium blend yarn consisting of 70% Merino, 20% Baby Alpaca, and 10% Silk. This luxurious fiber combination provides softness, breathability, and subtle sheen. The yarn is supplied in 50-gram skeins with 124 yards per skein, and the pattern requires 10 (11, 12, 14, 16) skeins depending on size. The recommended colorway is color 10 Sea Spray, which offers a sophisticated neutral palette.

Needles and Gauge

This pattern requires US size 3 and US size 5 needles, or the size needed to obtain the specified gauge. The working gauge is 27 stitches and 31 rows over 4 inches when measured in the Pier-Glass stitch pattern using the larger needle. Achieving proper gauge is essential for obtaining the correct finished measurements and ensuring the garment drapes as intended.

Yarn Weight and Difficulty Level

The 244 Schell Cropped Cardigan is worked in DK weight yarn, a versatile yarn weight that provides excellent stitch definition while remaining lightweight and comfortable to wear. The pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters with solid foundational skills who are ready to tackle cable work and garment shaping. The combination of flat knitting, seaming, and cable techniques requires attention to detail and familiarity with standard garment construction methods.