349 Emma Cardigan - Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Northampton

Pattern Summary: Valley Yarns 349 Emma Cardigan – Women's Knitting Pattern

The 349 Emma Cardigan is a women's knitted cardigan pattern designed by Elizabeth Vindedahl and published under the Valley Yarns brand. This intermediate-level knitting pattern produces a classically elegant, lace-detailed cardigan worked in a worsted-weight yarn. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF, making it immediately accessible for knitters ready to cast on.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a women's seamed cardigan featuring an all-over lace stitch pattern throughout the body and sleeves. The design is both feminine and versatile, suitable for layering over blouses or wearing as a standalone piece. The cardigan is constructed in multiple separate pieces that are later seamed together, giving it a structured, tailored silhouette. Multiple sizes are available, with stitch counts ranging from 125 to 153 stitches across the back after shaping, accommodating a range of women's sizes.

Construction Method and Techniques

Bottom-Up Construction

The Emma Cardigan is worked bottom-up, meaning knitting begins at the lower edge of each garment piece and progresses upward toward the shoulders. This traditional approach allows knitters to try on the garment as they go and make length adjustments with ease before committing to armhole and shoulder shaping.

Worked Flat and Seamed

All pieces — the back, fronts, and sleeves — are worked flat on straight or circular needles, meaning the knitter works back and forth in rows rather than in the round. Once all pieces are complete, they are seamed together using finishing techniques such as mattress stitch or backstitch. This seamed construction contributes to the garment's durability and helps the finished cardigan hold its shape over time.

Lace Stitch

The defining design feature of the Emma Cardigan is its lace stitch, which runs throughout the entire garment. Lace knitting involves deliberate yarn-overs paired with corresponding decreases to create an open, decorative fabric with a delicate, airy texture. Unlike some lace patterns that are confined to borders or yokes, the lace stitch here is used consistently from the cast-on edge through the body, armhole shaping, and beyond, giving the cardigan a cohesive, refined look.

Working lace through shaping sections — such as waist decreases, increases, armhole bind-offs, and neck and shoulder shaping — requires careful attention to maintaining the lace pattern repeat while simultaneously executing shaping instructions. This is one of the key reasons the pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty.

Shaping Details

Back Piece

The back is cast on with 135 to 163 stitches depending on size, using smaller needles for the initial rows. A brief section of lace stitch is worked at the lower edge before waist shaping begins. Decreases are worked at the beginning and end of every 8th row — between 4 and 6 times depending on size — to create a subtle waist definition. After working even through the body length, increases are reintroduced on select sizes before the piece reaches the underarm. Armhole shaping is achieved by binding off stitches at the beginning of two rows, with bind-off counts ranging from 17 to 26 stitches per side. The armhole is then worked even until it reaches a depth of 9 to 10 inches depending on size.

Neck and Shoulder Shaping

At the top of the back, stitches are divided for the back neck and both shoulders. The back neck bind-off ranges from 15 to 23 stitches across sizes, with each shoulder retaining 38 to 39 stitches. Both shoulders are then worked simultaneously, with additional bind-offs at each neck edge to complete the shoulder slope.

Yarn and Materials

The 349 Emma Cardigan is designed specifically for Valley Yarns Northampton, a worsted-weight yarn from the Valley Yarns line. Worsted weight is a versatile, medium-weight yarn