689 Tink Cardigan - Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Sunderland

689 Tink Cardigan – Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Sunderland

The 689 Tink Cardigan, designed by Kirsten Hipsky, is a beautifully clever short-sleeved open cardigan for women, knitted in a single seamless piece from the bottom up. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and is rated advanced beginner, making it an ideal next step for knitters who are comfortable with the basics and ready to explore more inventive construction methods.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a relaxed, open-front cardigan featuring short sleeves and a shaped neckline. It is worked entirely in one piece, meaning there is no seaming required at the end — a satisfying and efficient approach to sweater construction. The finished garment is offered in seven sizes, ranging from 36 to 60 inches in finished bust circumference, with the sample shown in size 36 inches. The cardigan has a casual, wearable silhouette with a clean garter stitch texture throughout.

The Nalgar Sleeve Construction

One of the most distinctive and conversation-worthy features of this design is its use of "nalgar" sleeves — the word "raglan" spelled backwards — a technique originally developed by the legendary knitting innovator Elizabeth Zimmerman. In a traditional raglan, the yoke is worked from the top down and the sleeves are shaped inward toward the body. In the nalgar construction, the process is reversed: the sleeves grow outward as the yoke grows upward. This means the knitter works the body first, then transitions into the yoke section where sleeve stitches expand simultaneously with the yoke, completing the entire sweater in one continuous, engaging process. The result is a short sleeve that emerges organically from the yoke shaping, with no picking up of stitches or separate sleeve knitting required.

Construction and Techniques

• Bottom-up construction: The lower body is cast on first and worked upward to the underarm, giving the knitter control over body length before committing to the yoke.
• Seamless, worked flat: Despite being knitted flat (back and forth in rows), the one-piece construction eliminates the need for seaming, combining the best of both methods.
• Integrated neckline shaping: During the early yoke rows, neck edge decreases are worked simultaneously with yoke increases, creating a neat, shaped V-style open front without a separate finishing step.
• Three-needle bind-off: Used at the shoulders to join the back to the front sections cleanly and structurally, adding a polished finish directly on the needles.
• Stitch marker management: Four stitch markers are placed at the start of the yoke to define the sleeve panels and guide the increase rows throughout the yoke section.

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch: The entire garment — body and yoke alike — is worked in garter stitch, achieved by knitting every row. This creates a squishy, reversible fabric with excellent drape and a relaxed, textural appearance.
• Yarn overs (yo): Used on right-side rows at each side of the four stitch markers to create the paired increases that expand the yoke and grow the nalgar sleeves outward.
• K2tog (knit two together): A right-leaning decrease worked at the left neck edge on right-side rows during the early yoke shaping phase.
• SSK (slip, slip, knit): A left-leaning decrease worked at the right neck edge, mirroring the k2tog to create symmetrical neckline shaping.

Materials

The pattern calls for Valley Yarns Sunderland, a DK weight yarn made from 100% Baby Alpaca, sold in 50g skeins of approximately 109 yards each. The colorway used in the sample is Caribbean. Depending on size, the pattern requires between 10 and 21 skeins, with smaller sizes (36 inches) needing 10 skeins and the largest size (60 inches) requiring 21 skeins. Baby alpaca is prized for its exceptional softness, natural warmth, and beautiful drape — qualities that complement the garter stitch fabric and the relaxed open-front silhouette