Ashley Cardigan in Adriafil Genziana - Downloadable PDF

Ashley Cardigan Knitting Pattern in Adriafil Genziana – Free Downloadable PDF

The Ashley Cardigan is a classic, elegantly structured knitted cardigan designed using Adriafil Genziana yarn, a 4-ply weight yarn known for its fine, smooth finish and excellent stitch definition. This free downloadable PDF pattern offers a timeless silhouette with thoughtful construction details, making it a rewarding project for knitters with intermediate to advanced experience. The pattern is available in multiple sizes, with the PDF referencing Small (S) and at least two additional larger sizes throughout its shaping instructions.

What Is Being Made

The Ashley Cardigan is a long-line, open-front or button-front cardigan featuring a structured body, shaped shoulders, a neckline with careful bind-off shaping, and set-in or tapered sleeves. The garment is worked in separate pieces — a back, a right front, a left front, and two sleeves — which are then seamed together to create the finished cardigan. The combination of a textured moss stitch border with a smooth stockinette body gives the Ashley Cardigan a refined, polished appearance suitable for everyday wear or smarter occasions.

Techniques Used

• Flat knitting – all pieces are worked flat, back and forth in rows
• Shoulder shaping – achieved through a series of stepped bind-offs worked every 2 rows, creating a neat, angled shoulder line
• Neckline shaping – the back neckline is shaped by binding off a central group of stitches and then working each side separately with additional bind-offs; the front necklines are shaped through gradual decreases alternated every 2 and 4 rows for a smooth curved edge
• Sleeve shaping – stitches are increased evenly along both edges of the sleeve at regular row intervals to create a tapered, fitted sleeve cap
• Seaming – the finished pieces are joined together using standard seaming methods
• Casting on and binding off – standard techniques are used throughout, with specific stitch counts given for each size

Stitches Used

• Moss Stitch (Seed Stitch) – used for the lower borders of the body pieces (worked over 11 rows) and for the sleeve cuffs (worked over 10 cm), as well as for the 8-stitch front bands running vertically along the front edges of both the right and left fronts
• Stockinette Stitch – used for the main body of all pieces, providing a smooth, classic fabric that showcases the quality of the Adriafil Genziana yarn

About Moss Stitch

Moss stitch is a simple yet highly effective textural stitch created by alternating knit and purl stitches and offsetting them on every row, so that knit stitches sit above purl stitches and vice versa. This creates a dense, slightly raised fabric with excellent elasticity and a decorative appearance. It lies flat naturally, making it ideal for borders, button bands, and cuffs where curling — a common characteristic of stockinette stitch — would be undesirable.

About Stockinette Stitch

Stockinette stitch is the most widely used knitting stitch, formed by knitting all stitches on right-side rows and purling all stitches on wrong-side rows when working flat. It produces a smooth, uniform fabric on the right side with a characteristic V-shaped stitch pattern, ideal for showcasing fine yarns such as the Adriafil Genziana 4-ply.

Construction Details by Piece

Back

The back is worked from the bottom up. Shoulder shaping begins at 67–68–69 cm of total length, with an initial bind-off of 9 stitches followed by five further bind-offs of 8–9–10 stitches every 2 rows at both edges. The neckline is shaped at 68–69–70 cm by binding off the central 28–30–32 stitches, then working each side separately with two further bind-offs of 4 stitches every 2 rows.

Right Front

The right front begins with a