Broadgate Tabard in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK (De) - Downloadable PDF

Broadgate Tabard by Georgia Farrell – Knitted Sleeveless Tabard in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK

The Broadgate Tabard is a sophisticated knitted sleeveless tabard designed by Georgia Farrell and published by Rowan in 2020. A tabard is a distinctive garment style that drapes over the body, typically featuring an open or minimally constructed side seam, making it a versatile and elegant layering piece. This design is classified as a slipover project and is rated advanced in difficulty, making it best suited to experienced knitters who are comfortable with shaping, pattern reading, and working multiple sections simultaneously.

Garment Overview

The Broadgate Tabard is worked in two main sections — a front panel (Vorderteil) and a back panel (Rückenteil) — which are shaped and finished separately before being joined. The construction follows a classic approach for structured knitwear, with careful attention to shoulder shaping and neckline shaping on both pieces. The front neckline is shaped independently on each side, with stitches placed on a holder while each side is completed separately, a technique that requires confident handling of multiple working yarns and precise stitch counts.

Sizing

The pattern is offered in three sizes, designed to fit the following bust measurements:

• Small: 81–91 cm
• Medium: 97–107 cm
• Large: 112–127 cm

Instructions for each size are presented throughout the pattern with figures given in sequence, allowing knitters to follow their chosen size consistently from cast-on to finishing.

Techniques Used

As an advanced knitting project, the Broadgate Tabard incorporates a range of shaping and construction techniques that require careful attention to detail:

• Front neckline shaping: Stitches are divided and placed on a stitch holder, with each side of the neck worked separately. Decreases are worked over multiple rows to create a smooth, tailored neckline curve.
• Shoulder shaping (Schulterschräge): Stitches are cast off at the beginning of rows in groups, creating angled shoulder seams that give the garment a well-fitted, structured finish.
• Simultaneous shaping: The pattern requires working neck decreases and shoulder cast-offs at the same time, a hallmark of advanced-level knitwear construction.
• Working from a stitch holder: Remaining stitches are placed on a spare needle or holder and returned to work later, a common technique in garments with divided necklines.
• Pattern stitch consistency: The front is worked to match the back in stitch pattern, requiring the knitter to maintain pattern integrity through all shaping rows.

Stitches Used

The pattern references working im Muster (in pattern) throughout the shaping sections, indicating that a defined stitch pattern is maintained across the body of the tabard. While the full stitch pattern detail is not entirely captured in the available text, the garment is consistent with Rowan's tradition of incorporating textural or decorative stitch work into its designs. Standard knitting stitches and row-by-row shaping are used throughout, including:

• Right-side (Hinreihe) and wrong-side (Rückreihe) rows, with specific instructions for ending on a wrong-side row before beginning shaping sequences
• Decreases (Abnahmen) worked at neckline edges over successive rows and every alternate row, depending on size
• Cast-offs (Abketten) at the beginning of rows for shoulder shaping

Materials

Yarn

The Broadgate Tabard is knitted in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK, a luxuriously soft double knitting weight yarn. The sample garment shown in the pattern is photographed in the colourway Mulberry 207, a rich, deep tone that beautifully showcases the drape and texture of the fabric. The yarn requirement is:

• Small: 5 x 50g balls