Cascade 220 Merino Fern Canyon in Cascade Yarns - W781 - Downloadable PDF

Fern Canyon Colorwork Cardigan – Cascade 220 Merino Pattern W781 by Cheryl Beckerich

About This Pattern

Fern Canyon is a beautifully designed knitted cardigan created by Cheryl Beckerich and published by Cascade Yarns as pattern W781. This intermediate-level knitting pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF and features stunning stranded colorwork that evokes the lush, layered greens of a forest canyon. The design is worked in two colors, making it an excellent project for knitters who are ready to move beyond solid-color garments and explore the world of traditional two-color knitting techniques.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a stranded colorwork cardigan — a classic open-front sweater with colorwork detailing worked across the body. The finished garment is sized to fit a wide range of bodies, with seven sizes available: XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, and 3XL. Finished bust measurements range from 32 inches up to 56 inches, and the finished length ranges from 20.5 to 22 inches depending on the size selected. This inclusive size range makes the pattern accessible to a broad audience of knitters.

Techniques Used

• Stranded colorwork – The signature technique of this pattern, stranded colorwork (sometimes called Fair Isle-style knitting) involves carrying two colors of yarn across each row, knitting with one color at a time while the unused color is carried, or "stranded," loosely across the back of the work. This creates a double-layered fabric that is both warm and visually striking.
• Stockinette stitch – Used in sections of the garment outside the colorwork panels, stockinette creates a smooth, classic knitted fabric.
• Working in the round – The pattern calls for both 16-inch and 24-inch circular needles as well as double pointed needles, indicating that portions of the cardigan are worked in the round, a common construction method for seamless or partially seamless garments and for finishing sleeves or necklines.
• Gauge management across techniques – The pattern notes that knitters may need to use a different needle size for colorwork versus stockinette sections, a hallmark of intermediate-level pattern construction that requires the knitter to be attentive to their individual tension.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch – The foundational stitch of the garment, worked as knit stitches on the right side and purl stitches on the wrong side when worked flat, or as all knit stitches when worked in the round.
• Stranded colorwork stitches – Knit stitches worked in a two-color pattern following a charted or written colorwork design, creating the decorative Fern Canyon motif.

Gauge

Achieving correct gauge is essential for this pattern, and two separate gauges are specified. In stranded colorwork, the gauge is 20 stitches by 20 rows over 4 inches, blocked. In stockinette stitch, the gauge is 20 stitches by 28 rows over 4 inches, blocked. The difference in row gauge between the two techniques reflects how colorwork fabric typically draws up vertically compared to plain stockinette, and the pattern accounts for this distinction. Blocking the swatch before measuring is strongly implied by the gauge specifications.

Materials and Yarn

The pattern is designed specifically for Cascade Yarns® Cascade 220® Merino, a 100% Merino Wool yarn in the worsted weight category. Each skein contains 220 yards (200 meters) and weighs 100 grams (3.5 oz). The two-color palette used in the sample is:

• Main Color (MC): Color #11 – Pewter, required in 3 (4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 6) skeins depending on size
• Contrast Color (CC): Color #26 – Jungle Green, required in 1 (1, 2, 2, 2, 2