Cinderella Cardigan

Cinderella Cardigan by Minimi Knit Design

What is Being Made

The Cinderella Cardigan is a lightweight, feather-like knitted cardigan featuring a delicate lace pattern throughout. Despite its intricate appearance, this intermediate-level design is surprisingly accessible to knitters with some experience. The cardigan showcases an oversized fit with a generously wide body paired with fitted sleeves, creating a flattering silhouette. The garment is constructed seamlessly from the top down, a method that allows knitters to easily customize the length to their preferences without unraveling or recalculating stitch counts.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs the top-down seamless construction method, which eliminates the need for seaming and provides flexibility during the knitting process. The top-down approach means you begin at the neckline and work downward, increasing stitches strategically to shape the body and sleeves. This technique is particularly useful for achieving a custom fit, as you can try on the cardigan as you work and adjust the length of the body and sleeves to your exact measurements. The pattern includes modifications across multiple sizes, with measurements provided in both centimeters and inches for international accessibility.

Stitches Used

The Cinderella Cardigan features a lace stitch pattern as its primary design element. The lace pattern is deceptively simple in execution despite its delicate, intricate visual appearance, making it an excellent project for intermediate knitters looking to build confidence with lace work. Lace stitches typically involve yarn overs and decreases that create openwork sections, resulting in the characteristic airy, feathered quality that defines this cardigan. Stitch markers are essential notions for keeping track of pattern repeats and shaping increases throughout the construction.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Cinderella Cardigan is worked using a unique yarn combination that creates its signature lightweight, delicate drape. The pattern calls for two strands of lace-weight mohair held together with one strand of heavy lace-weight yarn, which combines to create a bulky weight fabric. The sample garment uses Miss Babs Moonglow (Yarn 1), a luxurious blend of 72% kid mohair and 28% silk, held together with Miss Babs Yet (Yarn 2). Miss Babs Moonglow is available in 50-gram skeins with 400 meters or 435 yards of yardage per skein, in the colorway Bullfinch. Yardage requirements range from 3 to 4 skeins depending on size.

The pattern specifies a 6.5 mm / US 10.5 circular needle measuring 100 centimeters (40 inches) or longer, with the recommendation to adjust needle size if necessary to achieve the correct gauge. Additional notions include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats, a yarn needle for weaving in ends and seaming if needed, and waste yarn for securing stitches during construction.

Yarn Weight and Construction Notes

The combination of two lace-weight mohair strands with one heavy lace-weight strand creates a unique bulky-weight yarn that maintains the airiness and delicate aesthetic characteristic of lace knitting while providing adequate fabric structure. Mohair is prized in knitting for its halo effect and light weight, making it ideal for garments designed to feel as light as a feather. The silk content in Miss Babs Moonglow adds subtle sheen and drape to the finished cardigan. This yarn composition results in a fabric that is both visually intricate and surprisingly wearable for layering.