"Emma Cardigan" - Cardigan Knitting Pattern For Women in Willow & Lark Plume

Emma Cardigan Knitting Pattern – Long Belted Cardigan for Women in Willow & Lark Plume

The Emma Cardigan is a beautifully elegant, long belted cardigan knitting pattern for women, part of the Wonder Collection designed exclusively by Willow & Lark. Worked in the brand's luxurious Plume yarn, this pattern produces a fluid, silky-soft garment that is perfectly suited to layering through the cooler autumn and winter months. The design is a true wardrobe staple — timeless in its simplicity, flattering in its length, and elevated by the extraordinary drape and halo of a mohair-silk blend yarn.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a long, belted cardigan with set-in sleeves, designed to be worn as a cosy yet refined outer layer. The finished garment features a clean, classic silhouette achieved entirely through stocking stitch worked in a single colour. The belt detail adds a defining waist element, making this cardigan as stylish as it is practical. Six sizes are available to suit a wide range of body shapes.

• Sizes available: To fit chest measurements of 81, 86, 91, 97, 102, and 107 cm (32–42 in)
• Actual chest measurement: 89, 94, 99, 104, 111, and 116 cm (35–45½ in), offering a comfortable, relaxed ease
• Length to back neck: 84–89 cm (33–35 in), making this a genuinely long, statement-length cardigan
• Sleeve seam: 45–47 cm (17¾–18½ in) in wear

Techniques Used

The Emma Cardigan is constructed using a bottom-up, worked flat method, meaning each piece — the back, fronts, and sleeves — is knitted separately from the cast-on edge upward, then seamed together to form the finished garment. This traditional construction approach gives the cardigan excellent structure and makes it well suited to knitters who are comfortable with basic garment assembly techniques such as mattress stitch or backstitch seaming.

• Bottom-up construction: Pieces begin at the lower edge and are worked upward toward the shoulders, allowing easy length adjustments if desired
• Worked flat: All pieces are knitted back and forth in rows on straight needles, rather than in the round
• Seamed finishing: The individual pieces are joined using seaming techniques after knitting is complete
• Yarn doubling: Both strands of Willow & Lark Plume are held together throughout, creating a chunkier, denser fabric with a beautifully silky texture and enhanced warmth

Stitches Used

The stitch pattern throughout the Emma Cardigan is refreshingly straightforward, making this an ideal project for intermediate knitters looking to build garment-making confidence without complex stitch work. The entire body and sleeves are worked in stocking stitch (also known as stockinette stitch), which is created by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side when working flat.

• Stocking stitch (stockinette stitch): The primary and only stitch pattern used throughout the cardigan body and sleeves, producing a smooth, classic fabric surface
• Knit (K) and Purl (P): The two fundamental stitches required to execute the stocking stitch pattern
• Increasing: Shaping increases are used to form the sleeve taper and any body shaping

Because the design relies entirely on stocking stitch in a single colour, the visual impact of the finished cardigan comes almost entirely from the yarn itself — its natural halo, drape, and lustre — rather than from complex stitch patterns. This makes achieving a beautiful result very accessible, even for knitters who are relatively new to garment construction.

Materials – Yarn, Needles, and Tools

This pattern is specifically designed for Willow & Lark Plume, a lace-weight luxury yarn composed