Percy Cardigan in Rowan Alpaca Classic - ZB328-00013-DEP - Downloadable PDF

Percy Cardigan by Lisa Richardson in Rowan Alpaca Classic – Pattern Summary

The Percy Cardigan is a beautifully crafted knitted cardigan designed by Lisa Richardson and published by Rowan. This intermediate-level knitting pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and offers a sophisticated, wearable garment with delicate decorative detailing. The design is worked in a classic, elegant style that suits a wide range of knitters who are comfortable with shaping techniques and simple embroidery embellishments.

What Is Being Made

The Percy Cardigan is a fitted, button-front cardigan featuring structured armhole shaping, shoulder shaping, and a shaped back neckline. It is knitted flat in separate pieces — back, left front, and right front — and then assembled. The garment is finished with a button band and features a charming rose bud leaf motif worked in embroidery as a decorative accent. The cardigan is fastened with four wooden buttons, 1.8 cm in diameter, which complement the natural, soft aesthetic of the design.

The pattern is sized to fit a wide range of bust measurements, from 71–76 cm up to 152–157 cm, with corresponding knitted bust measurements ranging from approximately 82.5 cm to 164.5 cm, making it an inclusive and versatile design suitable for many body types.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Rowan Alpaca Classic, a DK weight yarn sold in 25 g balls. The sample shown in the pattern photography is knitted in Willow 112, a soft, natural-toned colourway that enhances the delicate character of the design. A small quantity of the same yarn in Soft Satin 116 is also required for working the embroidered rose bud leaf detail, adding a subtle tonal contrast to the finished piece.

Rowan Alpaca Classic is a lightweight, luxuriously soft yarn with a beautiful drape and halo, making it well suited to a refined, elegant cardigan such as the Percy. Its alpaca content gives the finished fabric a gentle warmth and a soft, fluid handle.

Needles and Notions

• 4.5 mm straight knitting needles for the main fabric pieces
• 4.5 mm circular knitting needle, at least 100 cm long, for picking up and working the button band or neckband
• Four wooden buttons, 1.8 cm in diameter
• A spare needle or stitch holder for holding stitches during shoulder and neckline shaping

Tension and Gauge

The stated tension for this pattern is 17 stitches and 25 rows to 10 × 10 cm, measured over stocking stitch using 4.5 mm needles and double strand of Rowan Alpaca Classic. It is important to note that the yarn is worked held double throughout, which gives the fabric additional body and structure while maintaining the softness characteristic of alpaca fibres. Achieving the correct tension is essential for the garment to match the stated finished measurements.

Techniques and Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (knit on right side, purl on wrong side) – the primary stitch pattern used throughout the body of the cardigan
• Armhole shaping – worked by casting off stitches at the beginning of rows and then decreasing on both sides over subsequent rows, creating a clean, structured armhole
• Shoulder shaping – achieved through a series of cast-off rows at the beginning of right-side rows, creating a neat, angled shoulder seam
• Back neckline shaping – centre back stitches are placed on a holder and both sides are worked separately, with decreases at the neck edge to shape the neckline
• Working with double yarn – the entire garment is knitted with two strands of Rowan Alpaca Classic held together, a technique that builds fabric weight and warmth while keeping the stitch count manageable
• Embroidery – long bobble or elongated bobble technique – the rose bud leaf motif is created using a