Yoked Cardigan in Caron Simply Soft Paints and Simply Soft - Downloadable PDF

Yoked Cardigan in Caron Simply Soft Paints and Simply Soft — Pattern Summary

Designed by Kathy Perry, the Yoked Cardigan is a classic, wearable knitted cardigan featuring a distinctive yoke construction and elegant contrast detailing. This intermediate-level knitting pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF and is worked using two coordinating Caron yarns to create a garment that balances texture, color, and structure beautifully. The design is offered in six sizes ranging from Small (40" bust) through 3XL (60" bust), with lengths spanning from 22" to 24.5", making it an inclusive and versatile pattern for a wide range of knitters.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a yoked cardigan — a button-front sweater featuring a seamlessly integrated yoke section that joins the sleeves and body at the upper chest and shoulders. The yoke is a traditional construction method in knitwear design where the upper portion of the garment is worked in one unified piece, creating smooth, rounded shaping across the shoulders and neckline. The result is a polished, structured cardigan suitable for everyday wear.

The cardigan is constructed in separate pieces — a Back, two Fronts, and Sleeves — which are then joined at the yoke. A folded hem facing is worked at the lower edge of the body for a clean, professional finish. The pattern also incorporates a decorative I-Cord trim element as an embellishment detail.

Materials Used

Yarn

• Main Color (MC): Caron Simply Soft Paints in Sticks Stones (0009) — a variegated, self-striping yarn. Each skein weighs 113 g / 4 oz and measures 190 m / 208 yards. Depending on size, you will need 4 to 7 skeins.
• Contrast Color (CC): Caron Simply Soft in Black (9727) — a solid, smooth yarn. Each skein weighs 170 g / 6 oz and measures 288 m / 315 yards. Only 1 skein is required across all sizes.

Both yarns fall in the worsted to aran weight category, making them ideal for producing a fabric with good stitch definition and comfortable drape. Caron Simply Soft is known for its soft, smooth texture and easy-care fiber content, making the finished cardigan practical as well as beautiful.

Needles

• Larger needles — used with the MC for the main body sections worked in Stockinette stitch
• Smaller needles — used with the CC for the Mock Cable pattern sections
• Double pointed needles (DPNs) — used optionally for working the I-Cord trim

Gauge

• Stockinette stitch: 14 stitches and 20 rows = 4" / 10 cm using larger needles and MC
• Mock Cable pattern: 16 stitches and 29 rows = 4" / 10 cm using smaller needles and CC

Achieving accurate gauge is especially important in this pattern because two different yarns and needle sizes are used in combination. Swatching in both stitch patterns before beginning is strongly recommended.

Stitches and Techniques Used

Stockinette Stitch (St st)

Stockinette stitch is the primary stitch used for the main body of the cardigan. It is worked by knitting all stitches on the right side (RS) and purling all stitches on the wrong side (WS). This produces a smooth, flat fabric on the knit side and a bumpy texture on the purl side. It is one of the most fundamental and widely used knitting stitches, forming the foundation of countless garment patterns.

2 x 2