309 Watered Steel Cardigan - Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Williamstown

309 Watered Steel Cardigan – Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Williamstown

The 309 Watered Steel Cardigan is a women's knitted cardigan pattern designed by Elizabeth Vindedahl and published under the Valley Yarns brand. This pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and is rated advanced beginner in difficulty, making it an excellent stepping stone for knitters who have mastered basic techniques and are ready to explore more textural, multi-row stitch patterns. The design combines elegant surface texture with a structured, wearable silhouette, resulting in a cardigan that is as satisfying to knit as it is to wear.

Construction Method

The Watered Steel Cardigan is worked bottom-up and largely seamless, with some sections worked flat. This combination of construction techniques means knitters begin at the lower body hem and work upward, reducing the need for extensive seaming at the end. Working flat on straight or circular needles in back-and-forth rows is central to this pattern, which is important to keep in mind when reading right-side and wrong-side row instructions throughout the texture pattern repeats.

Stitch Patterns and Techniques

The cardigan features two distinct stitch pattern sections that give it its signature visual depth and tactile interest:

Lace Border

The lower body opens with a lace pattern worked over the first several rows. The lace section is worked with the first and last stitch of every row knitted as a selvedge, providing a clean, stable edge. This lace border is repeated five times across rows 1–8 before transitioning to the main body texture, giving the hem a delicate, decorative finish that contrasts beautifully with the denser texture above.

Watered Steel Texture Pattern

The primary stitch pattern is the Watered Steel Texture Pattern, worked over a multiple of 6 stitches plus 2. This is a 32-row repeat that creates a flowing, undulating surface reminiscent of the shimmering, rippled appearance of watered steel or watered silk fabric. The pattern is built entirely from knit and purl stitches arranged in shifting diagonal and offset combinations, with no cables or yarn-overs required in the texture section itself. The stitch arrangement shifts across the repeat in a way that produces an organic, almost woven visual effect.

Key rows within the 32-row texture repeat include:

• Rows 1, 3, 5, and 7 (RS): P2, *k4, p2; repeat from * — establishing the foundational rib-like columns
• Row 9: K1, p1, *p1, k4, p1; repeat from * — beginning the diagonal shift of the knit and purl blocks
• Rows 11, 17, 19, 21, and 23: K2, *k1, p2, k3; repeat from * — continuing the diagonal movement through the fabric
• Row 25: K2, *k2, p2, k2; repeat from * — centering the purl columns before the pattern reverses
• Row 29: K2, *p2, k4; repeat from * — echoing the opening rows in a mirrored arrangement
• Rows 1–32 are repeated continuously to build the body of the cardigan

The interplay of right-side and wrong-side rows is carefully written out in full throughout the 32-row repeat, which is particularly helpful for advanced beginner knitters who are still building confidence reading and tracking multi-row stitch patterns.

Sizing and Shaping

The Lower Body is cast on in one of five sizes, with stitch counts of 166, 186, 206, 226, or 242 stitches cast on with larger needles. After an initial 3-row garter stitch border (knit every row), the lace pattern begins. Upon transitioning to the texture pattern, the pattern includes shaping increases — specifically 12, 16, 14, 12, or 14 stitches depending on the size — worked into the transition row to accommodate the stitch