Antonia Cardigan - Knitting Pattern For Women in MillaMia Naturally Soft Aran

Antonia Cardigan Knitting Pattern for Women – MillaMia Naturally Soft Aran

The Antonia Cardigan is a beautifully structured women's cardigan knitting pattern from MillaMia, designed to showcase a striking squashy tile colourwork pattern across the body and sleeves. Rated as an advanced skill level project, this pattern rewards experienced knitters with a sophisticated, textured garment that combines two-colour stranded knitting with slip stitch techniques to create its distinctive tiled surface. The finished cardigan features a classic silhouette with generous ease, making it a versatile and wearable wardrobe piece.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a seamed women's cardigan worked flat in pieces and joined together. It is knitted bottom up and features a single button fastening. The cardigan is available in six sizes to fit bust measurements of 82, 86, 92, 97, 102, and 107 cm (32–42 in), with actual bust measurements ranging from 102 to 142 cm (40–56 in), offering a comfortable and relaxed fit. The length to back neck ranges from 60 to 65 cm (23½–25½ in) depending on size, and the sleeve length is a consistent 46 cm (18 in) across all sizes.

Techniques Used

• Bottom-up construction: All pieces are begun at the lower edge and worked upward, a traditional approach that gives knitters full control over length adjustments before shaping begins.
• Worked flat: The body and sleeves are knitted back and forth in rows on straight needles rather than in the round, producing separate flat pieces that are later seamed together.
• Seamed finishing: Completed pieces are joined using seaming techniques, giving the cardigan a structured, tailored finish with clean, stable seams.
• Colourwork: The tile pattern is achieved through two-colour knitting, alternating between the two yarn colours — Dusk (220) and Ivory (221) — to build the geometric design row by row.
• Slip stitch technique: Slip stitches are integrated with the colourwork to create the characteristic squashy, dimensional tile effect that defines the Antonia Cardigan's texture. Slip stitch colourwork is a beginner-friendly entry into multi-colour knitting because only one colour is ever worked per row, yet the slipped stitches carry the contrast colour up through the fabric, creating the illusion of more complex stranded work.
• Buttonhole: A single buttonhole is worked into the band or front edge to accommodate the one-button fastening, requiring careful placement and execution for a neat result.
• Buttons: One button is attached to complete the front closure of the cardigan.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (stockinette stitch): Used as a base fabric, particularly referenced in the tension/gauge swatch. Worked by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows when working flat.
• Garter stitch: Referenced in the pattern abbreviations, likely used for borders, bands, or edging details to provide a non-curling, tidy finish.
• Tile pattern (slip stitch colourwork repeat): The signature stitch pattern of this design, combining slipped stitches and two-colour rows to produce a squashy, geometric tile repeat across the main fabric. The pattern notes that knitters will benefit from memorising the repeat as they work, as the rhythm becomes intuitive.
• Moss stitch (seed stitch): Noted in the abbreviations, this alternating knit-and-purl stitch is commonly used in MillaMia patterns for neat, textured edgings and button bands.
• Increases and decreases: Standard shaping techniques including k2tog (knit two together), m1 (make one knitwise), and m1p (make one purlwise) are used throughout for sleeve and body shaping.

Tension and Gauge

Achieving the correct tension is especially important for this pattern, as two separate gauges are specified. Over stocking stitch