Avenir Cardigan

Avenir Cardigan by Corrine Walcher

What is Being Made

The Avenir Cardigan is a lacy, breezy cardigan designed by Corrine Walcher that falls slightly longer than hip-length. This knitted garment features an airy lace stitch throughout with decorative sleeve detail, creating a light and elegant piece suitable for layering. The cardigan is available in six sizes, ranging from 32 inches to 52 inches in chest circumference, with corresponding length adjustments from 16 inches to 20 inches. The design draws inspiration from Avenir, Alberta, a town where the designer's mother grew up; the name means "come up" in English and reflects the welcoming nature of the community.

Knitting Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs lace stitch techniques as the primary construction method, creating the signature airy, breezy aesthetic of the cardigan. The pattern utilizes circular needle knitting for the main body and sleeves, allowing for seamless or minimal-seam construction. Knitters work from the cast-on edge upward, building the garment in sections. The lace detail is incorporated throughout the body and sleeves, requiring attention to yarn-over and decrease sequences to create the openwork pattern characteristic of sport-weight lace knitting.

Stitches and Stitch Details

The Avenir Cardigan features lace stitches as the primary stitch pattern, which creates the distinctive open, airy fabric. Lace knitting combines yarn-overs (to create holes) with corresponding decreases to maintain stitch count while producing the delicate openwork design. The sleeve detail incorporates the same lace stitch pattern, ensuring visual continuity throughout the garment. The pattern requires intermediate knitting skills to execute the lace sequences accurately, as proper tension and stitch placement are essential for achieving the intended drape and appearance.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Avenir Cardigan pattern calls for sport-weight yarn, specifically Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in the sample version (color: Curie). This yarn is composed of 100% superwash merino wool, offering durability and easy care. Each skein contains 200 yards and weighs 57 grams. Yardage requirements vary by size: the smallest size (32 inches chest) requires approximately 1000 yards across 5 skeins, while the largest size (52 inches chest) requires approximately 1600 yards across 9 skeins. Any sport-weight yarn may be substituted, provided yardage requirements are met.

Needles required include US #4/3.5mm circular needles measuring 32 inches or longer for the main body and sleeves, with larger sizes potentially benefiting from longer needles for comfortable working. Additionally, US #4/3.5mm double-pointed needles or the knitter's preferred method for small circumference knitting are needed for completing sections that cannot be worked on circular needles, such as the final sleeve cap or ribbing details.