Cross Over in Bergere de France Cabourg - 22 - Downloadable PDF

Cross Over Cardigan in Bergère de France Cabourg – Free Knitting Pattern (Downloadable PDF)

This free downloadable knitting pattern from Bergère de France guides you through creating a stylish crossover cardigan with a graceful overlapping front opening. Rated as a beginner-friendly project, it is an excellent choice for newer knitters looking to build confidence with garment construction while producing a wearable, polished result. The pattern is available in five sizes — XS, S, M, L, and XL — making it a versatile addition to any handknit wardrobe.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a crossover-style cardigan, characterised by its wrap-inspired front panels that cross over one another at the centre front. This design detail creates a flattering, draped silhouette that works well in lightweight yarns. The cardigan features carefully shaped neckline and shoulder sections, with each side of the neck worked separately after the central stitches are cast off, ensuring a neat and professional finish.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is written specifically for Bergère de France Cabourg yarn in the colourway Senteur (shade 245.671). Cabourg is a DK weight yarn, known for its soft handle and smooth stitch definition, which makes it well suited to garments where clean lines and drape are important. The quantity required ranges from 5 balls for sizes XS through M up to 6 balls for size L and 7 balls for size XL, keeping the project economical as well as accessible.

• Yarn: Bergère de France Cabourg, Senteur 245.671
• Weight: DK
• Quantity: 5–7 balls depending on size
• Needles: 3.0 mm and 3.5 mm knitting needles

Two needle sizes are used throughout the pattern. The 3.0 mm needles are typically employed for ribbing or border sections where a tighter, more structured fabric is desirable, while the 3.5 mm needles are used for the main body fabric to achieve the correct tension and a slightly more relaxed drape appropriate for a DK weight cardigan.

Techniques Used

Although classified as a beginner level pattern, the Cross Over cardigan introduces several fundamental garment-making techniques that help knitters develop their skills progressively. These include:

• Casting on and casting off — including mid-row and neckline cast-offs to shape the central neck opening
• Shoulder shaping — achieved through a series of cast-off stitches on wrong-side rows, with stitch counts varying precisely by size
• Neckline shaping — worked by casting off stitches at the neck edge on right-side rows, with decreases continuing at regular intervals to create a smooth curved edge
• Working each side separately — after the central neck stitches are cast off, the remaining stitches for one side are placed on a stitch holder while the other side is completed, then the process is reversed; this is a core garment technique
• Right-side and wrong-side row awareness — the shaping instructions are clearly differentiated between RS and WS rows, helping beginners understand the importance of row orientation in knitting
• Graduated decrease sequences — each size features its own specific repeat sequence for neck decreases, worked on every right-side row and then on every fourth row, giving the neckline its characteristic crossover shape

Stitches Used

The pattern primarily uses stocking stitch (stockinette) as the main fabric stitch, which is worked by alternating knit rows on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side. This produces the smooth, flat surface that shows off the soft texture of Cabourg yarn beautifully. Border and edging sections are likely worked in rib stitch, as is conventional with DK cardigans using a smaller needle size for the welts and cuffs, providing elasticity and a neat finish at the edges.

Sizing and Shaping Details

The pattern covers five sizes with stitch counts