"Natalie Cardigan" - Cardigan Knitting Pattern For Women in Debbie Bliss Aymara - DB215

Natalie Cardigan Knitting Pattern by Debbie Bliss in Aymara Yarn

The Natalie Cardigan is a sophisticated women's cardigan knitting pattern designed by Debbie Bliss, worked in her Aymara yarn. This is an advanced-level pattern that rewards experienced knitters with a beautifully structured, classically styled garment featuring cable detailing and a polished, seamed finish. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF, making it instantly accessible for knitters ready to take on a rewarding project.

What Is Being Made

The Natalie Cardigan is a women's fitted cardigan designed to suit a range of bust sizes. The pattern covers four sizes, fitting busts from 76–81 cm (30–32 in) up to 107–112 cm (42–44 in), with finished bust measurements ranging from 86 cm (34 in) to 117 cm (46 in). The garment length ranges from 50 cm (19¾ in) to 53 cm (20¾ in) depending on size, and sleeve lengths run from 46 cm (18 in) to 51 cm (20 in). The cardigan is constructed in separate pieces — back, fronts, and sleeves — which are then seamed together for a structured, tailored result.

Construction Techniques

The Natalie Cardigan is worked using a bottom-up, seamed, worked-flat construction method. This traditional approach means each piece of the cardigan — the back, the two fronts, and the sleeves — is knitted separately from the cast-on edge upward, then joined together using seaming techniques. This method gives the finished garment excellent structure and shape retention, and is particularly well-suited to yarn weights and stitch patterns that benefit from defined edges and neat seams.

• Bottom-up construction: Knitting begins at the lower edge of each piece and works upward toward the shoulders, allowing for straightforward shaping as the work progresses.
• Worked flat: All pieces are knitted back and forth in rows on straight or circular needles, rather than in the round, which is typical for seamed garments and allows the knitter to work cable and stitch patterns with clear right-side and wrong-side rows.
• Seamed finishing: The individual pieces are sewn together after knitting is complete, creating clean, sturdy seams at the shoulders, sides, and sleeve joins. Seamed construction adds durability and helps the cardigan hold its shape over time.
• Cables: Cable knitting is a central decorative technique in this pattern, creating twisted, rope-like columns of stitches that add visual texture and dimension to the fabric. Cables are formed by temporarily placing stitches on a cable needle, then knitting them out of their original order to create the characteristic crossed effect.

Stitches Used

The Natalie Cardigan incorporates a variety of stitches that contribute to its advanced difficulty rating. Knitters working this pattern should be comfortable with a range of techniques beyond basic knit and purl.

• Stocking stitch (stockinette stitch): The foundation fabric of the cardigan, formed by knitting on right-side rows and purling on wrong-side rows, creating a smooth, classic surface.
• Moss stitch (seed stitch): An alternating knit-and-purl texture stitch worked so that knit stitches sit above purls and vice versa, creating a bumpy, non-curling fabric often used for borders, bands, and edgings.
• Cable stitches: Worked using a cable needle, these stitches cross groups of stitches over one another to form the decorative cable motifs central to the design.
• kfb (knit into front and back): A simple increase stitch used for shaping, worked by knitting into both the front and back loops of a single stitch to create two stitches from one.
• pfb (purl into front and back): The purl equivalent of kfb, used for increases on wrong-side rows.
• m1 (make one): An increase worked by picking up the horizontal bar of yarn lying between two stitches and knitting into it, creating a nearly invisible new stitch.
• skpo