Skipness Cardigan in Rowan Cashmere Tweed - Downloadable PDF

Skipness Cardigan by Martin Storey in Rowan Cashmere Tweed – Knitting Pattern Summary

The Skipness Cardigan is a beautifully crafted knitted cardigan designed by Martin Storey and published by Rowan under pattern reference ROWEB-03615. This is a free downloadable PDF pattern, making it an accessible choice for knitters who want to create a sophisticated, textured garment at no cost. The design is rated as intermediate in difficulty, making it well-suited to knitters who are comfortable with shaping, chart reading, and working with stitch pattern repeats.

About the Garment

The Skipness is a classic women's cardigan, designed with a fitted silhouette and a richly textured body. It is worked in DK weight yarn and features a charted stitch pattern that runs throughout the body, giving the finished piece a distinctive, artisan quality. The cardigan is photographed in Cinder, a warm, understated colourway that highlights the natural character of the yarn.

Sizing

The pattern is written to fit a range of bust measurements, offering five sizes:

• 81–86 cm (32–34 in)
• 91–97 cm (36–38 in)
• 102–107 cm (40–42 in)
• 112–117 cm (44–46 in)
• 122–127 cm (48–50 in)

The actual bust measurement of the finished garment ranges from 86 cm (34 in) to 126 cm (49½ in), providing a gentle positive ease for a comfortable, wearable fit across all sizes.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Rowan Cashmere Tweed, a luxurious DK weight yarn that blends the softness of cashmere with the rustic charm of tweed. This yarn is sold in 25g balls, and the quantity required ranges from 11 to 17 balls depending on the size being knitted. The combination of cashmere and tweed fibres gives the finished cardigan a wonderfully tactile quality — soft against the skin yet with a subtle texture and depth of colour that is characteristic of tweed-style yarns.

Needles

The pattern uses 4mm (US 6) knitting needles for the main body sections. A smaller needle size is also referenced for the ribbing sections, which is standard practice in cardigan construction to ensure neat, firm edges at the cuffs, hem, and button bands.

Techniques and Construction

The Skipness Cardigan is knitted flat in separate pieces, which is a traditional construction method well-suited to intermediate knitters. The main body and sleeves are worked back and forth in rows, then seamed together. Key construction techniques used in this pattern include:

• Ribbing – used at the lower edges and cuffs to create elasticated, tidy borders; the rib is worked over the first and last stitches of each row, with the stitch count noted precisely per size
• Chart-based stitch patterning – the body features a 22-stitch pattern repeat worked from a chart, repeated across each row between 4 and 7 times depending on the size; the vertical repeat is a 24-row pattern repeat, which continues throughout the body
• Armhole shaping – worked by casting off stitches at the beginning of rows and then decreasing one stitch at each end on subsequent rows; for example, casting off 3–7 stitches at the start of two rows and then decreasing over the next 7–13 rows, depending on size
• Seaming – the finished pieces are sewn together, requiring knowledge of mattress stitch or similar seaming methods for a neat, professional finish

Stitches Used

The Skipness pattern draws on a combination of classic knitting stitches and structured patterning:

• Rib stitch