Susan Cardigan in Adriafil Malizia and Charme - Downloadable PDF

Susan Cardigan Knitting Pattern in Adriafil Malizia and Charme – Free Downloadable PDF

The Susan Cardigan is a beautifully structured, cosy knitted cardigan pattern designed to be worked in two complementary Adriafil yarns: Adriafil Malizia and Adriafil Charme. Available as a free downloadable PDF, this pattern is ideal for knitters who enjoy working with super chunky weight yarn and want to create a substantial, warm garment with a polished, professional finish. The combination of two different yarn types adds textural contrast and visual interest, making the Susan Cardigan a standout piece in any handmade wardrobe.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a set-in sleeve cardigan featuring a structured front opening, shaped neckline, ribbed cuffs, and wide front button bands. The cardigan is worked in multiple separate pieces — a back, a right front, a left front, and two sleeves — which are then seamed together for a clean, tailored silhouette. The front bands extend from the lower front edges up and around to meet at the center back neck, creating a neat, continuous ribbed border. The garment is offered in three sizes, with stitch and row counts varying accordingly throughout the pattern instructions.

Materials: Yarn, Needles, and Hooks

This pattern calls for two specific Adriafil yarns, each used for distinct sections of the cardigan:

• Adriafil Malizia – a super chunky weight yarn used for the main body sections worked in Stockinette stitch, giving the cardigan its warm, voluminous structure.
• Adriafil Charme – used for the ribbed cuffs and the wide front and neck bands, providing a contrasting texture and a refined finishing detail.

As a super chunky weight project, appropriate large knitting needles would be required, as specified within the full PDF pattern. No crochet hooks are indicated in this knitting pattern.

Techniques Used

The Susan Cardigan employs a range of classic knitting construction and shaping techniques, making it a rewarding project for confident intermediate knitters comfortable with garment construction:

• Flat knitting – all pieces are worked flat, back and forth in rows, rather than in the round.
• Seaming – shoulder seams are sewn to join the front and back pieces, and sleeves are set in using traditional set-in sleeve construction.
• Neckline shaping – the right and left fronts each feature carefully mirrored neckline decreases. On the right front, decreases are worked as slip 1, knit 1, pass slipped stitch over (PSSO) after a single edge stitch. On the left front, decreases are worked as knit 2 together (K2tog) before the final edge stitch. Decreases are spaced alternately every 6 and 8 rows for a smooth, gradual curve.
• Side edge shaping – side seam decreases on the fronts mirror those worked on the back piece.
• Sleeve cap shaping – the sleeve cap is shaped through a sequence of bind-offs worked every 2 rows: 1x2 stitches, 4x1 stitch, 1x2 stitches, and 1x3 stitches at both edges, creating the curved cap needed to fit neatly into the armhole.
• Sleeve width increases – stitches are increased at both edges of the sleeve, with the frequency varying by size: every 10, 9, or 8 rows, for a total of 5, 6, or 7 increases per side.
• Picking up stitches – approximately 106 stitches are picked up along the right front edge to the center back neck to begin the front band, with a matching band worked along the left front.
• Loose bind-off in pattern – the front bands are bound off loosely in 2x2 Ribbing to maintain elasticity and prevent the edges from pulling in.

Stitches Used

The Susan Cardigan is built around two core stitch patterns