Carnegie Cardigan & Top - Knitting Pattern For Women in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino

Carnegie Cardigan & Top – Knitting Pattern for Women in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino

The Carnegie pattern by Debbie Bliss (2019) is a beautifully designed women's knitting pattern offering two distinct garments in one downloadable PDF: the Carnegie Cardigan and the Carnegie Tank Top. Both pieces feature stranded colourwork using a coordinating three-colour palette, making this an engaging project for knitters who enjoy adding visual interest through colour. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty and is worked in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, a luxurious sport-weight yarn that combines the softness of cashmere with the practicality of merino wool and microfibre.

The Carnegie Cardigan

The Carnegie Cardigan is a classic women's cardigan worked flat and seamed, featuring long sleeves, a structured silhouette, and a button band closure. It is sized to fit a bust measurement of 82–112 cm (32–44 in), with finished bust measurements ranging from 84–122 cm (33–48 in) across seven sizes. The length to shoulder ranges from 52–58 cm (20½–23 in), and the sleeve length is a consistent 44 cm (17¼ in).

Colourwork & Design Details

The cardigan uses three colours of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino:

• Mustard 316 (A) – the primary colour, requiring 6–8 balls of 50g depending on size
• Baby Pink 601 (B) – an accent colour, requiring 3–4 balls of 50g
• Lake 301 (C) – a contrast colour, requiring one 50g ball

The stranded colourwork is worked from a 23-stitch chart. When working from the chart, odd rows are knit rows read from right to left, and even rows are purl rows read from left to right. Separate balls of yarn are used for each area of colour, with yarn twisted on the wrong side of the work to avoid holes. Notably, the blue stitches in the chart are not knitted but are instead recommended to be worked in Swiss darning (duplicate stitch) once the knitting is complete — a helpful technique for knitters who prefer to add fine colour details after the fact rather than managing additional yarn strands mid-row.

Techniques & Construction

• Worked flat on straight needles and seamed together for a structured, traditional finish
• Stranded colourwork following a charted motif
• Buttonholes worked into the button band, fastened with 10 buttons
• Armhole shaping via cast-off stitches at the beginning of rows
• Stitch techniques include: knit, purl, make one (m1), skpo (slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over), increases, and yarn round needle (yrn)

Needles & Tension

The cardigan is knitted using a pair of 3mm (US 2–3) and 3.25mm (US 3) knitting needles. The tension is 25 stitches and 34 rows to 10 cm / 4 in over pattern using 3.25mm needles. Achieving the correct tension is especially important across seven sizes to ensure accurate fit.

The Carnegie Tank Top

The Carnegie Tank Top is a sleeveless companion piece to the cardigan, sharing the same colourwork chart and yarn palette but offering a lighter, more versatile wardrobe option. It is sized to fit a bust of 82–112 cm (32–44 in), with finished bust measurements of 81–119 cm (32–46¾ in) and a length to shoulder of 50–55 cm (19¾–21¾ in) across seven sizes.

Colourwork & Design Details

The tank top reverses the colour roles compared to the cardigan, using: