Marion - Cardigan Knitting Pattern for Women in Tahki Yarns Kiawah

Marion Cardigan Knitting Pattern by Melissa LaBarre – Detailed Summary

The Marion Cardigan is a women's knitting pattern designed by Melissa LaBarre and published by Tahki Stacy Charles Inc. It is knitted in Tahki Yarns Kiawah, a sophisticated DK-weight yarn blend, and is rated intermediate in difficulty. The result is a classic, wearable cardigan with a refined silhouette suited to a wide range of body types, offered in six sizes from XSmall through 2X-Large.

What Is Being Made

The Marion is a women's cardigan — an open-front knitted jacket worn over other garments. It is designed with a clean, structured aesthetic and is worked using a combination of seamless and flat construction techniques. The finished garment features a smooth Stockinette Stitch body and is shaped to provide a comfortable, tailored fit across the bust and length.

Size and Fit

• Sizes: XSmall, Small, Medium, Large, XL, 2X-Large
• Bust measurements: 31 (33, 38, 43, 47, 51½) inches / 77.5 (82.5, 95, 107.5, 117.5, 129) cm
• Length: 17¾ (18, 18½, 19½, 20¼, 21¾) inches / 44.5 (45, 46, 49, 50.5, 54.5) cm

Construction Techniques

The Marion Cardigan employs a thoughtful combination of construction methods that make it an excellent project for knitters looking to expand their skills beyond basic flat knitting.

Top-Down Construction

The cardigan is worked top-down, meaning knitting begins at the neckline and progresses toward the hem. This approach allows the knitter to try on the garment as it grows and make fit adjustments before casting off, which is especially helpful when working across multiple sizes.

Seamless and In-the-Round Techniques

Portions of the Marion are worked seamlessly in the round, eliminating the need for sewing seams after completion. This technique produces a smooth, continuous fabric with no visible join lines, and is particularly common in modern top-down yoke constructions. Working in the round requires the use of a long circular needle and stitch markers to track key shaping points.

Worked Flat

Other sections of the cardigan are worked flat — knitting back and forth in rows rather than rounds. Because a cardigan has an open front, flat construction is used where the two front panels must remain separate. The combination of flat and in-the-round knitting within a single garment is a hallmark of intermediate-level patterns and gives knitters practice with both methods.

Shaping and Increases

The pattern uses precise increase techniques to shape the yoke and body. Specific increases referenced in the pattern include m1R (make one right) and m1L (make one left), which are directional increases that create a neat, nearly invisible line of shaping. A pfb (purl front and back) increase is also used on wrong-side rows. These increases are worked relative to stitch markers placed at key structural points, with an Inc row (RS) adding 8 stitches at a time across four marked positions — a classic raglan-style shaping method.

Stitches Used

Stockinette Stitch

The primary stitch pattern throughout the Marion Cardigan is Stockinette Stitch, created by knitting all stitches on right-side rows and purling all stitches on wrong-side rows (when working flat), or knitting every round (when working in the round). Stockinette produces a smooth, V-shaped knit fabric on the right side and a bumpy purl texture on the wrong side. It is one of the most foundational and widely used stitch patterns in knitting, and it allows the beautiful texture and drape of the Tahki Yarns Kiawah to take center stage.

Gauge

The pattern specifies a gauge of 20 stitches and 24 rows =