Nest Cardigan in SweetGeorgia Trinity Worsted - Downloadable PDF

Nest Cardigan in SweetGeorgia Trinity Worsted by Christina Harris – Pattern Summary

The Nest Cardigan is a beautifully structured, top-down cardigan designed by Christina Harris and published by SweetGeorgia Yarns. Worked in the luxurious SweetGeorgia Trinity Worsted, this intermediate-level knitting pattern produces a polished, wearable garment featuring a distinctive nest-inspired cable motif that runs continuously along both the front and back of the body. Whether you are an experienced knitter looking for a satisfying project or an adventurous intermediate knitter ready to expand your skills, the Nest Cardigan offers an elegant combination of shaping techniques, textural interest, and refined construction.

What Is Being Made

The finished object is a top-down, back-and-forth cardigan with set-in, ¾-length sleeves. The garment is designed to be worn with 0–2 inches (0–5 cm) of positive ease, giving it a comfortable, relaxed fit. It is available in eleven sizes, with chest measurements ranging from 30 to 50 inches (76–127 cm), and finished lengths ranging from approximately 19¾ to 26¼ inches (50–66.5 cm). The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in size 34 inches / 86 cm. The cardigan closes with 7 to 10 buttons measuring ¾ inch / 20 mm in diameter, making it a practical and stylish everyday layering piece.

Construction and Techniques Used

The Nest Cardigan is constructed entirely from the top down, worked back and forth on circular needles, which means you can try the garment on as you go and make length adjustments with ease. This top-down approach eliminates the need to seam major body pieces together, streamlining the finishing process.

• Short rows are used in two key areas: to shape the shoulders for a better fit across the upper back, and to shape the tops of the set-in sleeves, giving them a smooth, tailored appearance that mimics traditional set-in sleeve construction.
• Cable knitting is central to the design. The signature nest-like cables are charted in Chart A and are worked continuously across both the front and back of the body, creating a cohesive, all-over textural pattern that is the defining visual feature of the cardigan.
• Knitting on double-pointed needles (DPNs) is required for working the sleeves in the round at the cuff, making familiarity with DPNs a listed prerequisite skill.
• Two cast-on methods are detailed in the pattern notes: the Backwards Loop Cast On, used for general stitch additions, and the Cable Cast On, specifically employed for creating neat, structured buttonholes.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch – forms the foundational fabric of the garment body and sleeves
• Cable stitches – worked from a chart to create the nest-like cable panels across the front and back body
• Short-row shaping – applied at the shoulders and sleeve caps for precise, tailored fit

The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty. Knitters should be comfortable with reading cable charts, working short rows, and managing stitches on both circular needles and DPNs before casting on.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is specifically written for SweetGeorgia Trinity Worsted, a sumptuous worsted weight yarn with a fiber composition of 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, and 10% silk. Each skein contains 200 yards / 182 meters and weighs 4 oz / 115 g. The sample garment is shown in the colorway Oxblood. Depending on the size being knitted, the pattern calls for 4 to 8 skeins, making it a moderately yarn-intensive project. The blend of merino, cashmere, and silk gives the finished cardigan exceptional drape, softness, and a subtle sheen that elevates the cable texture beautifully.

Needles and Notions