637 Reflection Cardigan - Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Southwick

Pattern Summary: 637 Reflection Cardigan – Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Southwick

Designed by Kirsten Hipsky, the 637 Reflection Cardigan is a flowing, shawl-like women's cardigan that is as elegant as it is cleverly constructed. Published by Valley Yarns and available as a downloadable PDF, this intermediate-level knitting pattern produces a dramatic, oversized wrap-style cardigan with a striking two-tone colorblock design. The finished piece is remarkably simple in its construction — knit almost entirely in one large flat piece with only two short side seams — making it an achievable and rewarding project for knitters who are comfortable with basic shaping techniques.

What Is Being Made

The Reflection Cardigan is a long, open-front cardigan with a shawl-like drape and generous proportions. It comes in two sizes: S/M and L/XL, with finished measurements of 56 (60) inches wide and 40 inches long. The garment is shown in size S/M. Its silhouette is soft and relaxed, designed to wrap around the body with ease. The two-color design creates a beautiful mirrored or "reflection" effect, with the lower half worked in color A (23 Purple) and the upper half in color B (26 Classic Navy), which meet at a clean horizontal fold line at the center of the piece.

Construction and Techniques

This cardigan is worked using a bottom-up, worked-flat, seamed construction method. The entire body is knit as a single large rectangular panel, beginning at the lower hem and working upward. This approach is ideal for intermediate knitters who appreciate straightforward construction without complex shaping or set-in sleeves.

• Bottom-up construction: The piece begins with a cast-on of 280 (300) stitches at the lower edge and is worked upward in rows.
• Worked flat: All rows are worked back and forth on straight or circular needles, making this an accessible project for knitters who prefer flat knitting over working in the round.
• Seamed finishing: Once complete, the piece is folded in half along the color-change line, and both side edges are sewn closed — leaving an inner 8-inch opening on each side for armholes. This minimal seaming is all that is required to transform the flat panel into a wearable cardigan.
• Two-color colorblock design: The first half is worked in Valley Yarns Southwick color 23 Purple, and after reaching 20 inches in length, the yarn is switched to color 26 Classic Navy for the second half. The color transition is clean and deliberate, creating the reflective symmetry that gives the pattern its name.

Stitches Used

The stitch vocabulary in this pattern is intentionally accessible, relying on a small set of well-known techniques executed with precision and consistency. The body of the cardigan is worked primarily in Stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, drapey fabric perfectly suited to the fluid silhouette of the design.

• Stockinette stitch (St st): The main fabric stitch, worked by knitting right-side rows and purling wrong-side rows throughout.
• k2tog (knit 2 together): A right-leaning decrease used during the first half of the body to shape the piece inward from the cast-on edge.
• ssk (slip, slip, knit): A left-leaning decrease that mirrors the k2tog, worked at the opposite end of the row for balanced shaping.
• M1R (make 1 right): An increase stitch used during the second half of the body, created by picking up the strand between stitches from back to front and knitting into the front of the new stitch.
• M1L (make 1 left): A mirroring increase stitch, created by picking up the strand between stitches from front to back and knitting into the back of the new stitch.

The shaping sequence is elegantly symmetrical: the first half of the cardigan decreases by 2 stitches every right-side row, tapering the fabric inward, while the second half increases by 2 stitches every right-side row, expanding the fabric back out to its