695 Anika Cardigan - Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Brimfield

695 Anika Cardigan – Knitting Pattern for Women by Kirsten Hipsky

The 695 Anika Cardigan, designed by Kirsten Hipsky, is a beautifully crafted women's cardigan knitting pattern that blends modern silhouette with feminine detailing. A striking mesh-like lace panel adorns the fronts of the garment, creating an elegant focal point while the body retains a clean, wearable structure. This is a seamed, flat-knit pattern worked in pieces from the bottom up, making it an excellent project for intermediate knitters who are comfortable with lace techniques, set-in sleeve construction, and seaming finished pieces together.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a classic women's set-in sleeve cardigan with a contemporary feel. The design features a lace panel on the fronts, a stockinette stitch body and back, and a k1, p1 ribbed hem at the lower edge. An optional ⅞" button can be added as a subtle closure detail. The finished garment is sized to fit chest measurements of 32–34, 36–38, 40–42, 44–46, 48–50, 52–54, and 56–58 inches, with finished chest measurements ranging from 36 to 60 inches, offering a generous range of inclusive sizing. The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in size 36 inches.

Construction and Techniques

The Anika Cardigan is constructed using a traditional bottom-up, worked-flat method, meaning each piece — the back, right front, left front, and sleeves — is knitted separately and then seamed together. This approach gives knitters precise control over fit and finishing, and is particularly well-suited to showcasing the lace pattern cleanly on the front panels.

• Bottom-up construction: All pieces begin at the lower hem and are worked upward toward the shoulders, following a logical and intuitive sequence.
• Seamed finishing: The completed pieces are joined using seaming techniques, which lend the finished cardigan a structured, garment-quality drape and durability.
• Set-in sleeves: The armhole and sleeve cap shaping creates a tailored, flattering set-in sleeve silhouette that sits neatly at the shoulder.
• Lace panel: The front sections feature a repeating lace motif worked over a multiple of 6 stitches plus 1, creating the signature mesh-like texture that gives the cardigan its feminine character.
• Armhole shaping: Worked by binding off stitches at the beginning of rows and then decreasing at each end on right-side rows, creating smooth, rounded armhole curves.
• Shoulder shaping: Achieved through a series of bind-offs at the beginning of rows to create a sloped, well-fitted shoulder line.

Stitches Used

The pattern draws on a focused set of knitting stitches and techniques that intermediate knitters will find both familiar and engaging:

• Stockinette stitch (St st): Forms the main body fabric of the back and much of the fronts, producing a smooth, classic knitted surface.
• k1, p1 ribbing: Used for the lower hem, worked for approximately 1½ inches, providing elasticity and a neat, finished edge.
• Yarn over (yo): Creates the open, airy eyelets that define the lace mesh pattern on the fronts.
• ssk (slip, slip, knit): A left-leaning decrease used within the lace pattern and for shaping; worked by slipping two stitches individually as if to knit, then knitting them together through the back loops.
• k2tog (knit 2 together): A right-leaning decrease used in both the lace pattern and shaping sections.
• sl2tog-k1-p2sso: A centered double decrease used in the lace pattern, creating a neat, symmetrical reduction of three stitches into one and contributing to the mesh-like visual effect.

The Lace Pattern in Detail

The lace motif is a 4