Cascadia

Cascadia Cardigan by Renée Callahan

What Is Being Made

Cascadia is a knitted cardigan designed by independent designer Renée Callahan, inspired by the rustic wilderness of the Pacific Northwest. This garment features a cosy, oversized fit ideal for layering during outdoor exploration. The cardigan is worked using a top-down, seamless construction method, which creates a garment without seams that requires minimal finishing work.

Design Features and Construction Techniques

The Cascadia cardigan showcases several advanced knitting techniques that make it an intermediate-level project. The yoke is the focal point of the design, featuring stranded colourwork worked flat. This technique involves carrying two yarn colors simultaneously to create a patterned design, adding visual interest and texture to the upper body of the cardigan.

A distinctive design element is the garter stitch shawl collar, which is created using short rows. Short-row shaping allows the knitter to increase the height of the collar gradually without adding extra stitches, creating a sculptural, draped effect that frames the neckline beautifully.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• Knit stitch (k): The foundational stitch used throughout the cardigan
• Knit 2 together (k2tog): A decrease technique used to shape the garment
• Make 1 Left (M1L): An increase technique that picks up the strand between stitches from front to back, used for shaping
• Garter stitch: Created by knitting every row, used for the shawl collar
• Stranded colourwork: A colorwork technique worked flat in the yoke section
• Short rows: Used to shape the shawl collar without adding stitches

Yarn and Materials

Cascadia is designed to be worked in Sublime Extra Fine Merino Worsted, a yarn composed of 100% extra fine Merino wool with a yardage of 100 meters (109 yards) per 50-gram ball. The pattern calls for two colors:

• Main colour (Maple): 9 to 17 balls depending on size
• Contrast colour (Alabaster): 2 to 3 balls depending on size

The yarn weight is classified as worsted and heavy worsted, making it a substantial yarn suitable for creating a warm, durable cardigan. Knitters have the option to substitute yarn, though they will need to calculate yardage requirements based on the specified yardage in the pattern. The pattern provides a downloadable PDF format, making it accessible for knitters to reference during their project.

Sizing and Fit

The Cascadia cardigan is available in multiple sizes, ranging from extra-small through extra-large, accommodating various body measurements. The oversized fit is intentional, designed to allow for comfortable layering and movement during outdoor activities.