Easterner Cardigan

Easterner Cardigan by Sharon Slarke

What is Being Made

The Easterner Cardigan is a knitted cardigan featuring wide horizontal stripes of colour that create a striking visual pattern. This intermediate-level design is worked in a relaxed, open texture using larger needles, making it suitable for warm-weather wear. The cardigan is constructed to fit multiple sizes, with finished chest measurements ranging from 75cm (29½ inches) to 115cm (45¼ inches), and lengths from 50cm to 53cm (19¾ to 20¾ inches). The finished garment fastens with five 14mm buttons.

Knitting Techniques and Construction

This design employs Relief Diagonal Stitch as its primary textural technique, creating visual interest through the interplay of stitch direction and colour blocking. The cardigan is worked on larger needles for an open, breathable texture, which is particularly suited to the cotton yarn base. The pattern notes specify that decreases should be worked one stitch in from the edge to maintain neat finishing, and a one-stitch garter stitch selvage is maintained throughout for clean edges. The use of larger needles combined with sport-weight yarn creates a fabric that stretches during the knitting process—the gauge is designed to shift from 22 stitches and 32 rows per 10cm initially to approximately 25 stitches and 27 rows during garment construction, due to the yarn type and needle size interaction. This stretching behaviour is specific to cotton yarns and will not occur with non-cotton alternatives.

Stitches Used

• Relief Diagonal Stitch — the primary stitch pattern creating texture and visual movement
• Garter Stitch — used as a one-stitch selvage for edge finishing

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Easterner Cardigan is designed for sport-weight or 5-ply cotton yarn. The pattern specifies Rowan Cotton Glace (100% cotton, 50g balls, approximately 115 metres or 126 yards per ball) as the recommended yarn, though any sport or 5-ply cotton yarn of similar weight and yardage will work. Yardage requirements vary by size: Colour A requires 2–3 balls, Colour B requires 2–3 balls, Colour C requires 3–4 balls, Colour D requires 2–3 balls, and Colour E requires 4.5 balls, depending on the finished size selected. The pattern calls for 4.5mm straight needles (or the size needed to obtain correct gauge) for the main fabric and 4mm 40cm circular needles for finishing edges. The gauge is 22 stitches and 32 rows to 10cm (4 inches) in Relief Diagonal Stitch using 4.5mm needles.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate, this pattern is suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to work with colour changes, textured stitches, and shaping techniques. The Relief Diagonal Stitch requires attention to stitch direction, and the multi-colour striping adds visual complexity, though the construction itself follows standard cardigan shaping principles.