Galway Cardigan in Tahki Yarns Donegal Tweed - Downloadable PDF

Galway Cardigan in Tahki Yarns Donegal Tweed — Pattern Summary

The Galway Cardigan is a beautifully structured, cable-panel cardigan designed by Rosemary Drysdale and published as a downloadable PDF pattern by Tahki Yarns. Worked in the rich, earthy texture of Tahki Yarns Donegal Tweed, this intermediate-level knitting project combines classic cable work with ribbing to create a timeless, heritage-inspired garment with generous sizing options and a polished, seamed finish.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a seamed, bottom-up cardigan with a shaped collar and a substantial cable panel running along the front. The finished garment is designed with a relaxed, roomy fit, offering bust measurements ranging from 47 inches (Small) to 66½ inches (3X), making it a truly inclusive design. The finished length ranges from approximately 27¾ inches to 30¼ inches depending on size, giving it a comfortable, hip-length silhouette suitable for everyday wear. The cardigan is available in six sizes: Small, Medium, Large, XL, 2X, and 3X.

Construction Techniques

• Bottom-up construction: The cardigan is knitted from the lower edge upward, a traditional method that gives knitters precise control over length adjustments before shaping begins.
• Seamed finishing: Individual pieces — fronts, back, and sleeves — are worked separately and then joined using seams. This technique produces a structured, garment-quality finish and helps the cable panels maintain their definition and shape.
• Cable knitting: A prominent 42-stitch Left Cable Panel, measuring approximately 8 inches wide, is a central design feature. Cables are created by crossing groups of stitches over one another using a cable needle, producing the characteristic twisted rope and braid effects associated with traditional Aran and Irish knitting traditions.
• Collar shaping: The pattern includes dedicated shaping rows for the collar, adding a refined, fitted neckline detail to the finished cardigan.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

• K2, P2 Rib: The body incorporates a knit 2, purl 2 ribbing pattern, worked at a gauge of approximately 18 stitches and 21 rows to 4 inches. Ribbing creates a naturally elastic, form-fitting fabric that complements the structured cable panel and adds visual rhythm to the garment.
• 42-Stitch Left Cable Panel: This wide, multi-stitch cable panel is the focal point of the design. At 8 inches wide, it makes a bold statement and requires careful attention to pattern rows.
• C6B (Cable 6 Back): A key cable abbreviation used in this pattern. To work C6B, three stitches are slipped to a cable needle and held to the back of the work, the next three stitches are knitted, and then the three held stitches are knitted from the cable needle. This creates a right-leaning cable cross — a foundational move in traditional cable knitting.
• Stitch markers and stitch holders are used throughout to manage panel placement and hold live stitches during shaping.

Materials

• Yarn: Tahki Yarns Donegal Tweed, a 100% wool worsted-weight yarn, sold in 3.5 oz / 100g skeins with approximately 183 yards / 167 meters per skein. The pattern calls for 9 (10, 11, 12, 12, 13) skeins depending on size, worked in color #801 tan. Donegal Tweed is celebrated for its characteristic flecked texture — tiny nubs of color woven into the base yarn — which gives the finished fabric an authentic, rustic Irish character that pairs beautifully with cable work.
• Needles: One pair of size 9 (5.5mm) straight needles, or the size needed to obtain the correct gauge.
• Notions: A cable needle