Grace Cardigan in Rowan Cotton Revive - Downloadable PDF

Grace Cardigan in Rowan Cotton Revive – Pattern Summary

About This Design

The Grace Cardigan is an elegant knitted cardigan designed by Martin Storey and published by Rowan. This downloadable PDF pattern produces a beautifully textured, open-fronted cardigan worked in a repeating stitch pattern that gives the finished garment a refined, feminine character. It is rated as an intermediate level project, making it an excellent choice for knitters who are comfortable with shaping, chart reading, and working multi-row stitch repeats.

Sizing and Fit

The Grace Cardigan is offered in nine sizes, designed to fit a chest measurement ranging from 71–76 cm (28–30 in) up to 152–157 cm (60–62 in). The actual chest measurement of the finished garment spans from 103 cm (40½ in) to 185 cm (72¾ in), reflecting a relaxed, comfortable ease across all sizes. This generous size range makes the pattern accessible to a wide variety of body types.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a knitted cardigan featuring a structured back, shaped left and right front panels, and armhole and front slope shaping worked simultaneously. The cardigan is constructed in separate pieces — back and fronts — which are then seamed together. The front edges and lower hems are finished with a garter stitch border, providing a neat, non-rolling edge that contrasts subtly with the textured body fabric.

Techniques Used

• Flat knitting worked back and forth in rows on straight needles
• Chart reading — the body fabric is worked from a dedicated left front chart featuring a 25-stitch pattern repeat and a 36-row pattern repeat
• Simultaneous shaping — armhole decreases and front slope decreases are worked at the same time, requiring careful attention to maintaining pattern continuity
• Cast-off shaping at the armhole edge to create a clean underarm line
• Paired decreases using K2tog at both armhole and front slope edges
• Garter stitch borders worked at the lower edges for stability and texture contrast
• Tension/gauge swatching is essential, as the pattern specifies an exact tension of 25 stitches and 34 rows to 10 cm measured over the stitch pattern

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch — used for the lower border, worked over 6 rows before transitioning to the main pattern
• Charted stitch pattern — a repeating textured or lace-style pattern forming the main body fabric, worked over a 25-stitch and 36-row repeat
• K2tog (knit two together) — the primary decrease stitch used for all armhole and front slope shaping

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is written specifically for Rowan Cotton Revive, a sport weight yarn sold in 100 g balls. The photographed sample was knitted in Sand 002. Depending on the size being made, the pattern requires between 6 and 11 balls of Cotton Revive, with smaller sizes requiring fewer balls and the largest sizes requiring more. As a cotton-based yarn, Cotton Revive offers excellent stitch definition, making it particularly well suited to the charted textured pattern at the heart of this design. Its natural fibre content also makes the finished cardigan breathable and comfortable to wear across seasons.

Needles Required

• 3¼ mm (UK No. 10 / US 3) straight needles — used for the garter stitch borders and cast-on rows
• 3¾ mm (UK No. 9 / US 5) straight needles — used for the main body fabric worked in the charted stitch pattern

Who Is This Pattern For?

The Grace Cardigan by Martin Storey is ideally suited to intermediate kn