Holly Cardigan in Rowan Brushed Fleece - Downloadable PDF

Holly Cardigan by Quail Studio – Knitting Pattern Summary (Rowan Brushed Fleece)

The Holly Cardigan is a beautifully textured, chunky-weight knitted cardigan designed by Quail Studio for Rowan Yarns, first published in 2020. This intermediate-level pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and produces a relaxed, cosy cardigan with a distinctive front slope shaping, a neat front opening border, and a back neck border extension — all hallmarks of thoughtful, structured knitwear design.

What Is Being Made

The pattern creates a women's cardigan worked in six sizes, designed to fit bust measurements ranging from 71–76 cm up to 122–127 cm (28–30 in to 48–50 in), with actual garment bust measurements spanning 94 cm to 144 cm (37–56¾ in). The Holly Cardigan features a shaped front slope, shoulder cast-offs, and a self-knitted back neck border extension that wraps neatly around the neckline for a polished finish. The front opening edge is worked in stocking stitch while the body fabric uses a repeating textured pattern, creating an elegant contrast between smooth and patterned sections.

Construction and Shaping Techniques

The cardigan is constructed in separate pieces — a back, a left front, and a right front — which are then seamed together. Key construction techniques include:

• Front slope shaping: Decreases are worked at the front slope edge using a work 2 together decrease method, spaced across alternating rows and then every 4th row, creating a smooth, gradual diagonal neckline.
• Shoulder shaping: Stitches are cast off at the beginning of designated rows to form the shoulder line.
• Back neck border extension: After the shoulder cast-off, a small number of stitches are retained and worked in pattern to create a strip that extends across the back neck, measuring between 8 cm and 9.5 cm depending on size. This strip is then cast off and sewn into place, providing a neat integrated neckband without the need for a separately picked-up border.
• Front opening border: The front opening edge is maintained in stocking stitch throughout — specifically 10 stitches on the left front — while the remaining stitches continue in the textured body pattern.
• Row counting and spacing: The pattern requires careful row counting, particularly on the fronts, where knitters must work a set number of rows fewer than the back before beginning front slope shaping — a technique that ensures the fronts and back reach the shoulder at the same point.

Stitches Used

The Holly Cardigan uses a combination of classic knitting stitches to achieve its textured aesthetic:

• Textured pattern stitch (body): A repeating rib-like pattern based on knit and purl combinations. On the right side, the repeat is K3, P1 across the row (beginning with K3 on the back, and K11 on the right front to accommodate the border). On the wrong side, the pattern reverses accordingly with K1, P1, K3, P1 repeats. This creates a subtle, tactile surface texture that catches the light beautifully in the fluffy Brushed Fleece yarn.
• Stocking stitch (st st): Used for the front opening border stitches, providing a smooth, flat edge that contrasts with the textured body.
• Decrease stitches: Work 2 together decreases are used at the front slope edge to shape the neckline gradually.
• Increase stitches: A single increase is worked after the shoulder cast-off row to add a stitch before working the back neck border extension strip.

Materials

The Holly Cardigan is designed specifically for Rowan Brushed Fleece, a luxuriously soft chunky-weight yarn sold in 50 g balls. The sample shown in the pattern photography was knitted in Rock (shade 273), a muted, earthy tone that complements the yarn's fluffy, brushed texture. Depending on size, the pattern requires between 10