Levi Cardigan in Rowan Alpaca Classic - Downloadable PDF

Levi Cardigan in Rowan Alpaca Classic by Georgia Farrell – Pattern Summary

The Levi Cardigan is a beautifully crafted knitted cardigan designed by Georgia Farrell, presented as a downloadable PDF pattern published under the Rowan brand. Rated as an intermediate difficulty project, this design offers an elegant combination of texture and structure, making it a rewarding make for knitters who are comfortable with shaping and stitch pattern work.

What Is Being Made

The Levi Cardigan is a full cardigan featuring a left front and corresponding right front, worked separately and finished symmetrically. The garment is available in a generous range of nine sizes, accommodating chest measurements from 71–76 cm up to 152–157 cm, with finished knitted bust measurements ranging from approximately 110.5 cm to 192 cm. This wide size range makes the pattern highly inclusive and suitable for a broad range of body types. The cardigan has been photographed in Cinnamon 118 and Champagne 127, two colourways of the specified yarn, giving knitters a clear visual reference for the finished aesthetic — warm, earthy tones that highlight the textural stitch pattern beautifully.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Rowan Alpaca Classic, a DK weight yarn. Alpaca Classic is a luxuriously soft yarn with the characteristic warmth, halo, and drape associated with alpaca fibre blends, making it an ideal choice for a relaxed, wearable cardigan. The two colourways specifically referenced in this pattern are Cinnamon 118 and Champagne 127, offering knitters a palette of rich, neutral tones. Knitters should always check the pattern PDF for precise yardage requirements per size before purchasing yarn.

Needles

The pattern specifies one pair of 3¾ mm (UK 9 / US 5) knitting needles. This needle size is standard for DK weight yarn and helps achieve the correct tension needed for accurate sizing across all nine size options. As with any garment pattern, working a tension swatch before casting on is strongly recommended, particularly given the wide range of finished measurements available.

Techniques Used

The Levi Cardigan employs several knitting techniques suited to an intermediate skill level:

• Flat knitting – the garment pieces, including the left front and right front, are worked flat in rows on a straight pair of needles.
• Symmetrical shaping – the right front is worked to mirror the left front, requiring knitters to reverse shaping instructions.
• Stitch pattern establishment and maintenance – knitters must keep the established stitch pattern correct while working shaping rows, a key intermediate skill.
• Casting on – a standard cast-on method is used to begin each piece.
• Row-by-row pattern reading – the pattern uses detailed row-by-row instructions with size-specific stitch counts presented in brackets, requiring careful attention to the correct size throughout.

Stitches Used

The Levi Cardigan features a prominent fancy stitch pattern (point fantaisie), which forms the main fabric of the cardigan. This textural pattern is constructed using a combination of:

• Knit stitches (end) – worked in blocks of 7 stitches to create the raised, structured elements of the pattern.
• Purl stitches (env) – worked in blocks of 7 stitches to create the recessed, contrasting sections of the pattern.

The stitch pattern is built on a 14-stitch repeat (7 knit stitches alternating with 7 purl stitches), offset between right-side and wrong-side rows to create a rich, woven-look texture across the fabric. The beginning and end of each row include size-specific partial repeats to ensure the pattern sits correctly within the stitch count for each size. This type of large-block textural stitch pattern gives the Levi Cardigan a bold, contemporary appearance while remaining straightforward to memorise once established.