Macugnaga Cardigan in Adriafil Peru - Downloadable PDF

Macugnaga Cardigan Knitting Pattern in Adriafil Perù Yarn – Free Downloadable PDF

The Macugnaga Cardigan is a classic, structured women's cardigan knitting pattern designed to be worked in Adriafil Perù yarn. This free downloadable PDF pattern produces a beautifully shaped, full-length cardigan featuring waist shaping, armhole shaping, and neckline detailing, making it a satisfying project for knitters with intermediate experience. The name Macugnaga evokes the alpine Italian tradition of warm, practical knitwear, and the design reflects that heritage with its clean lines and timeless silhouette.

Garment Overview

The pattern produces a single cardigan design offered in size 48, with smaller sizes 44 and 46 also included (figures for smaller sizes appear in parentheses throughout the instructions). The cardigan is worked in separate pieces — back, fronts, and sleeves — and then seamed together using a tapestry needle, making it an excellent project for knitters who enjoy traditional construction methods.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Adriafil Perù — 1 kg in colour no. 91. Perù is an aran weight yarn from Adriafil Yarns, known for its warmth and stitch definition, making it ideally suited to structured garments like cardigans.
• Knitting Needles: Two sizes are required — nos. 3½ and 4 (metric). The smaller needle (3½) is used for ribbed border sections, while the larger needle (4) is used for the main body fabric.
• Tapestry Needle: Required for seaming the finished pieces together.

Tension and Gauge

Achieving the correct gauge is essential for this pattern. Using knitting needles no. 4 and working in knit stitch, the tension should measure 22 stitches and 29 rows over 10 × 10 cm. Knitters are strongly advised to work a tension swatch before beginning, as the aran weight of the Adriafil Perù yarn and the relatively small needle size for that weight produce a firm, dense fabric that gives the cardigan its characteristic structure and warmth.

Pattern Stitches Used

The Macugnaga Cardigan uses a small but effective selection of classic knitting stitches, each serving a specific structural or decorative purpose:

• Knit Stitch (Stocking / Plain Knit): The primary stitch used throughout the body and sleeves of the cardigan. Working every stitch as a knit stitch on every row produces a garter stitch fabric — a reversible, slightly ridged texture that lies flat and adds body to the garment.
• Purled Stitch: Used in combination with the knit stitch to create contrast and texture in specific sections of the pattern.
• K1/P1 Rib Stitch: A classic one-by-one rib, alternating one knit stitch with one purl stitch across the row. This elastic stitch is used for the border sections, providing a neat, stretchy edge that helps the cardigan maintain its shape at the hem, cuffs, and button bands.

Construction and Shaping Details

Back Panel

The back is cast on with 123 stitches (111 or 117 for smaller sizes) using knitting needles no. 4. The border is established over the first 5 cm, consisting of 10 rows in knit stitch followed by 4 rows in K1/P1 rib stitch. The body is then continued in knit stitch throughout.

The back features elegant waist shaping worked through a series of decreases and increases at both side edges:

• Side decreases begin when the work measures 26 cm from the border (22–24 cm for smaller sizes): 1 stitch is decreased at each end every 10 rows, 5 times, drawing the fabric inward toward the waist.
• Side increases begin when the work measures 47 cm