Ontario Cardigan in Rowan Felted Tweed DK - D179 - Downloadable PDF

Ontario Cardigan in Rowan Felted Tweed DK – Pattern Summary

About This Design

The Ontario Cardigan is an original knitting pattern by Lisa Richardson, released as an exclusive downloadable PDF through Rowan. It is a women's cardigan designed in five sizes to fit bust measurements ranging from 81–86 cm (32–34 in) up to 122–127 cm (48–50 in), making it accessible to a wide range of body types. The sample shown in the pattern photography is worked in the colourway Rage 150, a rich, warm shade that showcases the characteristic texture of the yarn beautifully.

Construction and Shaping

The Ontario Cardigan is a structured, shaped garment featuring traditional set-in or tailored shoulder construction. The pattern includes detailed instructions for shoulder shaping and back neck shaping, worked by casting off stitches in stages across right and left sides separately to create a neat, professional finish. The back neck stitches are placed on a holder while each shoulder is completed independently, a technique that ensures clean, symmetrical results.

The left front is worked as a separate piece, and the pattern is designed with button bands in mind — the finished cardigan fastens with 8 buttons, indicating a full-length front opening typical of a classic cardigan silhouette. Shaping is worked with right-side and wrong-side rows clearly distinguished, and knitters are guided to keep the stitch pattern correct throughout all shaping rows, which requires careful attention and pattern-reading skill.

Techniques Used

• Shoulder shaping: Achieved through staged cast-offs at the beginning of right-side and wrong-side rows, creating a sloped shoulder line.
• Back neck shaping: Centre back neck stitches are placed on a stitch holder, with each side worked separately and decreases worked at the neck edge over several rows simultaneously with shoulder cast-offs.
• Stitch holders: Used to hold live stitches at the back neck and during front construction, a standard technique in garment knitting for joining or finishing later.
• Decreasing: Single decreases are worked at the neck edge to shape the neckline smoothly.
• Working each side separately: After dividing for the neck, yarn is rejoined to the remaining stitches and shapings are reversed — an essential intermediate skill.
• Button band construction: The cardigan includes a button band to accommodate 8 buttons, requiring careful stitch pick-up along the front edges.

Stitches Used

The pattern references a stitch pattern (patt) that is maintained throughout shaping, suggesting a textured or decorative stitch repeat beyond simple stocking stitch. Knitters are instructed to keep the pattern correct even while working increases, decreases, and cast-offs — a hallmark of intermediate-level knitting that requires the ability to read both the pattern instructions and the knitted fabric simultaneously. Standard knitting stitches and techniques such as casting off, working right-side and wrong-side rows, and rejoining yarn mid-row are all employed.

Yarn and Materials

• Yarn: Rowan Felted Tweed DK, a beloved DK-weight yarn renowned for its rustic tweed texture, subtle colour depth, and the characteristic felted halo created by its wool and alpaca blend. Each ball weighs 50g.
• Quantity required: 6, 7, 8, 8, or 9 balls depending on size.
• Colourway shown: Rage 150
• Needles: A pair of 3¼mm (UK no. 10 / US 3) needles and a pair of 4mm (UK no. 8 / US 6) needles — the smaller size typically used for ribbing or borders, the larger for the main fabric.
• Buttons: 8 buttons required for front fastening.

Difficulty Level and Who It's For

This pattern is rated intermediate, making it ideal for knitters who are comfortable with basic garment construction and are ready to develop their skills in simultaneous shaping, pattern maintenance, and multi-piece assembly. The Ontario Cardigan is a rewarding project that results in a timeless, wearable gar