Photo Finish Cardigan

Photo Finish Cardigan by Corrine Walcher

What Is Being Made

The Photo Finish Cardigan is a top-down raglan cardigan designed as a companion piece to the Photo Finish pullover top. This garment features a sophisticated lace panel that runs down both the sleeves and back, creating visual interest and a refined aesthetic suitable for warm-weather wear. The cardigan is available in six sizes ranging from 32 inches to 52 inches in chest circumference, with finished lengths between 13 and 15 inches from cast-on to underarm.

Knitting Techniques and Construction

This intermediate-level cardigan employs the top-down raglan construction method, a popular approach in modern knitting that allows knitters to work from the neckline downward. This technique provides several advantages: the ability to try on the garment as you work, the flexibility to adjust length to personal preference, and the elimination of seaming. The raglan shaping creates diagonal lines of increases that extend from the neckline to the underarms, forming the characteristic raglan sleeve cap.

The lace panel detailing requires intermediate knitting skills and adds an elegant, openwork element to the design. Lace knitting involves yarn-overs and corresponding decreases that create decorative holes and patterns within the fabric. The placement of these panels down the sleeves and back adds visual sophistication while maintaining the garment's wearability.

Stitches and Stitch Details

While specific stitch abbreviations are not detailed in the available pattern excerpt, the Photo Finish Cardigan incorporates lace stitches alongside stockinette stitch, the foundational knit stitch used for the body and main fabric areas. The lace panels utilize yarn-overs and decreases to create the openwork pattern characteristic of lace knitting. Stitch markers in two different colors are used throughout construction to differentiate increase points, a standard practice in raglan shaping.

Yarn and Materials

The Photo Finish Cardigan is designed to showcase Dragonfly Fibers Dance Rustic Silk, a 100% silk noil yarn that offers a luxurious feel ideal for warm-weather garments. This yarn is supplied in 4-ounce skeins with 450 yards per skein. The pattern requires 2 to 3 skeins depending on size, with the sample garment in size 44 inches utilizing 950 yards total.

Needles required include US #5/3.75mm circular needles measuring 32 inches or longer—larger sizes may benefit from longer needles to accommodate increased stitch counts comfortably. The same needle size in double-pointed needles or preferred small-circumference knitting method is needed for working the sleeves in the round. Knitters should swatch to verify gauge before beginning, as needle size may be adjusted to achieve the correct tension.

Yarn Weight Specifications

The Photo Finish Cardigan is compatible with 3-ply, 4-ply, and sport-weight yarns, providing flexibility for yarn substitution. These lighter yarn weights are ideal for creating the delicate, breathable fabric appropriate for warm-weather cardigans while maintaining the drape and elegance of the lace detailing.