Pippa Cardigan in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK (DE) - Downloadable PDF

Pippa Cardigan in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK – Pattern Summary

The Pippa Cardigan is a beautifully crafted knitted cardigan designed by Quail Studio and worked in Rowan Alpaca Soft DK yarn. This pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and is written in German (DE), making it an excellent resource for German-speaking knitters seeking a stylish, wearable layering piece. The design is rated as intermediate in difficulty, making it well-suited to knitters who are comfortable with shaping techniques and reading multi-size pattern instructions.

What Is Being Made

The Pippa Cardigan is a classic, relaxed-fit cardigan featuring a structured body, set-in or shaped sleeves, and a refined aesthetic. It is photographed in two colorways of Rowan Alpaca Soft DK: Toffee 203 and Stone 222, showcasing the yarn's soft, muted tonal qualities. The finished garment includes a belt detail fastened with a D-ring and closes with a single button, giving it a contemporary, minimalist finish.

Sizes and Fit

The pattern is offered in nine sizes, designed to fit the following bust measurements:

• 71–76 cm
• 81–86 cm
• 91–97 cm
• 102–107 cm
• 112–117 cm
• 122–127 cm
• 132–137 cm
• 142–147 cm
• 152–157 cm

The corresponding actual knitted bust measurements range from 90 cm up to 172 cm, providing a comfortable, slightly relaxed ease across the size range. This inclusive sizing makes the Pippa Cardigan accessible to a wide range of body types.

Construction and Techniques

The Pippa Cardigan is knitted flat in separate pieces — a back, left front, right front, and two sleeves — which are then seamed together. This traditional construction method allows knitters to work each section independently and is ideal for those who prefer flat knitting over working in the round.

Key construction techniques used in this pattern include:

• Shoulder shaping (Schulterschräge) – worked through a series of cast-off rows at the beginning of right-side and wrong-side rows, creating a neat, angled shoulder seam
• Sleeve shaping – the sleeves begin with a specific stitch count and are worked with pattern continuity, including a reversal of the stitch pattern partway through the sleeve for a mirrored effect
• Stitch pattern alignment – the right front is worked as a mirror image of the left front, requiring careful attention to pattern placement across all pieces
• Gauge swatching – essential at intermediate level, the pattern specifies a precise tension swatch before beginning

Stitches Used

The Pippa Cardigan features a textured stitch pattern that combines knit and purl stitches in a structured repeat, creating a subtle surface interest across the body and sleeves. Based on the pattern rows described, the fabric is built on a 4-stitch repeat alternating between knit and purl sequences, producing a refined ribbed or mock-cable-adjacent texture. Specific stitches and techniques include:

• Knit stitches (rechts / re) – forming the raised, smooth elements of the pattern
• Purl stitches (links / li) – creating the recessed, textured background
• Structured stitch repeat – a repeating sequence of 1 purl, 3 knit stitches across the back and fronts, and a 2 knit, 1 purl, 1 knit variation on the sleeves, giving each section a slightly differentiated but harmonious texture
• Cast-on and cast-off shaping – used at armholes