Shaped Garter Jacket

Shaped Garter Jacket by Jo Sharp

What Is Being Made

The Shaped Garter Jacket is a neatly tailored cardigan featuring a distinctive fold-back jacket collar and buttons worked directly into the fabric with no separate button band. This design offers a refined, structured silhouette suitable for multiple sizes, with the pictured model wearing size A (size 8). The pattern provides a long version option, making it versatile for different styling preferences and seasons.

Craft and Technique Overview

This is a knitting project designed for beginner level crafters. The garment is constructed using fundamental knitting techniques, making it an excellent introduction to shaping and garment construction. The straightforward approach to integrating buttons directly into the knit fabric eliminates the need for additional finishing steps like sewing on button bands, streamlining the overall construction process.

Stitches and Shaping Techniques Used

The Shaped Garter Jacket employs garter stitch as its primary stitch pattern, which creates a textured, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges. This classic stitch is ideal for beginners due to its simplicity—requiring only knit stitches on every row—while providing excellent drape and structure.

• Armhole shaping: Accomplished through strategic cast-offs at the beginning of rows, with initial decreases of 3–6 stitches followed by smaller single-stitch decreases over multiple rows to create a gradual, professional armhole curve
• Neck and shoulder shaping: Worked by casting off stitches at the neck edge and working each side separately to create distinct shoulder and neckline definition
• Stitch holders: Used to hold stitches in place during the shaping process, allowing for organized construction of different sections

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Shaped Garter Jacket is designed to be worked in Jo Sharp Mulberry Silk Georgette, a luxurious natural fiber yarn. The pattern calls for sport weight yarn, which provides a refined drape and delicate appearance while remaining manageable for beginner knitters. The long version requires 11–12 balls of 50g each (depending on size), providing ample yardage for the complete garment across all four size options.

While specific needle sizes are not detailed in the provided excerpt, sport weight yarn typically pairs well with needles in the US 4–6 range, allowing crafters to achieve the proper gauge and fabric structure essential for proper fit and shaping.

Size Range and Finished Dimensions

The pattern is graded across four sizes (A, B, C, and D), accommodating different body measurements. The back piece begins with cast-on counts ranging from 102 to 138 stitches depending on size, and the armhole depth measures 17–20 centimeters from the shaping point. This graduated sizing ensures the jacket can be customized to fit various body types while maintaining the design's proportions and aesthetic.