Sky (EN,FR) in Rowan - Downloadable PDF

Sky Cardigan by Lisa Richardson – Knitting Pattern Summary (Rowan)

The Sky pattern by designer Lisa Richardson, published by Rowan (pattern reference ZB304-00011-EN), is a downloadable PDF knitting pattern for a chunky-weight cardigan. Rated as intermediate in difficulty, this design is a substantial, cosy layering piece that showcases the beautiful texture of Rowan's specialist yarn. The pattern is written in both English and French, making it accessible to a wide audience of knitters.

What Is Being Made

Sky is a women's cardigan featuring patch pockets with pocket linings, a design detail that adds both practicality and a polished, tailored finish. The garment is sized across a very generous range, fitting an actual bust measurement of approximately 82.5 cm to 165 cm (32½ in to 65 in), covering nine sizes to fit busts from 71–76 cm up to 152–157 cm (28–30 in to 60–62 in). This wide size range makes the pattern inclusive and suitable for a broad range of body types.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Rowan Tweed Haze, a characterful chunky-weight yarn that combines the rustic warmth of tweed with a soft haze finish. Two colourways are specified:

• Yarn A – Sunset 557: used as the main yarn throughout the body, shaping, and pocket linings, required in quantities ranging from 5 to 8 x 50 g balls depending on size.
• Yarn B – Winter 550: used as a contrast or secondary yarn within the stitch pattern to create visual interest and textural depth.

The two-yarn construction gives the finished cardigan a rich, artisan aesthetic that is characteristic of Rowan Tweed Haze.

Needles

The pattern specifies 6 mm (US 10) knitting needles, which are standard for chunky-weight projects and help achieve the relaxed, open gauge that gives the garment its cosy drape and generous proportions.

Techniques Used

As an intermediate-level knitting pattern, Sky employs a range of shaping and construction techniques that go beyond basic knitting. Knitters working through this pattern will use:

• Raglan or armhole shaping using paired decreases worked at both edges simultaneously, including K2tog and sl 1, K1, psso on right-side rows, and P2tog tbl and P2tog on wrong-side rows for fully fashioned, neat shaping lines.
• Two-yarn colourwork or stranded pattern construction, with yarn A and yarn B worked in a defined sequence to create the textured stitch pattern across the body of the cardigan.
• Pocket lining construction, where separate pocket linings are knitted independently and then integrated into the main body of the garment — a classic tailoring technique that results in a neat, professional finish.
• Casting on and casting off within the body of the work to set in pocket openings and finish shaped sections.
• Selvedge stitches worked in yarn A at the edges of shaped sections, maintaining clean, stable edges throughout the armhole and shoulder shaping.
• Decreasing across multiple rows in a structured repeat, requiring the knitter to track row counts carefully across the nine size variations.

Stitches Used

The stitch vocabulary in Sky includes both foundational and slightly more advanced techniques:

• Knit (K) and Purl (P) stitches forming the base fabric and selvedge borders.
• K2tog (knit two together) – a right-leaning decrease used in armhole and shoulder shaping.
• sl 1, K1, psso (slip one, knit one, pass slipped stitch over) – a left-leaning decrease that mirrors K2tog for symmetrical fully fashioned shaping.