Wolf Cardigan in Rowan Brushed Fleece - Downloadable PDF

Wolf Cardigan in Rowan Brushed Fleece – Knitting Pattern Summary

The Wolf Cardigan is a beautifully textured, chunky-weight knitted cardigan designed by Quail Studio and worked in Rowan Brushed Fleece. This pattern, available as a downloadable PDF, produces a relaxed, cosy cardigan with a distinctive combination of ribbing and reverse stocking stitch, giving it a soft, tactile surface with subtle visual depth. It is rated as advanced beginner level, making it an ideal step-up project for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to tackle simple shaping and construction across multiple pieces.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a drop-shoulder or set-in style cardigan featuring a left front, right front, and back, constructed in separate pieces and seamed together. The cardigan is designed to fit a wide range of chest sizes, spanning from approximately 71–76 cm (28–30 in) up to 152–157 cm (60–62 in), with actual garment chest measurements ranging from 101.5 cm (40 in) to 181.5 cm (71½ in), offering generous ease for a comfortable, oversized silhouette. The number of balls of Rowan Brushed Fleece required ranges from 11 to 20 balls depending on the size chosen.

Yarn and Materials

The specified yarn is Rowan Brushed Fleece, a chunky-weight yarn sold in 50 g balls. Brushed Fleece is known for its wonderfully soft, halo-like surface created by a brushed finish over a wool-rich base, lending the finished cardigan an exceptionally warm and luxurious feel. Its chunky weight means the fabric knits up quickly, making this a satisfying project to work through.

• Yarn: Rowan Brushed Fleece, 50 g balls, chunky weight
• Quantity: 11–20 balls depending on size
• Primary needles: 5.5 mm (US 9) knitting needles

Construction and Techniques

The Wolf Cardigan is knitted flat in separate pieces — at minimum a left front, right front, and back — which are then seamed together to form the finished garment. This flat construction approach is well suited to advanced beginners, as it avoids the complexity of working in the round while still introducing the knitter to reading multi-size patterns, working decreases, and managing different stitch sections simultaneously.

Each front piece begins with a cast-on appropriate to the chosen size, followed by a ribbed welt section worked for approximately 12 cm. After the rib, a decrease row is worked on the wrong side to reduce the stitch count and transition the fabric into the main body texture. The body is then worked in reverse stocking stitch until the piece reaches 17 cm, at which point a front band or border is established by knitting the first few stitches of every right-side row while purling the remainder — creating a neat, defined front edge alongside the softer reverse stocking stitch body.

Stitches Used

• 1×1 Rib (K1, P1): Used for the welts and cuffs, this classic ribbing stitch creates a stretchy, neat border. It is worked by alternating one knit stitch and one purl stitch across every row, with the rib pattern aligning on subsequent rows.
• Reverse Stocking Stitch (rev st st): The main body fabric of the cardigan is worked in reverse stocking stitch — that is, the purl side of stocking stitch is used as the right side of the fabric. This gives the garment a soft, bumpy, textured surface that complements the halo of the Brushed Fleece yarn beautifully.
• Stocking Stitch (st st): Referenced within the front band section, where knit stitches are worked on the right side to create a smooth contrast border against the reverse stocking stitch body.
• K2tog (Knit Two Together): A simple right-leaning decrease used in the transition row between the rib and the body to reduce the stitch