Sleeveless Cardigan in Bergere de France Cabourg - 15 - Downloadable PDF

Sleeveless Cardigan Knitting Pattern in Bergere de France Cabourg – Free Downloadable PDF

This free downloadable knitting pattern from Bergere de France provides instructions for a stylish sleeveless cardigan worked in a single size. Rated as an intermediate difficulty project, this design combines structured stitch patterns with elegant shaping to create a versatile layering piece suitable for a range of occasions. The pattern is presented as a downloadable PDF, making it easy to save and reference at any time.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a sleeveless cardigan, sometimes referred to as a vest or tank cardigan. It is designed without sleeves, making it an ideal transitional garment that can be worn over blouses, shirts, or lightweight tops. The cardigan features a structured front opening and is finished with a floral metal fastener (ref. 418.631), adding a decorative and functional closure detail. The garment is worked to a length of approximately 62 cm (24½ inches) before finishing, with armhole and neckline shaping incorporated into the construction.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Bergere de France Cabourg in the colourway Floral (shade 206.401) – a DK weight yarn. A total of 7 balls are required for this one-size pattern.
• Needles: 4.5 mm knitting needles are used throughout the pattern.
• Notions: One floral metal fastener (ref. 418.631) is needed to complete the front closure.

Bergere de France Cabourg is a DK weight yarn, a medium-light weight that works up with good stitch definition – ideal for showcasing the textural stitch patterns featured in this design. DK weight yarn knitted on 4.5 mm needles produces a fabric with a slightly relaxed tension, giving the finished cardigan a comfortable drape.

Construction and Shaping

The cardigan body is worked flat, with the pattern establishing a combination of knit and purl sections alongside a charted stitch pattern. The main body is worked until it measures 40 cm (15¾ inches), equivalent to 102 rows, before armhole shaping begins. This relatively long body section before shaping suggests a relaxed, longer-line silhouette.

Armhole shaping is introduced by casting off stitches at the beginning of rows and working decreases to reduce the stitch count neatly. The pattern specifies a slip 1, purl 1, pass slipped stitch over (sl1, p1, psso) decrease method at the armhole edges, which creates a clean, slanted decrease line. The remaining stitches after armhole shaping total 128 stitches, and the pattern continues as set until the work reaches 62 cm (24½ inches), or 156 rows, in total length.

Neckline shaping is worked in conjunction with the armhole on one side, creating a combined armhole and neck shaping sequence that requires careful attention to the pattern instructions – one of the reasons this project is classified as intermediate rather than beginner level.

Techniques Used

• Flat knitting – the cardigan is worked back and forth in rows rather than in the round.
• Armhole shaping – achieved through cast-offs at the beginning of rows and directional decreases.
• Neckline shaping – worked simultaneously with armhole shaping on the relevant front section.
• Make 1 purl (M1p) – a lifted increase worked by placing the right needle from back to front under the horizontal strand between stitches, placing it on the left needle, and purling into the front of the stitch. This creates a neat, nearly invisible purl increase.
• Make 1 knit (M1k) – the knit equivalent of the lifted increase, used to add stitches without leaving a visible hole.
• Chart reading – an 18-stitch charted pattern panel is incorporated into the body of the cardigan. Knitters follow both a written row-by-row description and a visual chart, alternating between Row