Cardigan in Novita 7 Veljestä Horisontti - Downloadable PDF

Novita 7 Veljestä Horisontti Cardigan – Knitting Pattern Summary

This downloadable PDF pattern from Novita provides instructions for knitting a loose-fitting, top-down raglan cardigan worked in the striking brioche stitch. Designed by Sari Nordlund, the cardigan is knitted in Novita 7 Veljestä Horisontti yarn, a variegated aran-weight yarn that adds a naturally beautiful, gradient-like colour effect to the textured fabric. The pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with brioche knitting and basic garment shaping.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a women's cardigan with a generous, relaxed silhouette. It features a wide collar, set-in button bands, and long sleeves with fold-over cuffs. The cardigan is worked from the top down in one piece, with raglan shaping that seamlessly joins the sleeves and body. Three sets of buttonholes are worked into the right front band, and the finished garment is fastened with 6 buttons.

The pattern is available in five sizes: S, M/L, XL, XL/XXL, and 3XL, with a finished body circumference ranging from 116 cm to 148 cm (approximately 45¾ in to 58¼ in). This generous ease makes the cardigan a comfortable, enveloping layer. The finished length ranges from 57 cm to 66 cm (22½ in to 26 in), and the inner sleeve length with the cuff folded measures 43 cm to 46 cm (17 in to 18 in) depending on size.

Construction Technique

The cardigan is constructed top-down in a single piece using a raglan yoke method. This approach means the knitter begins at the collar and works downward, increasing at six raglan markers to simultaneously shape the sleeves and body. Raglan shaping is a popular top-down construction technique because it allows for easy fitting adjustments as the work progresses and eliminates the need for seaming the yoke.

Once the yoke reaches the underarm, the sleeve stitches are separated from the body stitches, and the body is worked flat to accommodate the front button bands. The sleeves are worked in the round separately after the body is complete. Markers are placed at six key positions — the collar edges, the front raglan points, and the back raglan points — to guide the shaping rows.

The button bands and collar are worked as part of the garment structure rather than picked up afterward, integrating the brioche pattern throughout. Buttonholes are created by binding off one stitch and working a yarn over, with the yarn over incorporated back into the brioche pattern on the following row. The three sets of buttonholes are spaced at regular intervals along the right front.

Stitches and Techniques Used

• Brioche stitch (flat and in the round): The primary stitch pattern used throughout the entire garment, including the collar, button bands, body, and sleeves. Brioche is a deeply textured, reversible ribbed stitch that creates a wonderfully squishy, elastic fabric with excellent drape. It is worked using a combination of yarn-overs and slip stitches that create the characteristic raised, cushioned columns.
• Top-down raglan shaping: Increases are worked at six marked raglan points on right-side rows to build the yoke, simultaneously growing the front, back, and sleeve sections.
• Working flat (back and forth): The body of the cardigan is worked flat on circular needles to create the open front edges and integrate the button bands.
• Magic Loop technique (optional): The sleeves can be worked using the Magic Loop method on a long circular needle, or alternatively on double-pointed needles.
• One-row buttonholes: Simple, tidy buttonholes are formed by binding off one stitch and replacing it with a yarn over, which is then worked into the brioche pattern on the return row.
• Armhole division: Stitches are divided and bound off at the underarm to separate the sleeves from the body, a standard top-down construction step.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Nov