Composite Cardigan in Rowan Felted Tweed & Kidsilk Haze - ZB301-00011-ENPFR - Downloadable PDF

Composite Cardigan by Georgia Farrell in Rowan Felted Tweed & Kidsilk Haze

The Composite Cardigan is an intermediate-level knitting pattern designed by Georgia Farrell and published by Rowan. This sophisticated cardigan combines two contrasting yarn types to create a richly textured fabric with a distinctive visual depth. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and is suitable for knitters who are comfortable working with multiple yarns and shaping techniques.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a women's cardigan worked in a combination of a tweedy, woollen-spun DK yarn and a delicate lace-weight mohair-silk blend. The finished garment has a generous range of sizes, fitting busts from 71–76 cm (28–30 in) up to 152–157 cm (60–62 in), with actual garment bust measurements spanning from 91 cm (35¾ in) to 173.5 cm (68¼ in), offering excellent size inclusivity across nine size options. The design features classic cardigan shaping including a shaped back neck.

Yarns and Materials

The pattern calls for three specific yarn colours across two Rowan yarn lines, each playing a distinct role in the finished fabric:

• Yarn A – Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Steel (shade 664): A lace-weight yarn (25 g balls) used in quantities ranging from 6 to 11 balls depending on size. Kidsilk Haze is a luxurious blend of kid mohair and silk, known for its halo effect and incredible softness, which adds a hazy, luminous quality to the fabric.
• Yarn B – Rowan Felted Tweed in Granite (shade 191): A DK-weight yarn (50 g balls) used in quantities ranging from 7 to 13 balls depending on size. Felted Tweed is a lightly felted, woollen-spun yarn containing wool, alpaca, and viscose, prized for its earthy tweedy texture and subtle flecks of colour.
• Yarn C – Rowan Kidsilk Haze in Eve Green (shade 684): Used as an accent, with just 1 ball required across all sizes.

The combination of Felted Tweed and Kidsilk Haze held together or worked in sequence creates the "composite" effect referenced in the pattern's name — a layered, textured fabric that is both rustic and refined.

Needles Required

Three needle types are specified for this pattern:

• 1 pair of 4 mm (UK no. 8 / US 6) needles — used for ribbing or border sections
• 1 pair of 4½ mm (UK no. 7 / US 7) needles — used for the main body fabric
• 1 x 4 mm (UK no. 8 / US 6) circular needle, at least 120 cm long — used for picking up and working neckbands or button bands around the full circumference of the cardigan

Tension

The stated tension for this pattern is 18 stitches and 27 rows to 10 cm, measured over the pattern stitch. Achieving the correct tension swatch before beginning is especially important when working with a combination of yarn weights, as the interplay between the DK Felted Tweed and the lace-weight Kidsilk Haze directly affects the drape and dimensions of the finished cardigan.

Techniques and Shaping

As an intermediate-level pattern, the Composite Cardigan involves a range of knitting techniques suited to knitters who have moved beyond the basics:

• Back neck shaping: The pattern includes detailed row-by-row instructions for shaping the back neck, including casting off stitches at the beginning of right-side rows and placing remaining stitches on holders to work each side of the neck separately.
• Decreasing: Neck edge decreases are worked over multiple consecutive rows, requiring careful attention to right-side and wrong-side row orientation.
• Working from a stitch holder: Stitches are