Midsummer Cardigan - Cardigan Knitting Pattern For Women in MillaMia Naturally Soft Cotton by MillaMia

Midsummer Cardigan – Knitting Pattern for Women by MillaMia

The Midsummer Cardigan is a charming women's cardigan knitting pattern designed by MillaMia, worked in their signature yarn MillaMia Naturally Soft Cotton. Rated at an improving (intermediate) skill level, this pattern is an excellent next step for knitters who are comfortable with the basics and ready to explore more refined shaping, stitch texture, and decorative embroidery techniques. The finished garment is a classic, button-front cardigan with long sleeves, making it a versatile warm-weather layering piece perfectly suited to its midsummer name.

Sizing and Fit

The pattern is written across six sizes, designed to fit bust measurements of 82, 87, 92, 97, 102, and 107 cm (32–42 in), with actual garment bust measurements ranging from 88 cm to 118 cm (34¾–46½ in), providing a comfortable, slightly relaxed fit. The length to back neck ranges from 55 to 60 cm (21¾–23¾ in) depending on size, and the sleeve length is a consistent 45 cm (17¾ in) across all sizes. This range of sizing makes the pattern genuinely inclusive and accessible to a wide variety of body types.

Materials Required

Yarn

• MillaMia Naturally Soft Cotton in Bright Red (331) – the main colour, requiring 8 to 11 balls of 50g depending on size
• Small amounts of Indigo Purple, English Rose, Lemon Yellow, Duck Egg Teal, Seaweed, Off White, and Black – used exclusively for the decorative embroidery details

MillaMia Naturally Soft Cotton is a sport weight yarn, making it lightweight and breathable — ideal for a summer or transitional-season cardigan. Its cotton composition gives the finished fabric a crisp, smooth drape with excellent stitch definition, which is particularly important for the woven stitch pattern used in this design.

Needles and Notions

• A pair of 3mm (US 2) knitting needles – used for ribbing and edging
• A pair of 3.25mm (US 3) knitting needles – used for the main body and sleeves
• 9 buttons – for the button band closure
• Medium weight water soluble stabilizer – to support the embroidery work
• A small embroidery hoop – used when working the decorative embroidery

Techniques Used

This pattern draws on a satisfying combination of knitting and embroidery techniques, making it a genuinely multi-craft project for those who enjoy adding hand-stitched embellishment to their knitwear.

• Bottom-up construction – the cardigan is worked from the cast-on edge upward, a traditional and intuitive approach that allows knitters to try on the garment as they go
• Worked flat – all pieces are knitted flat on straight needles, meaning the knitter works back and forth in rows rather than in the round
• Seamed construction – the individual pieces (back, fronts, and sleeves) are knitted separately and then joined using seaming techniques, producing a structured, tailored finish
• Buttonholes – the pattern includes instructions for working neat buttonholes into the button band to accommodate the 9 buttons
• Embroidery – decorative embroidery is worked onto the knitted fabric using the small amounts of contrast-coloured yarn listed above, with a water soluble stabilizer and embroidery hoop used to keep the work neat and even

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (stockinette stitch) – the primary stitch used for the main body and sleeves, producing a smooth, classic knitted fabric; tension is measured at 25 stitches and 34 rows to 10 cm over stocking stitch using 3.25mm needles