Ribbons Cardigan in SweetGeorgia Superwash Sport - Downloadable PDF

Ribbons Cardigan in SweetGeorgia Superwash Sport – Pattern Summary

About This Design

The Ribbons Cardigan is an original knitting pattern designed by Emma Welford and published by SweetGeorgia Yarns in 2017. Described as effortless, graceful, and oh-so-casual, this cardigan is designed with a relaxed, wearable aesthetic that makes it a go-to layering piece, particularly suited to spring and transitional seasons. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it a rewarding project for knitters who have moved beyond the basics and are comfortable with shaping, colorwork, and working in the round.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a women's cardigan featuring contrasting eyelet ridges as its signature design detail. The eyelet ridges create a ribbon-like visual effect across the body of the garment, giving it a delicate, textural quality without requiring complex colorwork techniques. The cardigan is intended to be worn with 0–2 inches (0–5 cm) of negative ease, meaning it fits close to the body for a neat, tailored silhouette. The sample shown in the pattern photographs is knitted in the 31½ inch / 80 cm size.

Sizes and Finished Measurements

The pattern is written in seven sizes, offering a wide range of finished bust measurements to suit many body types:

• 27½ inches / 70 cm
• 31½ inches / 80 cm
• 35 inches / 89 cm
• 38¾ inches / 98.5 cm
• 42¼ inches / 108 cm
• 46¼ inches / 117.5 cm
• 49¾ inches / 126.5 cm

Because the garment is designed with negative ease in mind, knitters should select a size based on their actual bust measurement and the desired fit, typically choosing the size closest to or slightly smaller than their full bust circumference.

Construction and Techniques

The Ribbons Cardigan is described as having easy construction, which is part of its appeal for intermediate knitters looking for a satisfying but not overwhelming project. The pattern makes use of both circular needles and double-pointed needles (dpns), indicating that portions of the garment — likely the sleeves or body — are worked in the round. This seamless or partially seamless approach is common in modern cardigan construction and reduces the amount of finishing work required at the end of the project.

The use of a contrasting colour (CC) alongside a main colour is a key feature of the design. The eyelet ridges are worked in the contrasting colour, creating the ribbon-like striping effect that gives the cardigan its name. This two-colour approach is straightforward — it does not involve stranded colorwork or intarsia — making it accessible to intermediate knitters who may not yet have advanced colorwork experience.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques Used

The pattern incorporates a range of standard and intermediate knitting stitches and techniques, including:

• Knit (k) — the foundational stitch used throughout the garment body and construction
• Eyelet stitch patterns — used to create the decorative contrasting ridges; eyelets are formed through yarn-over increases paired with decreases, creating small decorative holes that give a lacy, ribbon-like appearance
• Increases (inc) — used for shaping the garment, such as sleeve shaping or body shaping
• Decreases (dec) — used in conjunction with increases for shaping throughout
• Bind off (BO) — used to finish edges cleanly
• Cast on (CO) — the pattern specifies cast-on methods as part of construction
• Working with stitch markers — essential for tracking pattern repeats and shaping points when working in the round on circular needles

Eyelets are a classic knitting technique that involve working a yarn over followed by a corresponding decrease (such