The latest installment in the Cardigans of the Galaxy series, this one is dedicated to the character Drax. This guy has to have a cardigan because you just can’t design a pullover for someone who says that nothing goes over his head (His reflexes are too fast. He would catch it…).

For a superhero, Drax is mix of both straightforward and complex: He’s not into nuances, and yet he has all these intricate designs carved all over his body. This Cardigan of the Galaxy is a nod to both: The shaping and fabric of the bodice is rustic and uncomplicated with a generous fit (Drax is a big guy) while the trim and pockets feature an intricate colorwork design that is way easier to knit than it looks (no stranding!).

Check out my latest podcast (Lyrical Knitting, Episode 2) for another look at the cardigan’s construction.

Construction of this cardi is top-down with short rows shaping the drop shoulders so that they angle downward to reduce underarm bulk (no dreaded “wings” at the shoulders either). Once you reach the underarms, the fronts are joined to the back, and you work the bodice in one piece for hours of blissful, easy, tv-knitting.

Sleeve stitches are picked up from around the armhole and worked in the round down to the cuff (no short rows). The pockets and trim are worked once the bodice is complete. If you’re new to Mosaic colorwork, this is a great project to learn the technique--the directions are both charted and written out (line-by-line), the pockets are small and provide great practice, and the trim also features buttonholes that are worked into the bindoff for a super easy addition.

Note about the yarn: While the Brooklyn Tweed Loft yarn is labeled as fingering weight, for many knitters, it acts more like a DK. The resulting fabric (at 21 sts & 31 rows/4”) is light, lofty, and rustic. If you’re looking to substitute a different yarn, look for something that is woolenspun and a similar weight. On the other hand, you can certainly knit this up in a sport weight or true DK yarn--your fabric will be heavier, so keep that in mind. And if your row gauge doesn’t match the pattern’s, that’s ok, too--I’ve provided suggestions in the pattern to make sure that you can compensate and modify for a different row gauge.

Materials:
Finished bust measurements 33.5(36, 39.5, 42, 45, 48, 51)” require
5(5, 6, 6, 6, 7) skeins of the main color (MC) Brooklyn Tweed Loft (275 yds/skein shown in Snowbound), and
1(1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1) skeins of the contrasting color (CC) Brooklyn Tweed Loft (275 yds/skein, shown in Longjohns), or approximately
1200(1300, 1420, 1520, 1660, 1820) yards of sport weight yarn for the MC
90(100, 110, 120, 130, 140) yards of sport weight yarn for the CC.