I love knitting patterns that keep me interested. Cables are my favourite, lace is also up my alley, but if you would like to torture me, make me knit a whole garment in stockinette stitch. However, many friends have asked me to design an “easier pattern” - something that an advanced beginner would be able to do. Whilst it is not a “mindless” knitting project, my stitch pattern choice for this very casual, every day kind of cardigan was this easy combination of knit and purl with a slipped stitch column and an easy 20 row repeat.

The cardigan’s back and left front are worked from the bottom up, with sloped shoulders achieved by staggered bind-offs; the right front is worked from the side, starting at the shoulder and ending at the neckline shaping. It is shorter than the left front and the shoulder slope comes from increases; the button holes are done as part of the piece. There are no button bands, but the left front has a 2 stitch garter band with the first stitch slipped on the wrong side.

After sewing the shoulders in mattress stitch, sleeve stitches are picked up from the edges of the front and back panels and worked flat. The neck-band is picked up at the end and worked in stockinette stitch.

Whilst this gorgeous yarn is DK 8ply, I think it’s closer to the thickness and yardage of a 10ply, worsted weight. I am by no means an expert in yarns but I had this feeling while knitting with it, and many testers of the pattern used a 10 ply equivalent.

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