The Brenda Cardigan Pattern

For your knitting pleasure, I give you The Brenda Cardigan. You may download and/or copy this pattern for your personal use only. If you do make this cardigan, please send me a link to a photo. (Any mistakes found are mine and mine alone, for which I apologize.)

Gauge: 14 stitch chevron repeat = 3"

Needle size: Size 7 circular 29" OR SIZE NEEDED FOR GAUGE

Finished Size: 44" chest (medium) (to make a size small, go down one needle size, to make a size large, go up one needle size)

Length shoulder to hem: 31"

Yarn: 13 skeins Pure Alpaca by Elann, 109 yds = 50g

Notes: The body of this lace cardigan is knit back and forth in one piece to the underarms, then separated for front and back. All wrong side rows are purl the purl stitches, knit the knit stitches. The shawl collar is knit as extensions from the two front facing sections and grafted together at the back neck.

Body, Facings and Hem

Cast on 215 stitches using Cable cast on.

First row (WS set up row): p9, k1 for right front facing, (p13, k1) 14 times for lace pattern, end p9 for left front facing

Next row: k9, p1, (k13, p1) 14 times, k9, p1

Repeat first and second rows three more times for hem ending on WS row

First pattern row (RS): k9, p1, knit 14 repeats row 1 of chevron lace pattern, end k9

Next and all WS rows: p9, k1 (p13, k1) to last 9 stitches, end p9

Continue in pattern for 19", ending on row 8 of lace pattern.

Shape Armhole

(RS) K9 for facing, k31 in pattern, bind off 8 stitches, k in pattern to end (note: bind off should be center 8 stitches of 4th chevron repeat )

Next row (WS): p9 for facing, k31 in pattern, bind off 8 stitches, k in pattern to bound off stitches at other end. Move front stitches to holders and continue knitting back only.

Continue back in pattern, decreasing one stitch each side every other row three times. (This should leave six complete chevron repeats for the back, plus one purl stitch on each side as a selvedge stitch). Continue in pattern over six complete chevron repeats until armhole measures 9". Shape shoulders with short rows on each side, leaving first 3 stitches unworked on each side, then 3 more unworked on the next row, then finally 3 more unworked on the last row. Move center 28 stitches to one holder, move shoulder stitches to separate holders.

Right Front and collar shaping:

Join new ball of yarn at front edge. Immediately increase facing from 9 to 13 stitches by knitting into the front and back of every other stitch to provide stitches needed for a full chevron repeat. If you do this when the pattern is on the first row of the chevron (only one yo) it will be easiest to incorporate. At the same time Knit in pattern to bound off stitches, dec 1 stitch at armhole edge each of the next three RS rows. (Note: whenever possible, decrease by omitting a yo in last chevron repeat)

Then on every RS row, increase the width of the collar while decreasing the front as for a V-neckline. Put a stitch marker between the stitches that make up the facings and the stitches for the fronts; this is where you will increase for the collar and decrease for the front. On every other RS row (every 4th row) when you get to the marker, increase 1 stitch by picking up the bar between stitches, twisting it onto the left needle, then knit it. One stitch increased. Then move the marker one more stitch towards the front, effectively "assigning" one front stitch to the collar stitches. Two stitches increased for the collar, one decreased for the V-neck. Do this ever other RS row until there are only two full repeats of the chevron left on the fronts. The shoulder seam is two chevrons wide, and the collar should be three chevrons wide.

(The tricky part is keeping the collar stitches in pattern. As you increase collar stitches and "reassign" front stitches to the collar, those stitches need to be incorporated into the pattern started when you increased the facing from 7 st st stitches to 14 chevron stitches.)

Once the armhole is 9" deep, slope the shoulder with three short rows as for the back, then move the shoulder stitches to a holder and continue on the collar stitches only. Add one selvedge stitch to the shoulder side of the collar (so you can sew it down later) and begin the short row sections of the collar needed to give it enough fullness to fold over and lay properly.

Every other RS row (every 4th row) leave 6 stitches on each side unworked. Don't worry about wrap-and-turn since that helps prevent holes, but since this is lace an odd hole at the edges of the shawl collar won't show. Continue knitting the collar extension until the edge reachs just short of the center of the back neck. Put stitches on holder until Left Front is complete.

Left Front and collar shaping

Join new ball of yarn and complete as for Right Front, reversing shaping.

Sleeves

In the round: Cast on 55, join, being careful not to twist. Set up row: pm, p1, pm, (k13,p1) three times, end k13. (Don't forget every other row is knit plain)

Knitting flat: Cast on 58. Set up row: knit 1 selvedge, pm, k1, pm (k13, p1) four times, knit 1 selvedge.

Knit 5 full repeats of 8 row chevron pattern.

Begin increases: increase 1 stitch each side of marker (in the round) or inside each selvedge edge (knitting flat) every 6 rows, incorporating stitches into pattern, until there are 6 full chevron repeats, ending on row 8 of pattern. Sleeve should be approx. 19" long.

Next row: bind off 7 stitches at beginning and end of row (14 stitches bound off). Begin back and forth knitting of sleeve cap. Knit one row in pattern.

Bind off 2 stitches next 2 rows.

Decrease 1 stitch each end of every RS row until 40 stitches remain.

Bind off 2 stitches next 2 rows

Bind off 3 stitches next 2 rows

Bind off remaining 30 stitches

Belt and Belt Loops

For belt loops, knit two pieces of 4-stitch I-cord each 2" long, leaving long cast on and cast off tails. Sew I-cord to sides of cardigan at waist level, directly below armhole, using tails to attach.

For belt, cast on 14 stitches. Work in k1p1 rib for 65". Bind off

Finishing

Turn up bottom 6 rows of hem and sew to body.

Lightly block body flat to fit dimensions. Block sleeves to dimensions.

Graft the two collar edges together using Kitchener stitch, and attach the edge to the back neck with a 3-needle bind off. Fold the collar in half and whip stitch the free edge to the bind off. (You may need to pick up an extra stitch on each side of the back neck to keep it tight and tidy; just pick up a loose bar between stitches, twist onto the needle, and count as part of the bind off.)

Sew in sleeves

I Present to You.......

The Brenda Cardigan!!

After almost four weeks and a number of revisions, The Brenda Cardigan is complete. I began swatching on New Year's Day, and completed the final blocking last night. It's soft, it's warm, and it is as close to the one worn on The Closer as I can get.

Tomorrow (or the next day) I'll post the whole pattern from start to finish. I'd love to see someone else make a copy.

Thanks for all the encouragement you provided. If it weren't for that I wouldn't have made the attempt. It's a thing of beauty after all.

Half Way Home

I used to hate to knit sleeves. At least, sleeves I was trying to design myself. I like set-in sleeves; sleek, elegant. But trying to add sleeves to a vest pattern, or knitting a basic cardigan body then adding sleeves, never worked out quite as I had planned. Or didn't plan, which seems to have been the problem; sleeves that fit properly into a shaped armscye must be planned. The best article I have ever read on shaping the cap for fit in sleeves was printed in the Interweave Knits magazine from Winter 2007. That article changed my approach to set in sleeves; how to design them, how to knit them. And I've had very little problem since.

The sleeves for the Brenda Cardigan can be knit flat, but I prefer to knit in the round using the Magic Loop method. Knitters choice. The photo shows one sleeve done and sewn in.

Next week, the finished sweater. Shortly thereafter I'll print the whole pattern.

Got It!

Please Note: Photos deleted in computer meltdown!

All my worrying over the shawl collar was for naught; it wasn't nearly as hard as I anticipated. Turns out the collar is easiest made if it grows out of a facing along the front edges into an extension, shown in the two pix above. The middle photo shows the extension on the needle as I knit it along with the armhole shaping. (Note that since I didn't start the facings when I started the body, I had to add them in. Not the optimal approach! That blue thread is the provisional cast on, which you may ignore.) The bottom photo shows the collar extension after the shoulder stitches from the front and back were seamed together. Top photo shows the collar after both fronts and extensions were knitted, shoulders seamed, and the collar extensions grafted together and sewn to the neckline. If I were to do it over, this is what I would do:

When casting on, cast on enough stitches for the body, PLUS 8 stitches on each front edge for the facings. On each RS row, I'd knit 7 stitches in st st, slip 1 stitch (to visually mark the turning edge) and knit in pattern to the last 8 stitches, slip 1 and knit the last 7 stitches in st st. This will form narrow facings that will turn to the inside at each front edge. When the body is knitted long enough to the underarms, the armholes get shaped and AT THE SAME TIME (dreaded words, no?) begin the collar like so:

Immediately increase the 7 facing stitches to 14 stitches needed for a full chevron repeat by knitting into the front and back of each stitch. If you do this when the pattern is on the first row of the chevron (only one yo) it will be easiest to incorporate. Then on every RS row, you want to increase the width of the collar while decreasing the front as for a V-neckline. Sounds complicated, but it's really not, as you can see from the photos. Put a stitch marker between the stitches that make up the facings and the stitches for the fronts; this is where you will increase for the collar and decrease for the front. On every other RS row (every 4th row, if you want to think of it that way) when you get to the marker, increase 1 stitch by picking up the bar between stitches, twisting it onto the left needle, then knit it. One stitch increased. Then move the marker one more stitch towards the front, effectively "assigning" one front stitch to the collar stitches. Two stitches increased for the collar, one decreased for the V-neck. Do this ever other RS row until you have only two full repeats of the chevron left on the fronts (don't forget you have also decreased armhole stitches.) As you can see from the pix, the shoulder seam is two chevrons wide. At this point, my collar was three chevrons wide.

The tricky part is keeping the collar stitches in pattern. As you increase collar stitches and "reassign" front stitches to the collar, those stitches need to be incorporated into the pattern started when you increased the facing from 7 st st stitches to 14 chevron stitches.

Once the armhole is the proper depth (9" for me) slope the shoulder with three short rows, then move the shoulder stitches to a holder and continue on the collar stitches only. Add one selvedge stitch to the shoulder side of the collar (so you can sew it down later) and begin the short row sections of the collar needed to give it enough fullness to fold over and lay properly.

Every other RS row (still every 4th row - I found it easiest to remember it was every 1st and 3rd pattern row) leave 6 stitches on each side unworked. I didn't worry about wrap-and-turn since that helps prevent holes, but since this is lace an odd hole at the edges of the shawl won't show. I did try not to leave any yo's unpurled, but even when that happened it doesn't appear to have made much difference in the end. Continue knitting the collar extensions until they reach just short of the center of the back neck. Then graft the two collar edges together (I used Kitchener stitch), and attach the edge to the back neck with a 3-needle bind off. Fold the collar in half and whip stitch the free edge to the bind off. I found I needed to pick up an extra stitch on each side of the back neck to keep it tight and tidy; just pick up a loose bar between stitches, twist onto the needle, and count as part of the bind off.

Once that's done, tack down the facing along the front neck and down the fronts by skimming the edge of the facing to the inside of the fronts. Ta da!

Still Trying to Figure This Out

I've been dreaming of shawl collars. Specifically, the Brenda Cardigan's shawl collar, and I hate to admit it but I'm stuck. Now that the back is redone, I have to start the fronts and collar. Most shawl collars are "reversible"; they're done in rib or some pattern that looks the same on both sides, so when you fold them over it looks right side up. But what do you do when the collar is lace with a definite right and wrong side? If you're smart, you plan the collar in advance, make a facing that's a mirror image from the center line outwards that can be folded over. Only I wasn't that smart. Or you knit the collar separately and sew it on. But that doesn't look like how the original was made.

So I may have to play with alternate strategies. Or maybe I'll just knit the sleeves while I think about it.......

And Now We Frog

Please Note: photos deleted during computer meltdown!

This was the body and finished back of the Brenda Cardigan first thing this morning. I bound off the underarms, put the fronts on holders and finished the back section, complete with sloped shoulders, last night while watching a convoluted Daniel Craig movie (Layer Cake). Then I laid it out for a gentle blocking overnight.

When I pulled the pins out this morning, it occurred to me that the back section looked a little narrow for a cardigan that's supposed to be worn over other clothes. My shoulder-to-shoulder measurement is 16" and I had planned on 18" with ease for this sweater. So I pulled out my trusty metal rule (which is 16" wide) to confirm what I had already guessed; I bound off the wrong set of stitches for the underarms! That's what happens when you're paying more attention to the movie than the knitting. Drats! Double Drats!

In case you're trying to follow the pattern, I knitted 19" in pattern to the underarms. I ended the lower body on the RS of the last row of a chevron repeat (the row with 5 stitches between yo's). Then, on the purl row, I knitted to within 1" of the first of the "side seams" (imaginary though they are) and started a new ball of yarn. Then I bound off 2" worth of stitches (8 stitches based on my gauge; 1" for the front of the underarm and 1" for the back of the underarm) and knitted with the second ball across the back stitches to within 1" of the second "side seam". Started a third ball of yarn, bound off another 8 stitches, and knitted to the end. The two "ends", separated by the bound off stitches, become the fronts, and were moved to stitch holders. From there I proceeded to knit the back.

A few tips, now that I've frogged the back and moved the bound off stitches to the correct position:
- with 14 chevron repeats in the body, I wanted 6 for the back, 3 for each front, and one under each arm eventually bound off for armholes. The initial 8 stitch bind-off should be the center 8 stitches of the 4th and 11th repeat.
- on each of the next 3 RS rows, decrease one stitch at each edge for the armhole slope. This should leave a complete chevron repeat plus one stitch at each edge of the back. You want that one extra stitch as the pick up edge when the sleeves are sewn in so that the six chevron repeats remain whole.
- knit the back to an armhole depth of 9". Then slope the shoulder with short rows, leaving first 5 stitches, then another 5 stitches, and finally 4 more stitches unworked on each side. This will be one chevron repeat plus the extra stitch on each shoulder.

If you're knitting a size smaller or a size larger, the 8 stitch bind off will fall across the purl stitch between two chevrons. Once the bind off and the armhole slope decreases are complete, you want to have six knit stitches from a chevron repeat to the LEFT of the bind off and seven knit stitches to the RIGHT of the bind off. This will make it a lot easier to knit partial chevron patterns for the fronts and back.

I'm still dithering over the best way to knit the shawl collar. The screw up with having to reknit the back at least puts that off for another day.........

First Look

Please note: photos deleted in computer meltdown!


When I started the Brenda Cardigan I wasn't sure what bottom treatment to use, so I started with a provisional cast on. I think I'll go back at the end , add a few stockinette rows, and put in a hem. In the meantime, here's the first 12'' in pattern. As you can see, I lightly blocked the piece to 44" wide. This should be just right for a size medium; the cardigan doesn't have buttons (or a button band, or buttonholes - yah!) but ties with a belt. It should cross over just a little in the front, and I think this will be just fine. I expect to knit about 19" before I divide front and back, and will begin the shawl collar at the same time I start the armhole shaping.

If you look at the photo of the blocked bottom of the cardigan, you'll see a bit of a partial skein laid out above the sweater. The alpaca yarn I chose is just a little too yellow; I wanted a nice light camel. So I tea dyed part of a skein, and I like the way it looks, so I'm going to go back and tea dye the part already knitted and the remaining yarn. As a point of interest, the 12" took 3 full skeins, so I expect the full 28" body to take 7 skeins, each sleeve to take 2 1/2 skeins and the collar probably another 1 or 2. Total skeins needed: 13 or 14 at 109 yds each.

If you want to knit along, cast on a total of 14 repeats of the 14 stitch pattern, plus 3 stitches for a 44" chest measurement for a size medium. For a large, add one repeat. For a small cast on one repeat less. You may choose a provisional cast on and add the hem later, or start with the hem. To start with the hem, cast on the required number of stitches on s needle one or two sizes smaller than you need to get gauge for the main body. Knit for 2" or so in stockinette, knit a Knit turning row on the WS, then change to the larger needle for the body. Knit the first RS row in pattern. Knit 19" from turning row in pattern, or the length you want from hem to underarm.

Join Me

Interested in knitting your own Brenda Cardigan? Feel free to join along! I'll be posting the pattern as I knit complete with any problems (and solutions!) I encounter along the way.

The first step would be to knit a swatch. (I know, I know. But it's the only way in this case to know what needle to use.) Since I am an extremely loose knittter, I usually end up with a needle two sizes smaller (sometimes more) than that recommended. So I'm going to suggest you first try your swatch with a size 8 since I found gauge with a size 6. By knitting three repeats of the chevron pattern (see graph) your swatch should measure 6 1/2" x 9 1/2" after lightly blocking.

(I'm sure you know this, but just in case: if your swatch is too big, go to a smaller needle; if it's too small, use a bigger needle.) The graph has no key, but uses standard lace symbols; two stitches to the right of the yarn-overs are right leaning decreases. I used k2tog. Two stitches to the left of the yarn-overs (except on the first row) are left leaning decreases. I used ssk. You may use whatever decreases you prefer. Between repeats is a row of separation stitches; wrong side rows are purled with the exception of the separation row, which are purl on right side, knit on wrong side. All clear? Happy knitting!