Sizes: 35" (38" - 41" - 44" - 48" - 53" - 57" - 61") finished garment chest measurement
This is a simple basic lightweight cardigan which is hand knit with fingering / sock weight yarn. I chose to knit with softly bumpy rayon which lends a sumptuous look and feel and a heavenly drape. I hesitate to call it bouclé (which it is) because the "rayon bouclé" yarn I have run into of late has a visually prickly and anorexic appearance. Instead, I have found "rayon ricrac", "rayon ricrac popcorn", and "rayon seed" yarns to have the smoothly bumpy texture I prefer.
The front edges and cuffs are not faced, but rather have i-cord edging. Fronts meet at center front. Buttons are not included, but I have added a button and a buttonhole loop at mid-chest on one of my much older versions of this basic sweater. Back neck shaping insures that shoulder seams do not slip to the backside or hike up the front bottom edge. Seed stitch keeps the bottom edge flat. "Swing jacket" styling includes sloping increases from the bust down to the bottom edge. Fronts and back are knit in one piece up to the armholes.
The best fitting garments are those which fit at the shoulders. Detailed instructions include finished (washed and dried) measurements which allow for any fine-tuning of the overall fit. This hand knit basic cardigan with shawl collar is also an excellent candidate for employing bust darts for a more custom tailored fit. Contouring with short rows and/or vertical bust darts can create the ultimate in fitted knit apparel. Refer to my Knitting Bust Darts Tutorial at https://www.conniehester.com/knitting-bust-darts.htm .
Any fingering or sock weight yarn which produces gauge will work for this knitted sweater, including any combination of finer yarns which together constitute a somewhat fingering or sock weight. Also see my Basic Worsted Cardigan at https://www.conniehester.com/basic-worsted-cardigan.htm .
Knit gauge in Stockinette Stitch is 18 stitches x 31 rows = 3 inches on Size 4 US needles, producing a stable but fabulous draping gauge which will not sag, stretch, or distort.
Required Yardage: 1250 [1300, 1535, 1735, 1950, 2192, 2435, 2650] yds.
A word about rayon:
I have worked with both woven and knit rayon for over 40 years, most often exposing it to multiple extended stays in the hottest water. I do this for 2 reasons, the most important of which is to achieve maximum shrinkage before cutting and sewing finished garments and thus prevent any future shrinkage. The 2nd reason is that I most often hand-dye the fabric or yarn and need to use HOT water. My experience has been that rayon shrinks virtually not at all horizontally, but consistently shrinks about 12% in length (or more, in knits, depending on the stability of the gauge). As with ALL yarns, it is especially important to swatch rayon and then wash and dry it once or twice to achieve the most dependable gauge for the life of the garment. This also brings out the softness and amazing drape of the knit rayon. As already mentioned, one is not required to use rayon for this cardigan, but the results are SO worth it.
KNITS:
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