Wrap Cardigan Knitting Pattern

I’ve knit a lot of different kinds of sweaters in my years as a knitter (and am actually crocheting my first sweater right now!) but I have never made a wrap cardigan before.

This style of sweater is typically made with triangular fronts that overlap each other. The fronts can be tied together at the bottom of one side, or you could probably use a button on the bottom layer and put a buttonhole in the top layer to close it. It gives a sort of V-neck look that’s easy and cozy to wear.

The style is often associated with ballerinas, but of course it’s something anyone can wear.

The Clairlea Cardigan by Laura Chau is worked from the top down in one piece using a twisted stitch pattern on the body. It has drop sleeves that are worked in the round after the body is knit, and an I-cord edging that becomes the ties at the waist.

It’s worked in worsted weight yarn and available in 10 sizes, ranging from a chest measurement of 32.75 to 67.75 inches. The pattern includes charts as well as row by row written directions, so you can make it either way (or use the pattern to practice your chart reading.

The pattern is available on Ravelry.

[Photo: Laura Chau.]

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If you’re looking for a sweater knitting pattern that uses up some of your stash and allows you to make just the sweater you want, the Marlina Rib by Shay Johson might be just the thing.

It’s worked with two strands of fingering weight yarn held together to make a DK weight gauge, so you can use the same two yarns throughout or change one or both regularly for an even more colorful look.

The pattern has options to make it either a crewneck or a henley style with buttons, tapered or relaxed sleeves, and a straight hemline or a split hem with buttons (which sounds so cute if you do the henley with split hem and match the buttons on both parts).

It’s also knit from the top down so you can make the body and the sleeves as long as you want. There are 10 sizes available in the pattern, with a chest circumference ranging from 32 to 68 inches, or 81.5 to 172.5 cm. It’s meant to be worn with 4-6 inches/10-15 cm of positive ease at the chest.

The pattern page on Ravelry includes tons of measurements and yardage estimates so you can make sure you’ll get a good fit for your body before you even buy the pattern. Shay also shows a few variations of the sweater so you can see how different options look before you decide how you want to put them together.

The stitch pattern is 1×2 ribbing, which is really easy to do and gives a look almost like fisherman’s rib that’s relaxed and easy to wear.

This sweater looks like a great option for people who are somewhat new to sweater knitting or those who love to have lots of customization options (because it’s like getting multiple sweater patterns in one!).

Check out all the details and grab a copy of the pattern for yourself at Ravelry.

[Photo: Shay Johnson]

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