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How to knit a cardigan for a woman

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women’s-cardigan-sweater
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Yarn - Vanna’s Choice Lion Brand/ medium 4 / Net Weight - 100 g / 170 yds (156 m) / 3 balls needed
Needles - Circular US 8 and double pointed US 3 (3.25 mm)
Cardigan Size - US 4 - 6
Complexity - Intermediate

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women’s-cardigan-knitting-pattern
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Women’s cardigan knitting pattern
Step-by-step knitting instructions
Step 1
Cast on 120 stitches.
Step 2
Knit the ribbing:
1st row (right side) – knit 1 and purl 1 to end
2nd row (wrong side) – knit all knit stitches and skip all purl sts (slip stitch - slide each of those stitches on the right needle without knitting them)
Alternate the 1st and 2nd rows for 12 rows.
Step 3
Continue the pattern and purl two stitches together every 10 sts in order to decrease the total number of stitches to 110 sts.
Step 4
Begin the new pattern – you should have multiples of 7 stitches plus additional 5 sts
1st row (right side) – [knit3, yarn over*, knit2, 1 slip decease**] to last 5 sts, knit5
2nd row and all even rows – purl all stitches to end
3rd row – k1, [knit3, yarn over, knit2, 1 slip decease] to last 4 sts, knit4
5th row – k2, [knit3, yarn over, knit2, 1 slip decease] to last 3 sts, knit3
7th row – k3, [knit3, yarn over, knit2, 1 slip decease] to last 2 sts, knit2
Repeat these 7 rows for 60 rows or more (if you want to make the cardigan longer)
*yarn over – to make one additional stitches before a knit st. (wrap the yarn over the right knitting needle and knit the following stitch)
**slip decrease – slip the stitch to the right needle without knitting it and knit the following stitch, then with help of the left needle make from the two stitches one.
Step 5
Continue the pattern for 10 more rows gradually increasing the total number of stitches to 116 sts (reuse an old/base stitch to make from one two new stitches).
Step 6
Divide the total number of stitches by 3 parts (2 front parts – 25% each and 1 back part 50%)
In my case, one front part is equal to 29 stitches and back part = 58 stitches.
Step 7
Knit the pattern for 29 stitches (you will work on both front pieces later).
After that, use the other knitting needle for the back.
Bind off 3 first stitches and continue the pattern for 55 stitches, and then begin to work the wrong side.
Cast off the other 3 stitches and continue purling the other 52 stitches.
Continue the pattern for 23 rows or more.
Step 8
Start working on shoulders. Continue the pattern for the first 16 stitches of the back piece for 5 rows and then cast off all those 16 stitches leaving some yarn to connect the back and front shoulder pieces together.
After that begin working on the last 16 stitches of the back, and then bind off the stitches.
Leave the remaining 20 back stitches; you will come back to them later.
Step 9
Return to the front piece.
Cast off 3 stitches from the sleeve side, and continue the pattern for the remaining 26 sts.
Shape the neck line by knitting two stitches together every other row from the neck side until you have 16 stitches left.
Cast off the 16 stitches, cut the yarn, and secure it.
Repeat the above for the other front side.
Step 10
Connect the front and back shoulder pieces.
Step 11
Pick up 40 or more stitches for a sleeve. To knit the pattern in round, you need just multiples of 7 stitches.
Knit the needed length of the sleeve.
Decrease the number of stitches if desired.
Step 12
Make a ribbing for the sleeve
1st row – knit 1 and purl 1 to end
2nd row – skip each knit stitches (slide the knit stitches to the right needle without knitting them) and purl all the purl stitches to end
Alternate 1st and 2nd rows for 10 rows.
Step 13
Cast off the sleeve stitches.
Cut the yarn, connect the first and last stitches, and secure the tail of the yarn.
Step 14
Pick up stitches for the neck line.
Knit all stitches for the right side, and purl all the sts for the wrong side.
Cast off the stitches, cut the yarn, and secure it.
Step 15
Straighten the cardigan up.
Fix the zipper from the top of the cardigan with a pin to hold it in the place and begin sewing.
Do not sew too close to the plastic
Step 16
Cast on 3 stitches to knit a zipper cover. You need that to make the zipper look nicer from the inside.
Once you reach the desired length of the cover, bind off the stitches, cut the yarn, and secure it.
Step 17
Sew the cover to the back of the zipper.

Body: 

Knit a cardigan jacket with a zipper

Comments

Hi anna-kuz,

Hi anna-kuz,
Thank you for sharing your new creation. I love the color and buttons. Congratulations!

I made it with buttons ) And

I made it with buttons ) And this is the 3rd version, because at first I made it from 120 stitches and it was too small for me ) and the sleeve was too tight). Then I had troubles with right front - it didn't want to be straight.But This I made from 150 stitches and it's a bit loose, but it's ok)
Thank you very much for your lesson! )))

You're welcome, anna-kuz. You

You're welcome, anna-kuz. You've got the beautiful result and you figured everything out without even asking questions. You're very good at knitting. Happy knitting!

Hi leach,

Hi leach,
I'm not sure what her size is, but the number of stitches to cast on depends on your gauge/tension. I would advise you to knit a small sample (step 4) to learn your gauge first and then estimate how many stitches it is necessary to cast on to your chest circumference accordingly. If you write me your gauge, I would be able to help you out. Happy knitting!

Hi Sana, I was a bit

Hi Sana, I was a bit frustrated with my knitting...my pattern was deformed :( I think I was pretty confused with these ( 3rd row – k1, [knit3, yarn over, knit2, 1 slip decease] to last 4 sts, knit4 5th row – k2, [knit3, yarn over, knit2, 1 slip decease] to last 3 sts, knit3
7th row – k3, [knit3, yarn over, knit2, 1 slip decease] to last 2 sts, knit2. I'm a total beginner but I've knitted few scarves and hats. I wanted to do something else so I'm trying to start with your pattern and video tutorials.

Hi Minie,

Hi Minie,
I do not know for sure what causes the deformation. My guess is that you might not increasing and decreasing stitches accordingly. Make sure that you have one decrease after each increase and your number of stitches is the same in each row. Please watch the video from about 8:27. You may practice the pattern first on a small piece and then start working the big one. Happy knitting!

Hi Nalina,

Hi Nalina,
For the 36 inches bust circumference, I would cast on about 127 stitches. After you decrease 10 sts, you'll get multiples of 7 sts plus 5 additional sts or (7 x 16) + 5= 117 sts. Happy knitting!

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