The Step by Step Cardigan is a classic raglan cardigan, perfect as one of your first knitting projects.

It
is knitted from the top down, and the sleeves are knitted in the round. The simple design is finished
with clean double knitted edges.

Sizes: (A, B, C) (D, E, F) (G, H, I)

Measurements: The sizes are designed to fit a natural bust measurement of (75, 85, 95) (105,
115, 125) (135, 145, 155) cm with 10-15cm of positive ease.
Needles: 5.5mm circular needles (80 or 100cm lengths) for the stockinette.
4.5mm circular needles (80 or 100cm lengths) for the ribbing.
4mm circular needles (100cm length) for the double knitting.
If you do not wish to use the magic loop technique for the sleeves, you will
also need short circular needles or DPNs in 4.5mm and 5.5mm sizes.
Gauge: 16 stitches x 21 rows per 10cm in stockinette on 5.5mm needles.
Yarn: The sample is knitted in Noro Madara in the colour 01 Sake.
For a more budget-friendly project, you could use Drops Alaska or Drops
Nepal, or your preferred yarn which meets gauge.
You will need (700, 800, 950) (1000, 1100, 1150) (1200, 1300, 1400) m.
Notions: Eight stitch markers, needle to weave in ends, scrap yarn or spare cables to
hold stitches. You will also need 4 buttons of approximately a 25mm
diameter.
Abbreviations:
k Knit
p Purl

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M1R Pick up the bar between the stitches with the left needle from back to front. Knit it like
a regular stitch.
M1L Pick up the bar between the stitches with the left needle from front to back. Knit it
through the back loop.
BOR Beginning of round.
k2tog Insert the right needle into the two stitches closest to the end of your left needle and
knit them as if they are one stitch.
ssk Insert the right needle into the stitch on your left needle as if to knit it, but instead of
wrapping the yarn around it, just slip the stitch onto your right needle. Repeat with the
next stitch. Then transfer these stitches back to your left needle and knit them together
through the back loop.
sts Stitches
PM Place marker
SM Slip marker
RM Remove marker
RS Right side
WS Wrong side
sl1 Slip one
tbl Through the back loop.
wyif With yarn in front.

Video Tutorial
This pattern has a full video walkthrough available here: https://youtu.be/L9R64Q2E2IQ

Pattern begins here.

Body
With 5.5mm (80 or 100cm) circular needles, cast on (43, 45, 43) (45, 51, 55) (57, 59, 65) sts using a
longtail cast on or your preferred cast on. The first row is a WS row. Purl while placing markers to
indicate where the raglan sts will be as follows:
Setup Row P1, PM, p2, PM, p (6, 6, 4) (2, 2, 2) (2, 2, 2), PM, p2, PM, p (21, 23, 25) (31, 37, 41)
(WS) (43, 45, 51), PM, p2, PM, p (6, 6, 4) (2, 2, 2) (2, 2, 2), PM, p2, PM, p1.
Now continue to work flat, working raglan increases on every RS row as follows:
Row 1 *K to marker, M1R, SM, k2, SM, M1L* four times, k to end of row (8 sts increased).
(RS)
Row 2 P all sts.
(WS)
Work rows 1-2 a total of (8, 8, 9) (3, 2, 3) (3, 2, 1) times. Now continue to work raglan increases
while also increasing at the start and end of the row to shape the V-neck as follows:
Row 1 *K to marker, M1R, SM, k2, SM, M1L* four times, k to end of row (8 sts increased).
(RS)

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Row 2 P all sts.
(WS)
Row 3 K1, M1L, *k to marker, M1R, SM, k2, SM, M1L* four times, k to 1 st before end of row,
(RS) M1R, k1 (10 sts increased).
Row 4 P all sts.
(WS)
Work rows 1-4 a total of (7, 8, 9) (12, 13, 13) (14, 15, 16) times. You should now have a total of
(233, 253, 277) (285, 301, 313) (333, 345, 361) sts on your needles and the yoke is finished.
Now divide the body and sleeves:
K (30, 33, 37) (40, 42, 43) (46, 48, 50) to marker, RM, k2, RM, put the next (50, 54, 58) (56, 58, 60)
(64, 66, 68) sts (up to the next marker) on hold, cast on (4, 6, 6) (8, 8, 10) (12, 16, 16) sts for the
underarm, RM, k2, RM, k (65, 71, 79) (85, 93, 99) (105, 109, 117) sts (up to the next marker), RM,
k2, RM, put the next (50, 54, 58) (56, 58, 60) (64, 66, 68) sts (up to the next marker) on hold, cast
on (4, 6, 6) (8, 8, 10) (12, 16, 16) sts for the underarm, RM, k2, RM, k (30, 33, 37) (40, 42, 43) (46,
48, 50) sts to the end of the row.
You should now have (141, 157, 173) (189, 201, 213) (229, 245, 257) sts on your needles.

Sizes E-I only:

For these sizes, continue working neck increases as follows:
Row 1 K1, M1L, k to 1 st before the end of the row, M1R, k1.
(RS)
Row 2 P all sts.
(WS)
Row 3 K all sts.
(RS)
Row 4 P all sts.
(WS)
Work rows 1-4 a total of (2, 2, 2) (2, 3, 3) (3, 3, 4) times. The neck increases are now complete.

All sizes:
Continue to work flat in stockinette (k all sts on RS rows, p all sts on WS rows) until the cardigan
measures approximately (17, 18, 18) (18, 19, 19) (20, 20, 21) cm, or around 7cm less than your
desired length, measured from the underarm cast on edge. You can try the cardigan on to decide
this length.
Finish with a RS row. The next row is a WS row.
Switch to 4.5mm needles and purl one row. Now work rib as follows:
Row 1 *K1, p1*, repeat *-* to 1 st before the end of the row, k1.
(RS)
Row 2 *P1, k1*, repeat *-* to 1 st before the end of the row, p1.
(WS)
Repeat rows 1-2 until the ribbing measures approximately 7cm. Bind off with an Italian bind off or
your bind off of choice.

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Sleeves
Transfer the sleeve sts left on hold onto 5.5mm needles.
Pick up (4, 6, 6) (8, 8, 10) (12, 16, 16) sts along the underarm cast on edge (while placing a BOR
marker halfway through these newly cast on sts if necessary), k the sts which were left on hold.
Work in the round from here.
Note: You may wish to pick up a couple of extra stitches at the edge of the cast on edge and then decrease
them out on the next round to avoid leaving holes which need to be sewed up later. See the tutorial video for
more details.
You should now have (54, 60, 64) (64, 66, 70) (76, 82, 84) sts on your needles. Work in stockinette
(k all sts) for (19, 13, 13) (10, 10, 10) (9, 7, 7) rows.
Now begin to work decreases.
Decrease K1, k2tog, k to 3 sts before the end of the round, ssk, k1.
round
Work 1 decrease round every (20, 14, 14) (11, 11, 11) (10, 8, 8) rows until you have completed a
total of (3, 4, 4) (5, 5, 5) (6, 7, 8) decrease rounds.
Continue to work in stockinette until the sleeve measures (32, 33, 33) (34, 34, 34) (35, 35, 35) cm
measured from the underarm or approximately 7cm less than your desired length. Switch to 4.5mm
needles and k one round.
Work *k1, p1* rib until the rib measures 7cm. Bind off with an Italian bind off or your preferred bind
off.
Work the second sleeve in the same way as the first.

Button band
A tutorial showing some of the techniques in the following section can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-C1LMjLpq0&t=178s
Finish off the cardigan by knitting the button band.
With 4mm needles, pick up and knit sts along the front edge of the cardigan. Pick up 1 st in every
row along the side edges and 1 st in every st along the cast on edge at the back of the neck.
Now place 8 markers to indicate the postitions of the buttons. The markers are placed in pairs,
indicating the top and bottom of each of the four buttonholes. Each pair of markers should have 3
sts between them, and the pairs should be evenly spaced. The bottom pair should be approximately
4 sts from the bottom right front of the cardigan, and the top pair should be placed just below
where the neck increases finished. The exact spacing will depend on how long your cardigan is.
Break the yarn and slide the sts down to the other end of the needles. Rejoin the yarn and cast on 9
sts using the Italian cast on method.
Turn your work so the RS is facing you and work in double knitting as follows:
Row 1 *k1, sl1 wyif* four times, k2tog tbl.
(RS)
Row 2 *sl1 wyif, k1* four times, sl1 wyif.
(WS)
Work rows 1-2 until you reach the first marker. Now create a buttonhole as follows:
The buttonhole section begins here.

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Note: The tutorial video shows an alternative way of doing the buttonholes which doesn’t leave as many ends
to weave in, whereas this pattern uses the method that is easier to explain.
First, continue to work in double knitting, but only over the first 5 sts of the row:
Row 1 *k1, sl1 wyif* two times, k1, turn work.
(RS)
Row 2 *sl1 wyif, k1* two times, sl1 wyif.
(WS)
Work rows 1-2 a total of 2 times and work row 1 once more. Break the yarn and then rejoin it to
continue working the button band over the next 4 sts.
Work double knitting over the remaining 4 sts:
Row 1 sl1 wyif, k1, sl1 wyif, k2tog tbl.
(RS)
Row 2 *sl1 wyif, k1* two times.
(WS)
Work rows 1-2 a total of 2 times and work row 1 once more. Remove the second marker from the
pair of markers indicating the buttonhole placement.
Next row *sl1 wyif, k1* four times, sl1 wyif.
The buttonhole is now complete.
Continue to work the button band in double knitting, placing buttonholes where the pairs of
markers are. When 9 sts remain, divide the sts between two spare needles of a similar size,
alternating which spare needle they go onto, and then kitchener stitch to bind off.

Finishing
Weave in all ends. Wash and block the cardigan. Sew on buttons with sock yarn or similar.

I’d be really happy to see any finished cardigans shared on Instagram under #stepbystepcardigan

Thanks,
Florence
Instagram: @handmade_by_florence

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