Update: Garter Lace Wrap Cardi is now available directly from the designer with extra features, like video links to support you with the stitch pattern. Visit my launch post for details of how to get the latest version of the pattern.
This week I was thrilled to be able to share my first knit garment pattern. It's one I created for a yarn company rather than for a magazine and it's available in English and French from their website!
I created this design based on the desire to wrap up and enjoy a relaxing winter moment with the feel of a cosy blanket but a much more glamorous appearance. For that, of course, beautiful yarns are a great help, and so I felt a yarn company would be an ideal publisher for this design rather than a magazine.
I was excited to see that Biscotte Yarns had a call out for designers to work on their summer 2023 collection. I hadn't experienced their yarn in person but have friends in the US who really love their colours and textures and told me how lovely they were to work with and to wear. When I heard my design was chosen and saw the wonderful yarn options the team at Biscotte were recommending for the project, I really couldn't wait to start. The hardest thing was choosing between the Granola yarn, a fascinating blend I really wanted to try and the Suri Alpaca that I eventually decided was more in keeping with the romantic look of the garment. And I can promise you that it was very hard not to share the details with my friends who were fans of their yarn!
I came up with the design after looking at a swatch I'd created for a knitted version of the Woodland Sunrise Hoodie which eventually became a crochet pattern. You can see the swatch in this blog post. The soft fluffy suri alpaca yarn brought the texture to life perfectly and allowed for the right drape, shape and structure of the garment and for the lace stitch pattern to have a warm filler while still showing off the stiches. The yarns felt amazingly soft and easy to work with didn't slow my work down like some fluffy yarns can. I am very excited to think of perhaps creating a small project with the leftovers!
This wide-sleeved cardi is intended to be an all seasons favourite in your wardrobe. It's an ideal extra layer for cooler summer evenings with a breathable fibre and open lace pattern, yet at the same time, the hollow nature of alpaca fibre and fluffy texture of the yarn enables warm air to be kept near the skin in the depths of winter. The lightweight nature of the yarns, knitted in the lace stich, produces a glamorous looking garment suitable for eveningwear that can simultaneously feel like a cosy blanket depending on how you choose to wear it. It's an easy, enjoyable to make garment that will help keep the wearer the right temperature without compromising on glamour or luxury.
Of course the most obvious feature of the cardigan is how versatile it is to wear. I've shown it wrapped with tails fixed either side of the waist; either side of the shoulders and one fastened in each position but maybe you'd prefer to wear it open or knotted gently at the bust. The tails appear as small ruffles or a cape and you could even use a brooch to fasten them. When you have finished the full version, the pattern includes details of how to create a more traditional cardi too and it would be pretty easy to work a short sleeved version too if you prefer.
* Knitting needles: Knit Picks
* Needle Case: Furls
The cardigan has minimal shaping and uses a single row, simple repeat throughout plus a little garter stich for edging and belt loops. The easy, meditative feel of the stitch and simple block shaping make this a good first lace or first garment project and anyone who looks forward to a knit row over a purl row is in for a treat as there isn’t a single purl stitch in the piece! It's a low attention piece generally, so great to accompany a favourite TV show or audiobook or maybe to take to craft group with you so you have something that still allows you to chat to friends.
Although I loved every stage of making it, you might be surprised at the part I liked best which was the blocking and seaming! Seeing it come together as a lovely garment from a bunch of scrunchy formless pieces was amazing. It looked just as I wanted and the lace stitch meant that all the seams seemed shorter than I expected too! Maggie the mannequin looked so elegant and I'll admit I tried it on too!
Pattern: Garter Lace Cardi
Published in: Biscotte Yarns Summer 2023 Collection
Do let me know if you make the cape. I'm always so excited when I see that someone has used one of my patterns!
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