I got myself some gorgeous green mohair yarn for Christmas one year, but it has been sitting in my stash for a few years, so I decided it was finally time to set it free. I couldn’t find a pattern I liked for it, so I decided to wing it. I wanted to do a top down cardigan, and I did something like that before, so I just had to improvise for this yarn and this style.
It took me about two weeks to knit it the first time. Since I couldn’t find a pattern I liked for a simple top down cardigan, I wrote my own in case anyone else is in the same boat. I used huge needles, probably a size 15 or so, so the number of stitches is not very high. This gives it that airy look – but don’t worry, mohair is really warm. So unless it’s windy, I think it was warm enough.
CO 40 st
row 1 – knit across
row 2 – purl across
rows 3, 5, 7 – kfb in first stitch, k38, kfb in last stitch (46 stitches)
rows 4, 6, 8 – purl across
row 9 – kfb in first stitch, k7, m1, place marker (optional), k1, m1, k4, m1, k1, place marker (optional), m1, k18, m1, place marker (optional), k1, m1, k4, m1, k1, place marker (optional), m1, k7, kfb in last stitch (56 stitches)
rows 10-38 (even) – purl across, moving markers
row 11 – kfb in first stitch, k9, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k6, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k20, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k6, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k9, kfb in last stitch (66 stitches)
row 13 – kfb in first stitch, k11, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k8, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k22, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k8, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k11, kfb in last stitch (76 stitches)continue this pattern of increases until row 38 or follow the details below:
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rows 14-38 (even) – purl across, moving markers
row 15 – kfb in first stitch, k13, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k10, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k22, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k10, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k13, kfb in last stitch (86 stitches)
row 17 – kfb in first stitch, k15, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k12, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k24, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k12, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k15, kfb in last stitch (96 stitches)
row 19 – kfb in first stitch, k17, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k14, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k26, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k14, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k17, kfb in last stitch (106 stitches)
row 21 – kfb in first stitch, k19, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k16, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k28, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k16, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k19, kfb in last stitch (116 stitches)
row 23 – kfb in first stitch, k21, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k18, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k30, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k18, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k21, kfb in last stitch (126 stitches)
row 25 – kfb in first stitch, k23, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k20, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k32, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k20, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k23, kfb in last stitch (136 stitches)
row 27 – kfb in first stitch, k25, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k22, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k34, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k22, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k25, kfb in last stitch (146 stitches)
row 29 – kfb in first stitch, k27, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k24, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k36, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k24, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k27, kfb in last stitch (156 stitches)
row 31 – kfb in first stitch, k29, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k26, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k38, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k26, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k29, kfb in last stitch (166 stitches)
row 33 – kfb in first stitch, k31, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k28, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k40, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k28, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k31, kfb in last stitch (176 stitches)
row 35 – kfb in first stitch, k33, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k30, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k42, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k30, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k33, kfb in last stitch (186 stitches)
row 37 – kfb in first stitch, k35, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k32, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k44, m1, move marker, k1, m1, k32, m1, k1, move marker, m1, k35, kfb in last stitch (196 stitches)
***row 39 – kfb in first stitch, k37, remove marker, k36 on a different yarn, remove marker, k46 on the regular yarn (this will separate the sleeve and join the back to front sides), remove marker, k36 on a different yarn, remove marker, k37, kfb in last stitch (124 stitches)
You can move the different yarn stitches to other needles or a stitch holder so that it’s easier to knit the body. I used the different yarn to go through the loops to secure them. This was less in the way than two unused circular needles hanging and less stiff than the stitch holders. But feel free to use what you prefer.row 40 – purl across
row 41 – kfb in first stitch, k122, kfb in last stitch
continue this pattern of increasing in the first and last stitch until you get to ~146 stitches (depending on how low you want the front corners to go)Continue knitting odd rows and purling even rows until you reach the desired length for the body.
Pick up the stitches on one of the sleeves using short circular needles, removing the different colored yarn if you used it. Decrease by 1 stitch every couple of rows until you get to around 28-30 stitches or whatever feels comfortable – this will make the sleeves more narrow, so try it on your arm and see what looks and feels good for the width. You can even skip the decreases if you want wider sleeves. I didn’t decrease too much because it would interfere with the airy look, but I didn’t want them super flappy because it would be uncomfortable, so find a good balance for you. Repeat with second sleeve.
After I made this cardigan and wore it a few times, I realized that it was constantly falling off my shoulders and the front was unflattering. So I took it apart up to the sleeves (because I didn’t want to redo the sleeves, I only redid the bottom portion) and reduced the number of increases. For the shoulder part, I folded the fabric at the neck for pleated look that reduced the width. These corrections are already reflected in the pattern above so that it can be done right the first time. If you are worried about it or need it to be in a smaller size, you can also use slightly smaller needles. I also knit very loosely, so that could be a factor as well.
If you try it out and have issues, let me know in the comments. I would be happy to help.
You can also find this project and this pattern on Ravelry.
