View Royal Cardigan

I'm taking a break from Rugged Knits patterns this week to talk about a new cardigan I've got out! View Royal is an indie pattern that I originally designed for the Neighborhood Fiber Outerloop Sweater Club, but I'm happy to have gotten the rights back to it just in time for sweater weather. I've gotten the hang of talking about the different elements of a pattern through my Rugged Knits pattern highlights, though, so I'm going to keep that format for this one.




CONSTRUCTION
- It's worked bottom-up with just enough seams to keep everything stable. The body is worked in one piece and split at the underarms to work back and fronts separately. The sleeves are worked in the round to the sleeve cap, then back and forth to get that lovely set-in sleeve shape.

- The shoulders are joined using 3-needle bind-off and the sleeve caps are sewn in using mattress stitch. This allows a very neat, trim fit and adds stability where it's needed most.

- Cast-on and bind-off edges are tubular for that perfect ribbed edge.

- Colorwork cuffs add feminine drama to the whole sweater.

- The neckline is trimmed with I-cord, making a clean finish.

FIT
- The intended fit is pretty standard: 2-4 in/5-10 cm of positive ease. The sweater in the pictures is the 34 in/86.5 cm and fits me with 3 in/7.5 cm of ease.

- Set-in sleeve caps, waist shaping and short row shoulder shaping create a flattering, feminine fit.

YARN
The yarn I used in this pattern is Neighborhood Fiber Skyline Aran, which was a special base created just for Neighborhood Fiber's sweater club this year. If you weren't a part of the club, you'll probably need to substitute. Skyline Aran is actually classified as a bulky with a recommended gauge of 3-4 sts = 1 in/2.5 cm. It's 100% Targhee wool and is a plied, round, bouncy yarn.

TIPS FOR SUBSTITUTING
- Choose something with resilience/bounce since the fabric is fairly heavy and the pattern doesn't include side seams. I recommend using wool or a wool blend.

- Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Chunky could be a good alternative. It's a superwash merino, so the fiber isn't exactly the same, but the construction is really similar and it comes in gorgeous colors.

- For a more rustic look, Imperial Yarn Columbia would be a great option. It's tweedy, but soft and buttery. (My Valley Trail Pullover is a colorwork sweater worked at the same gauge in this yarn.)

- Hinterland Range is a yarn I'm really in love with right now. It's a 50/50 wool/alpaca blend, so it has a lovely halo, and it's woolen spun, so it's light and blooms like nothing I've ever seen. It comes in gorgeous natural colors and the fibre is grown and spun here in Canada. (The alpaca fibre is actually from my friend's alpaca farm here in Victoria!)

- Quince & Co. Osprey is another option. It's a bit more loosely spun and just has 2 plies, but it's a lovely, soft yarn in a beautiful color palette.

MY FAVORITE DETAIL
I love the placement of the colorwork cuff detail. It's particularly fun that the gauge is pretty chunky so the colorwork is at a bigger scale than you often see.

GENERAL TIPS
Be sure to swatch in both colorwork and Stockinette. A lot of knitters need to use a larger needle in colorwork to maintain gauge.

Be sure to use the hashtags #ViewRoyalCardigan and #AndreaRangelKnits when you post pics of your Wheat Creek projects!

UPCOMING EVENTS
I'm teaching at Knit City in Vancouver October 1-2, 2016. There are still spots to sign up for my classes on pi shawls and yarn substitution! Click here to sign up.

I'll also be at Knit Fit in Seattle November 12-13, 2016. I'm teaching two new classes, one on cables and one on colorwork, and if you missed out taking finishing at Knit City, you can take it in Seattle! Click here to sign up!

PATTERN DETAILS

Finished Measurements
Bust Circumference: 34 (38, 42, 46, 50, 54, 58) in/86.5 (96.5, 106.5, 117, 127, 137, 147.5) cm

Intended to be worn with +2–4 in/5–10 cm of ease at bust for standard fit; shown in size 34 in/86.5 cm with +3 in/7.5 cm of ease on model

Yarn
Aran weight yarn in two colors:

Main Color: 1010 (1129, 1248, 1367, 1486, 1605, 1723) yd/924 (1032, 1141, 1250, 1359, 1468, 1576) m
Contrast Color: 75 (75, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95) yd/69 (69, 69, 73, 78, 82, 87) m

Shown in Neighborhood Fiber Company Skyline Aran (100% Targhee Wool; 210 yd/192 m per 4oz/114 g skein) in Esquimalt (MC): 5 (5, 6, 7, 8, 8, 9) skeins and Roland Park (CC): 1 skein

Needles
Needle sizes are recommendations only; always use needle size necessary to achieve given gauge.

32 in/80 cm circular needle:
Needle A: US #7/4.5 mm, Needle B: US #8/5 mm

Set double-pointed needles (dpns), long circular for magic loop method, or two circular needles (preferred small- circumference circular knitting method):

Needle C: US #7/4.5 mm, Needle D: US #8/5 mm, Needle E: US #9/5.5 mm (optional for color work)

spare 32 in/80 cm or longer circular needle in the same size or slightly smaller than Needle A (for tubular BO): 2 US #7/4.5 mm dpns for I-Cord Neckline Edging

Notions
waste yarn
7 stitch markers
tapestry needle
seven .75 in/2 cm buttons needle and thread

Gauge
Gauge measurement should be taken after blocking.
16 sts/24 rnds = 4 in/10 cm in St st and stranded Stitch Pattern with Needle B or D (suggested size US #8/5 mm)

See it on Ravelry



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