Inspired by both fair isle knitting and Bohus Stickning, I had to play with some stranded color knitting after doing a lot of one-color projects. This is the perfect cropped cardi that will transition from warm weather to cold, or vice versa. Although the body is cropped, you can add length before beginning the charted patterns. But if you do that, make sure to purchase extra of the main color.
The body is worked back and forth in one piece from the bottom up, then divided at the bottom of the armholes. The shoulders are shaped using German short-rows, then the stitches joined using Three-Needle Bind-Off. The sleeves are worked in the round from the cuff up, then after beginning the sleeve cap, work progresses by working back and forth.
This is a piece geared for advanced-level knitters because there are multiple things going on at the same time - determining beginning/ending points for charts, shaping the neckline, dividing the front/back and shaping the armholes. The neckband is worked in corrugated rib, with a variation of the One-Row Buttonhole worked using both colors.
Finished Measurements:
Bust: 37 1/4 (41 1/4, 45 1/4, 49 1/2, 53 1/2, 57 3/4, 61 3/4, 66)“ / 94.5 (105, 115, 125.5, 136, 146.5, 157, 167.5) cm
Length: 20 (20 3/4, 21 1/2, 22 1/4, 23, 23 3/4, 24 1/2, 25 1/4)” / 51 (52.5, 54.5, 56.5, 58.5, 60.5, 62, 64) cm
Yarn needed:
MC, 3 (3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5) skeins, and all contrast colors, 1 skein of each
MC (#16 Sand): 621 (697, 773, 863, 940, 1022, 1100, 1170) yds / 568 (637, 707, 789, 860, 935, 1006, 1070) m
CC1 (#20 Cactus): 72 (80, 89, 100, 109, 118, 127, 135) yds / 66 (73, 81, 91, 100, 108, 116, 123) m
CC2 (#28 Antique Moss): 62 (70, 77, 86, 94, 102, 110, 117) yds / 57 (64, 70, 79, 86, 93, 101, 107) m
CC3 (#42 Ginger): 48 (54, 60, 67, 73, 80, 86, 91) yds / 44 (49, 55, 61, 67, 73, 79, 83) m
CC4 (#10 Navy): 15 (16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28) yds / 14 (15, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26) m
CC5 (#12 Green Teal): 36 (40, 45, 50, 55, 59, 64, 68) yds / 33 (37, 41, 46, 50, 54, 59, 62) m
CC6 (#35 Pine): 10 (11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19) yds / 9 (10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17) m
You’ll also need five 7/8” (22 mm) buttons.