Beryl Cardigan - Knitting Pattern For Women in Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino

Beryl Cardigan Knitting Pattern for Women – Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino

The Beryl Cardigan is a beautifully crafted women's knitting pattern designed by Debbie Bliss and worked in Baby Cashmerino yarn. This sophisticated, seamed cardigan features an elegant combination of cable detailing and colourwork accents, making it a rewarding project for advanced knitters looking for a garment with real visual impact and technical depth. The pattern is available as a downloadable PDF and covers four sizes to fit bust measurements ranging from 82–87 cm (32–34 in) up to 112–117 cm (44–46 in), with finished bust measurements of 88 cm, 97 cm, 108 cm, and 117 cm respectively.

Garment Overview and Construction

The Beryl Cardigan is a classic women's cardigan constructed using traditional seamed, flat knitting techniques. Each piece — the back, fronts, and sleeves — is worked flat on straight needles and then joined with seams, giving the finished garment excellent structure and a polished, professional finish. The body length measures between 51 cm and 57 cm depending on size, and the sleeve length is a consistent 46 cm (18 in) across all sizes. The front bands are finished with 9 small buttons, adding a neat, tailored closure.

Techniques Used

• Cable knitting: The Beryl Cardigan incorporates cable stitch patterns worked with a cable needle, creating the twisted, rope-like textures that are central to the garment's design. Cables are a classic knitting technique in which stitches are held temporarily on a cable needle and then crossed over one another to produce intricate braided effects.
• Seamed construction: All pieces are worked flat and then seamed together, a traditional method that produces a structured, durable garment with clearly defined shaping.
• Worked flat: The pattern is knitted back and forth in rows on straight needles rather than in the round, which is the standard approach for seamed cardigans.
• Make One (M1) increases: Shaping is achieved using the M1 technique — picking up and working into the back of the loop lying between stitches — for clean, nearly invisible increases.
• MB (Make Bobble): The pattern includes a bobble stitch, worked by knitting into the front and back of a stitch multiple times to create a decorative raised bobble, adding textural interest to the design.
• Colourwork accents: The pattern calls for multiple colours of Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino, suggesting the use of contrast colour detailing or striping to complement the main cable pattern.

Stitches Used

• Stocking stitch (st st): Used as the base fabric in sections of the garment, worked as knit on right-side rows and purl on wrong-side rows.
• Cable stitches: The main pattern stitch incorporates cables, creating the signature textured surface of the Beryl Cardigan.
• Bobble stitch (MB): A decorative stitch created by working multiple times into a single stitch to form a raised bobble on the fabric surface.
• Knit (k) and Purl (p): The fundamental stitches underlying all elements of the pattern.

Tension and Gauge

Achieving the correct tension is essential for this pattern. The stated tension is 25 stitches and 34 rows to 10 cm (4 in) over stocking stitch using 3.25 mm (US 3) needles, and 26 stitches and 34 rows to 10 cm (4 in) over the main cable pattern using the same needle size. Knitters are strongly advised to work a tension swatch before beginning, as even small differences in gauge can significantly affect the finished size of the garment.

Materials Required

• Yarn: Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in four colours:
  • Silver 12 – the main colour, requiring