Nurturing Cardi

See all patterns in No-Sew Knits.

The Nurturing Cardi is a simple boxy sweater designed as a cozy top layer. The body is worked in one piece straight up to the underarms. Underarm stitches are bound off then the back and fronts are worked separately to the shoulders where they are joined with a three-needle bind-off. There is no complex shaping in the body, making it easy to work a lace pattern. The modified drop sleeve caps are picked up around the armhole edge, shaped with a few short-rows then worked in the round from the underarm to the cuff, decreasing along the way. Both the lace and the ribbing are established in multiples of 6 stitches plus 2, so they can be interchanged with any of the stitch patterns used in this chapter of No-Sew Knits. The possibilities for this sweater are endless.

Finished Measurements:
About 29 (33½, 38½, 43, 48, 53, 57½)" bust circumference

Yarn Requirements:
Blue Sky Alpaca's Skinny Cotton
100% organic cotton; 65 gram skein = approx 150 yards
• 6 (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) skeins of #30 birch

Knitting Needles:
Size U.S. 6 (4 mm): 32" (80 cm) circular needles and set of 4 or 5 double-pointed. Or size needed to obtain gauge.

Notions:
Markers; holders or waste yarn; tapestry needle.

Gauge: 20 sts and 31 rows = 4" (10 cm) in lace patt; 25 sts and 30 rnds = 4" (10 cm) in k4, p2 ribbing when slightly stretched.