DIY: Knit Yelena Cardigan by Amy Christoffers

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I knit myself the Yelena Cardigan by Amy Christoffers. The Yelena Cardigan is a worsted weight, beautifully textured v-neck cardigan. I was sick and stayed home from work for several days, so I was able to finish knitting this cardigan in less than four weeks!

The pattern includes six sizes, from a bust of 33″ to 50.25″. I knit size 41, as my upper bust is 40″ and I didn’t want my cardigan to have too much ease. I found that the resulting fit is spot-on. However, like some of the project notes on Ravelry had said, the sleeves are a bit long. As the sleeves are knit bottom-up and then seamed at the shoulders, it is difficult to shorten the sleeves without ripping out all your knitting! Thankfully I can fold up the twisted rib cuffs and get the sleeves to an appropriate length.

For the Yelena Cardigan, I actually knit a gauge swatch. As I’m normally a loose knitter, I usually size down my needles by 1.0 mm. However, I found that the resulting gauge was too tight, so I just sized down by 0.5 mm this time. In the end, I used 3.5 mm needles for the twisted rib and 4.0 mm needles for the body.

I decided I didn’t want quite as long a cardigan as shown in the pattern pictures. To shorten the cardigan, I knit only 2″ of twisted rib on the body instead of 2.5″. Then I followed the instructions as written for the body and sleeves. You knit the body bottom-up and flat. Once you finish knitting the body and sleeves, the shoulders are joined using the 3-needle bind-off, and the sleeves are sewn into the armscyes.

To knit the cardigan, I used Artfil Sweater in the Clair de Lune colourway. Ever since using Artfil Sweater in our Riyadh Hat pattern, I was in love. The yarn is so soft and squishy, and I yearned for a sweater knit out of it. I finally bought a sweater quantity when the yarn was on sale at Romni Wools, one of our favourite yarn shops here in Toronto. Artfil is a Quebec-based yarn dye company. They pride themselves on using methods that use 80% less water and 60% less energy than any conventional dying method. The resulting yarns are still beautifully bright and saturated, although the colourway I used is more of a subdued tonal grey.

The pattern uses granite stitch for the arms and main part of the body. Lace and cabled panels decorate the back and front sides of the cardigan. The pattern looks beautiful worked in a tonal dyed yarn. Amy Christoffers calls for Berroco Artisan, a worsted weight yarn that is 80% merino and 20% silk. I think the pattern yarn would make the resulting cardigan somewhat drapey. As I used a 100% merino yarn, I didn’t get that drape but I still got a warm, squishy garment.

I found the granite stitch pattern easy to remember once established. It’s just a sequence of knits and purls, and created a squishy texture. The lacey cables that pattern the back and front panels were also easy to memorize. It’s a 12-row, 8-stitch repeat that I could work easily once I finished the first repeat.

Get the Yelena Cardigan pattern here. The pattern is also included in the book 100 Knits: Interweave’s Ultimate Pattern Collection.

This is not the first Amy Christoffers pattern I’ve knit. Check out my other projects designed by her here:

• Riley Tee
• Lilac Wine Cowl (and free pattern!)