How to knit the Dalia Cardigan for beginners

Hello hello!

New week, new pattern!

I’m super excited, this week’s pattern is one of my favourites. The Dalia cardigan!

This is the first time that I have come out of my comfort zone and designed a garment.

Pin now, knit later!

I previously designed a crochet cardigan, very simple and classic. But I think this time is different for some reason, haha!

This cardigan is very simple to knit, we work with panels, which makes it super easy to understand its construction of it.

Throughout the pattern, I will be giving you tips on how to adapt certain parts so you can customize them a little bit.

Keep in mind, this cardigan is designed to fit oversized, so there’s no need to make a size up unless you want it extra-oversized. What you can totally customize is the length.

It is made with Bulky weight yarn, which makes it extra cozy and warm, perfect for the fall/winter.

I used a blend of acrylic and wool and let me tell you, IT IS WARM!

With that being said, if you don’t want a super extra warm cardigan, go for 100% acrylic.

I wanted to make this cardigan size inclusive. You will find sizes XS/S, M/L, XL/XXL, 3XL/4XL.

And as always I will leave the link to the ad-free printable pattern PDF down below, so you can purchase it and download it right on your phone and knit it on the go!

More knitting patterns

Stitches you should know

• Cast on
• Knit stitch
• Purl stitch
• Decrease (knit two stitches together)
• Bind off

Materials

• Category 5 Bulky weight yarn. A total of:

XS/S 750 grams/750 meters

M/L 880 grams/880 meters

XL/XXL 1.060 grams/1.060 meters

3XL/4XL 1.220 grams/1.220 meters

• 8 mm circular knitting needles with a 48″ cable. The longer the better.
• Scissors
• Tapestry Needle
• Locking stitch markers

Gauge

Stockinette 4″ x 4″ = 10 stitches x 15 rows

Abbreviations

All CJ Design patterns are written in standard US terms

• CO– Cast on
• BO– Bind Off
• Dec– Decrease
• K– Knit
• P– Purl
• PM– Place Marker
• Rep– Repeat
• RS– Right Side
• St(s)– Stitch(es)
• WS– Wrong side

Pattern

Back panel

Cast on accordingly: XS/S(M/L, XL/XXL, 3XL/4XL)

CO 63(72, 84, 93)

Ribbing

Row 1: *K2, P1. Rep from * to end of row.

Row 2: *K1, P2. Rep from * to end of row.

Row 3: Rep row 1.

Row 4: Rep row 2.

Row 5: Rep row 1.

Row 6: Rep row 2.

Body

Row 7 (RS): K all the way across.

Row 8 (WS): P all the way across.

Alternate rows 7 and 8 until row 69(67, 70, 68).

PM in row 69(67, 70, 68) on each side of your work.

Continue alternating rows 7 and 8 until row 94(94, 100, 100).

PM on both sides of your work in the last row of the back panel.

Front panels

Right Panel

Now we are going to separate the work into 3 in order to work the right and left panels.

Body

Row 1: K 24(27, 33, 36) and place the rest of the stitches on a spare cord or strand of yarn.

Row 2: P all the way across.

Row 3: K all the way across.

Row 4: P all the way across.

Rep rows 3 and 4 until row 88(88, 94, 94).

Note: PM in row 26(28, 31, 33).

Ribbing:

Row 89(89, 95, 95): *K2, P1. Rep from * to end of row.

Row 90(90, 96, 96): *K1, P2. Rep from * to end of row.

Row 91(91, 97, 97): Rep row 89(89, 95, 95)

Row 92(92, 98, 98): Rep row 90(90, 96, 96)

Row 93(93, 99, 99): Rep row 89(89, 95, 95)

Row 94(94, 100, 100): Rep row 90(90, 96, 96)

Row 95(95, 99, 101): BO.

Now let’s go back to the sts that we had on hold.

In the spare cable/strand you should have 39(45, 51, 54) sts.

From left to right, leave 15(18, 18, 21) sts on hold (these sts will be part of the collar).

The remaining 24(27, 33, 36) will be for the left panel.

Left Panel

From right to left, RS facing you:

Body

Row 1 (RS): K 24(27, 33, 36) all the way across

Row 2 (WS): P all the way across.

Row 3: K all the way across.

Row 4: P all the way across.

Rep rows 3 and 4 until row 88(88, 94, 94).

Note: PM in row 26(28, 31, 33).

Ribbing:

Row 89(89, 95, 95): *K2, P1. Rep from * to end of row.

Row 90(90, 96, 96): *P2, K1. Rep from * to end of row.

Row 91(91, 97, 97): Rep row 89(89, 95, 95)

Row 92(92, 98, 98): Rep row 90(90, 96, 96)

Row 93(93, 99, 99): Rep row 89(89, 95, 95)

Row 94(94, 100, 100): Rep row 90(90, 96, 96)

Row 95(95, 101, 101): BO.

This is how the body should be looking, with stitch markers in place.

We are done with the panels! Keep going, you’re almost there!

Make the collar

In order to knit the collar, you will need the longest cable that you have.

We are going to pick up stitches from both panels and the neckline.

Starting at bottom of the right front, and with the right side facing up, pick up 94(94, 100, 100) sts evenly up the right front panel (1 stitch per row), 15(18, 18, 21) sts around back neck, and 94(94, 100, 100) sts down the left front for a total of 201(210, 216, 225) sts.

If you are a little bit confused, I will leave a video tutorial here:

Once you have picked up all the stitches, you can now start knitting the collar.

Row 1: P2 *K1, P2. Rep from * to end of row.

Row 2: K2, *P1, K2. Rep from * to end of row.

Repeat rows 1 and 2, 2(3, 4, 5) more times for a total of 6(8, 10, 12) rows.

Row 7(9, 11, 13): BO (make sure to BO very tight).

Note: If you want a wider collar, knit more rows!

Make the sleeves x 2

Now we are going to use the stitch markers placed in the back and front panels as guides.

From one stitch marker to the other, you will have to pick up stitches the same way we did for the collar.

Start with the right sleeve. From right to left, with the wrong side facing up, pick up a total of 52(56, 62, 66) sts.

Knit the sleeve:

Row 1 (WS): P all the way across.

Row 2 (RS): K all the way across.

Continue alternating rows 1 and 2 until row 37(39, 41, 41).

Row 38(40, 42, 42): *K2, Dec. Rep from * to end of row (if working sizes XS/S or M/L) or remaining 2 sts (if working sizes XL/XXL or 3XL/4XL). K2. You should end up with 39(42, 47, 50) sts on your needles.

Row 39(41, 43, 43): P all the way across.

Row 40(42, 44, 44): *K2, Dec. Rep from * to the last 3(6,3, 6) sts. K 3(6, 3, 6). You should have 30(33, 36, 39) sts.

Row 41(43,45,45): P all the way across.

Ribbing

Row 42(44, 46, 46): *K2, P1. Rep from * to end of row.

Row 43(45, 47, 47): *P2, K1. Rep from * to end of row.

Rep rows 42(44, 46, 46) and 43(45, 47, 47) for a total of 11 rows.

Row 53(55, 57, 57): BO.

Before cutting off the yarn, leave a very long tail to seam at the end.

Now rep this process with the left sleeve.

Make the pockets x 2

CO 23

Row 1: *K2, P1. Rep from * to last 2 sts, K2.

Row 2: *P2, K1. Rep from * to last 2 sts, P2.

Row 3: Rep row 1.

Rep 4: Rep row 2.

Row 5: Rep row 1.

Row 6: Rep row 2.

Row 7 (RS): K all the way across.

Row 8 (WS): P all the way across.

Rep rows 7 and 8 until row 29.

Row 30: BO.

Start seaming!

This is how your cardigan should be looking unseamed:

Using the mattress stitch method, start from the sleeve, all the way up and down the side of your cardigan.

Now you have to seam the pockets. I recommend using the mattress stitch for the sides of your pockets and the shoulder seam method for the bottom.

Please note: This is a free pattern, if you find a mistake in the pattern please let me know. Thank you!

I hope you guys enjoyed this pattern, I had so much fun designing it! If you liked it as well, don’t forget to share this pattern with your friends and family and please tag me on social media if you make it. You can find me at @CJ.dsgn on Instagram. You can also use the hashtag #DaliaCardigan so we can all see your beautiful creations!

Happy Knitting! – Dani <3