How to Knit a Cabled Sweater: FREE Pattern! / Tortured Poets Department Cardigan
How to Knit a Cabled Sweater: FREE Pattern!
AKA Knitting The Tortured Poets Department Cardigan
Hello knitting friends! In this post, you will find a one-size pattern I created for a cabled cardigan AND step-by-step instructions on how to design your own cabled cardigan! Please keep in mind: the pattern itself is for one size only. It's designed to fit a 42" bust with 6" of positive ease. You can easily adjust the size and fit, however, by following the steps below in the "How to Knit Your Own Cardigan" section. You can see me walk you through adjusting the sizing in my YouTube video here. Alternatively, you could use smaller or larger needles and a thinner/thicker yarn.
I hope you find this pattern helpful, and if you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment here or on my YouTube channel, and I'll be happy to help!
Cable Notes
You will choose whatever cables you wish in whichever pattern you desire for your cardigan. I chose to make mine resemble Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Department cardigan so set up my cables to mimic it. If you are new to knitting cables and need help determining how many stitches make up each cable, there are many channels on YouTube strictly dedicated to teaching different cabled stitch patterns. Books on knitting Aran sweaters/cables are great resources too!
Wide Cable
(Worked over a multiple of 6 sts)
CO 10 sts
Row 1 (RS): p2, k6, p2
Row 2 (WS): k2, p6, k2
Row 3: p2, k6, p2
Row 4: k2, p6, k2
Row 5: p2, sl 3 sts onto CN and hold at front of work, k3 sts, k3 sts on CN, p2
Repeat Rows 1-5 for however long you desire your cable to be.
Narrow Cable
(Worked over a multiple of 4 sts)
CO 8 sts
Row 1 (RS): p2, k4, p2
Row 2 (WS): k2, p4, k2
Row 3: p2, k4, p2
Row 4: k2, p4, k2
Row 5: p2, sl 2 sts to CN and hold in front, k2, k2 from CN, p2
Repeat Rows 1-5 for however long you desire your cable to be.
Braid Cable
(Worked over a multiple of 8 sts)
CO 8 sts
Row 1 (RS): p2, k6, p2
Row 2 (WS): k2, p6, k2
Row 3: p2, sl 2 sts CN and hold in front, k2, k2 from CN, k2, p2
Row 4: k2, p6, k2
Row 5: p2, k6, p2
Row 6: k2, p6, k2
Row 7: p2, k2, sl 2 sts from CN and hold in BACK, k2, k2 from CN, p2
Repeat Rows 1-7 for however long you wish your cables to be.
Diamond Cable
(Worked over a multiple of 22 sts)
CO 22 sts
Row 1 (RS): p6 k2, p1, k4, p1, k2 p6
Row 2 (WS): k6, p2, k1, p4, k1, p2, k6
Rows 3-4: Repeat Rows 1-2
Row 5: p6, sl 5 sts to CN and hold in FRONT of work (2 k sts, 1 p st, 2 k sts), k2, p1, k2, then k2, p1, k2 from CN, p6
Row 6: k6, p2, k1, p4, k1, p2, k6
Row 7 (RS): p5, sl 1 pw on CN and hold in BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, sl 1 kw on CN and hold in FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, sl 2 kw on CN, p1, k2 from CN, p5
Row 8 (WS): Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 9: p4, sl 1 pw on CN and hold in BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, p2, sl 2 kw on CN and hold in FRONT of work, p1, k2, from CN, sl 2 kw on CN, p1, k2 from CN, p4
Row 10: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 11: p3, sl 1 pw on CN and hold in BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, p 4, sl 2 kw on CN and hold in FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, sl 2 kw on CN, p1, k2 from CN, p3
Row 12: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 13: p2, sl 1 pw on CN and hold in BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, p6, sl 2 kw on CN and hold in FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, sl 2 kw on CN, p1, k2 from CN, p2
Row 14: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 15: p1, sl 1 pw on CN and hold in BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN , sl pw on CN and hold in BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, p8, sl 2 kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, sl 2 kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, p1
Row 16: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 17: sl 1 pw on CN and hold in BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, sl 1 pw and hold in BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, p10, sl 2 kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, sl 2 kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN
Row 18: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 19 (RS): Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 20 (WS): Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 21: sl 3 sts to CN and hold in FRONT of work (2 k sts, 1 p st), k2, p1, then k2, p1 from CN, p10, sl 3 sts to CN and hold in BACK of work (2 ksts, 1p st), p1 k2, then p1, k2 from CN
Row 22: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 23: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 24: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 25 (RS): sl 2 sts kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, sl 2 sts kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, p10, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN
Row 26 (WS): Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 27: p1,sl 2 sts kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, sl 2 sts kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, p8, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, p1
Row 28: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 29: p2, sl 2 sts kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, sl 2 sts kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, p6, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, p2
Row 30: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 31: p3,sl 2 sts kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, sl 2 sts kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, p4, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, p3
Row 32: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 33: p4, sl 2 sts kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, sl 2 sts kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, p2, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, p4
Row 34: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 35 (RS): p5, sl 2 sts kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, sl 2 sts kw to FRONT of work, p1, k2 from CN, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, sl 1 pw to BACK of work, k2, p1 from CN, p5
Row 36: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Row 37 (RS): p6, sl 5 sts to CN and hold in FRONT of work (2 k sts, 1 p st, 2 k sts), k2, p1, k2, then k2, p1, k2 from CN, p6
Row 38: Reverse Stockinette Stitch the stitches across (meaning knit the k sts and purl the p sts)
Repeat Rows 5-38 for however long you wish your cables to be.
How to Knit Your Own Cardigan Pattern!
If you wish to design your own cabled cardigan or simply wish to knit the exact same pattern but in a different size, follow the two steps in this section. If you wish to knit my exact pattern, simply skip to the My Cardigan Pattern Section.
Step 1 - Gauge Swatch
This swatch is going to serve as your guide and is a vital step. You
cannot skip it. It will tell you how many stitches you need to cast on.
Make a gauge swatch of one pattern repeat plus 4 selvedge sts (2 for each side) of your sweater. A pattern repeat consists of one group of cables that you plan on having across your cardigan. For example, my cardigan repeats the following pattern across for a total of 3 times: wide cable/rib stitches, diamond cable, wide cable. I therefore made a swatch of just one wide cable/rib stitches, one diamond cable, one wide cable. (See the example photo below.)
To determine how many stitches you need to cast on for your gauge swatch, add up the number of stitches it takes to make each cable plus the number of purl stitches you want to include between each cable. For my pattern, I had the following numbers: 2 selvedge sts + 6 sts (wide cable/ribbed) + 22 sts (the diamond cable) + 2 purl sts (the gap between cables) + 6 sts (the wide cable) + 2 selvedge sts=40 sts to cast on for gauge swatch.
Knit in your desired cable pattern until all your repeats have been completed to get a full cable pattern as imaged above.
Now, measure the width of your gauge before and after you block it.
For my swatch, I had the following:
Preblocked: 6 inches wide
Blocked: 7.5 inches wide.
This told me that my sweater would grow in width 1.5 inches upon blocking. This is important because it informs you how oversized your sweater will be when finished knitting.
Step 2 - Determine Number of Cast On Stitches
The following consists of multiple steps to complete Step 2. Read the instructions carefully and remember to see the video for a visual representation!
a) Take the sweater/cardigan that is the desired fit you are modeling and measure the back width of that sweater. Write that number down.
b) If your gauge swatch grew upon blocking, determine whether you want an oversized fit or a more accurate fit to the sweater you're modeling. If you want an oversized fit, you will use the preblocked measurements for the following steps. If you want a fit that resembles the closest to the sweater you're modeling, use the blocked number for the following steps.
c) Now, we determine how many pattern repeats we'll need to get your desired width. To do this, multiply your blocked measurement number by the desired number of inches from the sweater you're modeling.
For example, my gauge number that I went with was the preblocked measurement of 6 inches. My desired width of the modeled sweater was 24 inches. So, if one pattern repeat of 42 sts is 6 inches, this means I need 4 pattern repeats totaling 168 sts to get 24" (7stsx24in.=168 sts).
Regardless of your cable patterns and sts per inch, use this formula to help you determine how many stitches to cast on:
total number of sts for one pattern repeat / the gauge swatch inches in width x inches in width of finished garment
Example: 42 sts/6 inches = 7 sts per inch x 24 inches=168 sts
If designing your own sweater or knitting a different size of the following pattern, you will use this same formula/steps for determining the stitch counts of the front panels and the sleeves.
My Cardigan Pattern
Remember that this pattern is written for one size only. To make this pattern fit your desired measurements, either use the gauge steps above or, alternatively use a larger/smaller sized needle and yarn. Remember that the latter will affect the finished the fabric of your cardigan.
Supplies
3.75mm circular needles 32"-60" cord
4.5mm circular needles 32"-60" cord
4.5mm double pointed needles set (optional as you can use magic loop method for sleeves)
DK weight/ lightweight /weight #3 yarn
Back Panel
Using 3.75mm needles, cast on 170 sts in whichever cast on method you prefer (I used the thumb cast on.)
Rows 1: Work 1x1 ribbing (k1, p1) across.
Rows 2-18: Work 1x1 ribbing (k1, p1) across.
Row 19: Switch to 4.5mm needles and k across all sts. From now on, the first and last st of every row will always be a k st.
Row 20 WS: Now we will set up our cable st pattern: k1 (selvedge st; remember that the first and last st of every row from now on will always be knit), k2, p2, k2, p2 (rib sts), k3, p6 (wide cable), k3, p6 (wide cable), k8, p2, k1, p4, k1, p2, k8 (diamond cable), k3, p6 (wide cable), k8, p2, k1, p4, k1, p2, k8 (diamond cable), p6 (wide cable), k8, p2, k1, p4, k1, p2, k8 (diamond cable), p6 (wide cable), k3, p6 (wide cable), p3, p2 k2, p2, k2 (rib sts), k1 (selvedge st)
Row 21 RS: Knit in the various cable patterns across: selvedge st, rib sts, wide cable, wide cable, diamond cable, wide cable, diamond cable, wide cable, diamond cable, wide cable, wide cable, rib sts, selvedge st. Check the Cable Notes above for instructions on how to knit the different cables.
Work in pattern until you have knit 3.5 diamond patterns across (see image/diagram).
half diamond
3 diamond
2 diamond
1 diamond
The back is now finished but do not bind off. Instead, leave sts on a either a stitch cord or a scrap piece of yarn so you can join the pieces later in a 3 needle bind off.
Left Front Panel
Using 3.5mm needles, CO 70 sts.
Row 1: k1, p1 rib across
Rows 2-18: k1, p1 rib across
Switch to 4.5mm needles.
Row 19: k across every st
Row 20 (WS): Now we will set up our cable pattern: p2 (selvedge sts), k3, p6 (wider cable), k3, k7, p2, k1, p2, p2, k1, p2, k7 (diamond cable), k3, p6 (braid cable), k3, p4 (narrow cable), k2, p4 (narrow cable), k2, p4 (narrow cable), k2, p2 (selvedge sts).
Row 21 (RS): Work in established cable patterns across (see cable notes above for individual steps).
Work in pattern across until you have two complete diamonds (see image/diagram).
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| You will end at the blue circle. |
Now we will begin the v-neck shaping.We will begin by first decreasing the braid cable then one of the narrow cables. Place a st marker 1 st after the braid cable.
Decrease row (RS): Work in pattern until you are 2 sts before your st marker, p2tg, slip the st marker, work in pattern across remaining sts.
Next row (WS): Work in pattern, making sure to slip the marker when you come to it.
Continue working in pattern and repeat the decrease row every 4 rows until the braid cable and one narrow cable are omitted from the pattern. When all decreases are complete, you have completed the front panel. DO NOT bind off.
Leave sts on a st cable or a scrap piece of yarn since you will join the pieces later with the three needles bind off.
Right Front Panel
Work as for the left front, reversing all pattern sts and shaping. If you are unfamiliar with this term, see this short YouTube tutorial or this article from Lion Brand yarns.
Join Shoulders and Sides
When back and front panels have been completed, join the pieces a 3 needle bind off.
After the pieces are joined, drape the garment across your body and see how deep you wish your arm holes to be. Place a st marker at the bottom of each desired arm hole to mark the end of the sides/beginning of arm hole. Using a crochet hook, sl st the sides together up to the marker. You can also sew the sides with a darning needle if preferred.
Sleeves (make 2)
The sleeves are worked from the top down. Using either 4.5 mm small circular needles or double pointed needles, pick up 86 sts evenly around.
Round 1 (set up row): p2, k6 (braid cable), p2, k4 (narrow cable), p2, k6 (wide cable), p13, k2, p1, k4, p1, k2, p13 (diamond cable), k6, p2 (wide cable), p2, k4, (narrow cable), p2, k6 (braid cable), p2, k6 (braid cable).
Round 2: Work in pattern around using the Cable Notes above.
Work in pattern until the sleeves are as long as you wish BEFORE you knit 18 rows of ribbing. Try on sleeves as you go to make sure you get the right length and remember that SLEEVES GROW when blocking. I always knit my sleeves slightly shorter than intended before the ribbing to be safe.
Decrease round: When sleeves reach the desired length before the 18 rows of ribbing, k in every st around and evenly decrease with k2tg until 60 sts rem on your needles.
Ribbing: With 60 sts on your needles, k1, p1 rib around for a total of 18 rounds.
When the ribbing is complete bind off with an Italian 1x1 bind off.
Button Band
Step 1: Using either a 40"-60" (4.5mm) circular needle or 2 circular needles (4.5mm) evenly pick up sts around the cardigan. For my tension, I picked up sts every row but some knitters may have to pick up sts every other row. Regardless of how many sts you pick up, just remember that you want the button band to lie flat. When all sts have been picked up, cut the yarn leaving a tail to weave in ends later.
Step 2: We will now use the Join as You Go Method for the button band. Using either a double pointed needle (4.5mm) or a short circular needle (4.5mm), cast on 14 sts. Knit across the first 13 sts on this needle. When 1 st remains, you will join these sts to your cardigan by slipping the last st on this needle over the first st of the button band sts you picked up. (For a more detailed tutorial on this, check out this video here.) TURN you work because we are knitting in rows.
Step 3: Slip first st, k across. Turn.
Step 4: k to last st on needle, slip the last st, k 1 st from button band, pass sl st over, turn.
Repeat Steps 3-4 alternating between 3 rows of Garter St and 3 rows of Stockinette St adding button holes where desired until all button band sts are worked. To see how I figured out where to put my button holes, check out my video here.
Bind off as if to knit.
Block finished garment as desired.
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