Patternum Novum: Asteria Cardigan

When Melinda of Tess' Designer Yarns asked if I would be willing to design a simple cardigan with her scrumptious Bella yarn, I jumped at the opportunity. I had purchased a precious skein of this yarn at last year's Stitches West so knew how soft and lovely it was (wool, silk, and alpaca - yum!) and, since I hadn't had a chance to knit it up yet, I was excited to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, things took a little longer than planned (my whole first trimester left me feeling pretty exhausted and icky overall, so there was not a ton of knitting going on), but once I started, I did not want to put it down. What resulted is the cardigan below, Asteria*.



Asteria - $6.00 via Ravelry (no account is needed) or the Tess' Designer Yarns website



Sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL)

Finished Measurements: 30 (34, 38, 42, 46, 50, 54)” bust

Yarn Requirements: Tess’ Designer Yarns Bella (70% Superwash Merino Wool, 20% Silk, 10% Alpaca; 165 yards per 150g skein), 3 (4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6) skeins or 485 (550, 615, 680, 745, 810, 875) yards / 445 (505, 560, 620, 680, 740, 800) meters of a bulky weight yarn

Needles: US 10 (6.0 mm) circular needle (length depends on size made) and same size of needles preferred for working sleeves in the round

Gauge: 14 stitches and 19 rows = 4 inches in Stockinette Stitch



Asteria is a simple cardi inspired by the shape of a Chanel-style jacket. The body and sleeves include no shaping to give it that almost-boxy look. But it's long enough to not be too boxy, and knitting it with no/negative ease in the bust gives it some shape. The sleeves are set in...



But everything is knit in one piece (bottom-up) after the sleeves are joined for a completely seamless construction. I liked the idea of lace in this thick, bulky-weight yarn, so a border of Bead Stitch lines the entire piece. It's a pretty quick and simple knit, but it will keep you on your toes as there are some different sets of shaping going on at the same time.



*For those who are curious, asteria is modern Greek for "stars", and Ancient Greek for "starry". When the time came to name this pattern, the Giants had just won the pennant and I wanted to tie that in somehow. Well, Asteria was an Amazon warrior killed by Herakles (not necessarily a Giantess, but, you know...pretty tall) -- add to that the starry shape of the Bead Stitch lace and the fact that I think it is amongst the prettiest of Greek words and it was a done deal.


Yep, there's the bump. :)