Kate Davies – Tìoraidh Cardigan – Knitting Kit

Kate Davies – Tìoraidh Cardigan Knitting Kit

Designed by Kate Davies – KDD & Co

Tìoraidh means cheerio in Scottish Gaelic, and Kate named it for the motif, which has something of a wave about it. A two-shade colourwork cardigan with an allover pattern running through body and sleeves, twisted rib bands, and small buttons set into an i-cord edge.

It is worked in the round almost throughout, with a steek bridge at centre front so the colourwork is always knitted on the right side. Two more steeks go in at the armscyes, the upper body is worked to the front neck, and the neckline is shaped back and forth for a few rows. The shoulders are joined with a three-needle bind off, the steeks are reinforced and cut, and the sleeves are then picked up around the armscyes and worked downwards. Twisted rib front bands and i-cord buttonholes finish it.

We have kitted this in Jamieson & Smith 2 Ply Jumper Weight, the classic Shetland jumper weight and our choice for this design in place of the yarn named in the pattern. Two-shade colourwork over a whole cardigan is what this yarn does best: it blooms when blocked, the motif evens out, and it holds three cut steeks without complaint.

Choosing your palette

Seven palettes, each a ground shade and a motif shade.

• Shetland Palette 1 · A Light Grey 203 · B Dark Navy 36
• Shetland Palette 2 · A Natural White 1A · B Dark Navy 36
• Shetland Palette 3 · A Light Fawn 202 · B Purpley Blue 131
• Shetland Palette 4 · A Natural White 1A · B Bright Pink Mix FC22
• Shetland Palette 5 · A Light Grey 203 · B Dark Fuchsia 43
• Shetland Palette 6 · A Light Grey 203 · B Dark Green 82
• Shetland Palette 7 · A Light Fawn 202 · B Dark Brown 5

We have matched Kate's palette as closely as the Jamieson & Smith range allows, but these are not the shades she used and the two yarns are different, so your cardigan will not look identical to the photographs of the original.

Skill Level: Advanced ★★★★ (4 out of 5)

Sizes: Eight sizes, 88.5 to 143.5cm / 34¾ to 56½in finished bust, measured with the front bands overlapped. See Choosing your size below.

Gauge: 30 sts x 34 rounds to 10cm (4") over colourwork in the round. Kate gives 3mm as the starting point for swatching, and notes that if your gauge tightens over small circumferences you may want to go up a size for the sleeves

The Kit Includes

• Jamieson & Smith 2 Ply Jumper Weight in the two shades of your chosen palette, in the quantities your size needs. See the table below for ball counts
• Printed pattern in English, with a code to download the digital version

You'll Also Need

• 9 to 13 small buttons, 1cm / ½in, the number depending on the length you knit the cardigan to
• Gauge-size and below gauge-size circular needles in lengths to suit the body and neck
• Two spare gauge-size needles for the three-needle bind off
• Gauge-size and below gauge-size needles of your preferred type for the sleeves
• A gauge-size double-pointed needle for the buttonholes
• Needles two sizes below gauge size for the front bands
• 6 stitch markers
• Waste yarn for holding stitches
• Wool needle

Choosing your size

Choose a size above your actual bust measurement, with the ease you want. The sample is knitted in the second size. Ball counts are built into the price of each size.

Ball counts are calculated for the lengths in the table. If you want to add length, order an extra ball in each shade.

Techniques used

• Two-shade stranded colourwork, worked from a chart
• Steeks at centre front and both armscyes, reinforced and cut
• Reading the chart both ways for the few rows worked back and forth at the neck
• Neck shaping worked in pattern, slanting toward the steek line
• Three-needle bind off at the shoulders
• Sleeves picked up around the armscyes and worked top down
• Twisted rib at hem, cuffs, neck and front bands
• i-cord bind off on the bands, with i-cord buttonholes

Kate's steek tutorials are on the KDD site if you want to read up on a method before you cut.

Why You'll Love It

• An allover motif that carries through body and sleeves without becoming busy
• Real Shetland wool from Jamieson & Smith in Lerwick
• Seven palettes, each chosen as a pair
• Eight sizes to a 143.5cm / 56½in finished bust
• Two shades only, so a whole cardigan of colourwork stays manageable