Cardigan patterns for transitional weather

Before sweater weather season starts, there's transitional cardigan season!

We've been thinking that now is the perfect time to knit and wear something a little warmer but not as bulky as a sweater. So we've put together some of our favourite cardigan patterns that will inspire you to knit through the crisp autumn evenings.

Fingering & Sport weight cardigans

Pressed Flowers Cardigan by Amy Christoffers is a recurrent pattern in our favourites list. It makes the most of Spincycle's Dyed in the Wool colour transitions to create a unique mosaic pattern. You can make it extra special by using the Miss Rumphius colorway designed by us at Loopine 😊 Pair Dyed in the Wool with a lofty fingering-sport weight yarns such as Rowan Felted Tweed, Brushtale Upcycled Possum, Zealana Rimu or Biches and Buches Le Petit Lambswool for the main colour.

Cherri Cardigan by Joanna Ang has beautiful lace details and is worked flat from the top down. The pattern is knit with a strand of laceweight yarn such as Sesia Finissimo held together with brushed Cardiff Prime Cashmere. You can also substitute Cardiff Prime for a mohair blend like Sesia Vivienne Silk Mohair and Rowan Kidsilk Haze; or if you're not a fan of the mohair feel, Lana Grossa Setasuri.

DAA (Don't Ask Again) by Isabell Kraemer is a classic striped cardigan worked seamlessly from the top down. Choose a soft woolly yarn like Spinning Yarns Spinning Tales Darnie, Alpaca Yarns Sox, Zealana Rimu,Brushtale Upcycled Possum or Biches and Buches Le Petit Lambswool with plenty of colour options for contrasting stripes.

Elton and Night Out Cardigan by Joji Locatelli both have a relaxed fit with subtle textures. Use a cozy merino yarn such as Ruataniwha Dye Studio Merino Linen,Sesia Mistral or KiwiYarn-A High Twist Merino to work either of these light cardigans that are great for layering. For the Elton Cardigan, add laceweight mohair such as Rowan Kidsilk Haze and Sesia Vivienne Silk Mohair in a complementary or contrasting colour to create the stripping pattern.

DK cardigans

If you are looking for something squishier, the Ikki cardigan by Lucía Ruiz de Aguirre is a great choice. It has a thick button-band and uses the cozy yet light Rowan Felted Tweed. You can substitute Felted Tweed with most of our DK yarns such as Countrywide Yarns Natural, Woolly 8ply, Brushtale Upcycled Possum and Zealana Rimu.

Miyaar Cardigan has a classic round neckline and a fine and easy-to-work lace pattern. The pattern suggests DK weight yarns in various fibres—from merino like Malabrigo Rios and Broadway Yarns NZ Merino; 100% wool yarns like Ashford DK, Woolly 8ply, and Countrywide Yarns; and cotton blends like Kremke Morning Salutation for a more summery garment.

The Timanfaya cardigan by Esti Juango is FREE to download! and features a lovely crochet-like lace pattern with an i-cord bind-off around the buttonband. The pattern is designed for 100% wool yarns like Woolly and Ashford DK which have an extensive colour range or you can use a possum blend yarn like Zealana Rimu or Brushtale Upcycled Possum to add a soft halo to your cardigan.

The Field Day Cardigan has a relaxed fit and is designed to be worn for the milder months or throughout the year. The pattern suggests a Merino and Linen blend such as Ruataniwha Merino/Linen 10ply, or you could substitute for one of our summer yarns like Erika Knight Studio Linen, Kremke Morning Salutation or Rowan Summerlite DK.

DK cardigans with 2 yarns held together

By knitting with a strand of fingering weight yarn and laceweight mohair held together (fingering +laceweight = 8ply/DK), you can work light and warm cardigans like May Ball Wrap by Florence Miller, Melissa Cardigan by Iris H and Maggie Cardigan by PetiteKnit. These patterns recommend a merino yarn such as Sesia Mistral, Kiwi Yarn-A High Twist Merino, Meia Sock or Ruataniwha Dye Studio Merino Linen plus a Silk mohair like Rowan Kidsilk Haze and Sesia Vivienne Silk Mohair. You can substitute the mohair for Lana Grossa Setasuri Silk which we stock in more than 55 colours!

The Port Cardiganby Ozetta is knit with a wool and cotton blend of fingering-weight yarn like BC Garn Bio Balance and laceweight mohair which makes the cardigan more drapey and summery due to the breathable and absorbent properties of cotton.

PetiteKnits's Maggie Cardigan can also be knit with an 8ply/DK yarn (instead of fingering/4ply and laceweight held together). The pattern suggests Cardiff Cashmere Classic which will give you a lovely sumptuous feel and look. If you want a more affordable garment that still has a bit of a soft halo, you could replace the cashmere for a possum blend like Zealana Rimu DK or Brushtale Upcycled Possum.

One of the joys of knitting with 2 strands of yarn is that you can create quite a unique fabric depending on the yarn colours pick—both colours will beautifully blend together, even if they are not an exact match. You can see this effect in Alanna's summenset 11 sweater.

The Cardamon Cardigan by Victoria Chaplina and the Caspar Cardigan by Kolibri by Joanna are both knit with 2 strands of laceweight mohair like Rowan Kidsilk Haze and Sesia Vivienne (which you can substitute for Lana Grossa Setasuri or Cardiff Cashmere Prime). The fluffy halo of the mohair traps air making it warm yet light— also giving it a lovely romantic / feminine look.

10ply/Worsted cardigans

The Axis Cardigan by Spektakelstrik is knit sideways in stockinette stitch with vertical stripes that alternate between showing knit stripes and purl stripes–which we think looks so cool and sporty! The pattern suggests 10ply cotton for the yarn which you can substitute for 90% Merino 10% Linen yarn Ruataniwha Dye Studio Merino Linen. This will make a warmer garment with the breathability of linen. To make it extra fun, you can knit the pattern with two contrasting yarn colours for the alternating stripes.

Boston Cardiganby Ekaterina Vorobeva comes with short sleeve and long sleeve pattern instructions. You can use most of our 10ply yarns to knit this squishy garment such as Malabrigo Rios Superwash Merino, Spinning Yarns Spinning Tales DooishRuataniwha Merino/Linen 10ply and Spincycle Dream State.

The chic Manon Jacket by Moreca Knit features a plush moss stitch pattern that can be knit with either 8ply boucle yarn such as Ashford Merino Boucle or with one strand of laceweight mohair (or Setasuri Alpaca Silk or Cashmere Prime) held together with a 10ply yarn like the ones listed above.

Looking through all these cardigan patterns has made us so excited for the change of season. That's when knitters thrive after all!

Happy Transitional Cardigan season! 🤗
xx The Loopine Team