Your step-by-step guide to knitting the Shannon cardigan
Hey there, stitch superstar! You’ve just unlocked the secret sauce to making your very own Shannon Cardigan — and we’re so excited to be stitching it out with you.
This guide will be your BFF through the entire journey. Whether you’re brand new to knitting or just here for a refresh, we’ll take you from “how do I hold these sticks?” to “look what I made!” — one cozy row at a time.
Firstly, let's look at what's covered in this blog.
INCLUDED IN YOUR KIT
Your kit comes with everything you need to make your masterpiece. Inside your drawstring bag you'll find:
🕺 12mm & 15mm needles |
We'll use 12mm & 15mm needles (or sticks as we like to say!) for this pattern. |
🧶 Cardigang Chunky Yarn |
In either Everyday or Premium depending on your order. You'll have received enough to complete the size you ordered. |
👆 A darning needle |
To sew your masterpiece together. |
🤓 Your printed pattern |
We assume you've got that since you made it here! |
🫶 A 'Made By Me' tag |
You can sew into your finished knit. |
You'll also want to have a pair of scissors, a pen and a tape measure handy.
Let’s Start with Some Practice
Before we dive into the good stuff, let’s warm up those hands and needles. Think of this like stretching before a workout — except comfier, cuter, and way more fun.
Grab some of the yarn from your kit (just a little, you’ve got enough to spare!), and get familiar with the motions. Try out the stitches you’ll be using in this pattern. This is your time to mess it up, try again, and feel things out — no pressure, no judgement, just you and your new fave hobby.
Bonus: practising now = fewer headaches later (trust us on this one).
Here’s what you’ll need to know for this pattern — we’ve linked each tutorial so you can follow along step-by-step:
Take your time, replay the videos as many times as you need, and don’t stress if it feels a little awkward at first — every knitter starts here 💖
Time to Test Your Gauge
Once you’re feeling comfy with the stitches, it’s time to check your gauge. We know, we know — it sounds technical, but it’s really just about making sure your tension matches the pattern.
Why? Because different knitters = different stitch tightness. And we want your finished masterpiece to fit like a dream.
So grab your measuring tape, knit up a little swatch (there’s a guide for that at the link below!), and let’s make sure you’re on track before the main event begins.
THE SHANNON CARDIGAN
If done correctly, your 10x10cm knitted swatch should be 7 stitches wide and 11 rows high when knitted in garter stitch on your 15mm needles.
Sizing and measurements
You can make your cardigan in five sizes. Your pattern is read like this; 1 (2, 3, 4, 5). Depending on the size you ordered you'll follow the corresponding number.
It can help to highlight the numbers that correlate to your size in your pattern before you begin. The circles are also there you help you keep track of your knitting. The dashed circles are for the larger sizes.
FAQs A.K.A. Fast Answers, Quick!
⚡ No time to purl? We got speedy support for you over on our FAQs page. No gatekeeping, no silly questions — just fast, friendly help to keep you stitching with confidence. It's the best place to go to get answers quick-smart so you'll be knitting again in a flash.
Ready to take your knitting and crochet game to the next level?
Join The Cardigang Click on Facebook. It’s THE place to share your creations, ask for advice, and get inspired by fellow yarn lovers. Whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned pro, you’ll find a supportive and fun community eager to help and cheer you on.
Stitch out in style.
Whether you’re deep in a knitflix binge or vibing with your needles on a Sunday arvo, we’ve curated the ultimate Spotify playlists to match your mood and your project. From mellow loops to main-character anthems, it’s the soundtrack to your next DIY moment.
Let's Knit Up A storm
It's time to dive into our pattern. The Shannon Cardigan is perfect for beginners. In fact, we designed her specially for newbies who want to learn to knit with something as impressive as a whole cardigan - no gate-way scarves for us!
So chunky, so cosy and so your new favourite. The Shannon Cardigan is the ultimate wear-everywhere knit — oversized, slouchy, and oh-so-satisfying to make. Plus, with our easy-to-follow instructions you'll surprise yourself with how easy she is to make.
BACK
We start with the back piece which we knit flat from the bottom rib up to the shoulders. This is the biggest piece of your cardigan and once done it will look like a big rectangle.
STEP 1:
Using your 12mm needles cast on the correct number of stitches.
💭 If you're using circular needles your stitches will run down onto the plastic tube connecting your needles. That's totally fine!
💡 Your piece of knitting will grow as you knit so don't be concerned if after you've cast on the piece doesn't look wide enough.
STEP 2:
First up, we'll in rows of 1x1 rib stitch. To create a rib pattern, we knit 1 stitch, then purl the next, then knit the next, then purl the next and repeat.
🧶 Make sure you’re moving your yarn tail from the back to the front of your work between each stitch (bring the yarn in through the middle of the needles) to ensure the rib is executed correctly.
💭 One of the things we found the hardest when we were learning to knit was keeping track of our rows. Before we were able to easily identify a row of stitches we used a pen and paper to keep track. That's why we've included handy circles in our patterns - you can tick them off as you go. The dashed circles are for the larger sizes.
STEP 3:
We're going to start knitting in garter stitch next. This is where we knit all the stitches every row. Easy! Before you start the new row, you'll change to your 15mm needles.
💭 To change needles, simply hold the new needle in your right hand and knit your stitches onto the new needle. When all your stitches are transferred from your left needle onto your right you've officially swapped needles!
STEP 4:
Cast off your stitches!
When you've got just one stitch left on your right needle, simply cut your yarn from the ball (leaving about 20cm) and thread it back through your last stitch to secure it.
🔥 Nice Work! The biggest piece of your cardigan is done!
FRONT PIECES
The good news! The front panels are knitted using the same techniques as the back so these will be a cinch now! 😎
SLEEVES
We knit our sleeves from the top down, meaning we're going to start casting onto our 15mm needles and begin knitting in garter stitch.
STEP 1:
Cast on the required number of stitches using your 15mm needles.
STEP 2:
Continue knitting in garter stitch.
STEP 3:
📉 Time to decrease some stitches! To get the shape in our sleeves, we're going to decrease some stitches in the row before we knit the cuff. We do this by knitting two stitches together.
STEP 4:
You'll finish the sleeve with a 1x1 rib stitch before casting off your stitches. Change to your 12mm needles before completing the rib.
💡 When you cast off don't do it too tightly or you'll have a very tight hole for your wrist to squeeze through!
Remember you need two sleeves!
SEWING TOGETHER
We're SO CLOSE! I can see the finish line 🎢🙌
Now it’s time to get to work with the darning needle to sew your masterpiece together. We lay our pieces flat and sew them together one by one.
STEP 1:
Lay your front and back pieces on a flat surface, the right sides facing you. The right side is the side where you can see the 'v's of your stitches.
STEP 2:
Sew the cast-off edges of the front panels and the back panel together (A to A) and (B to B), leaving the gap in the middle for the open front of the cardigan. It's best if you work from the edge of the piece and sew inwards.
STEP 3:
Time to attach the sleeves to the body (A to C) and (B to C). Make sure the middle of your sleeve is lined up with the shoulder seam. This will ensure the seam of your sleeve is right under your armpit, not half way around your arm! Once you've made sure it's all lined up, sew the sleeves to the shoulders.
For this step and the next, we use a technique called mattress stitch. This technique is used when joining pieces vertically and it gives us a nice neat (almost) invisible join. It's also a great technique to hide loose or sloppy edges! 😎
You work this seam through the “bars” of stockinette stitch.
STEP 4:
Fold your cardi in half long ways with the wrong sides facing each other, we're going to sew the sides together using the same mattress stitch technique.
💭 If you're anything like us you might find seaming a bit of a pain and hard to make super neat. It's a common beginner challenge! The main principle with seaming is no matter what seaming method you use, be sure you're entering into the same place on each stitch along the seam. This consistency makes it harder to see the seam.
Start either at the cuff of the sleeve or the rib of the waist and work your way to the armpit and then around to the other end.
FINISHING
The last thing we do for every piece is weave in the ends. That’s basically just tidying up the piece so all loose ends are trimmed down and tucked into the inside of your work. You use your darning need and weave those ends into the seams so they are nicely hidden away.
BLOCKING
The final step in finishing a knitted piece is to block it. This step is optional and not all beginner knitters will block their work (we didn't! 🤣) but it can improve the overall shape and finish of your piece.
Blocking your knitting is a process where you wet your piece to set the finished size and even out the stitches.
You can choose to block your work before you seam it together, or after. If you block before seaming together you might get a better result with your seaming because the stitches will be more lined up.
STEP 1
Soak your knit in cool water. You only need to let your piece sit in the water for a few minutes and make sure the full piece is completely wet.
💡 You can also use a spray bottle and spritz the knit with cool water if you'd prefer.
STEP 2
Remove your knit from the water and dry it off by rolling it in a towel. You want to get us much of the moisture out of the knit as possible at this point but be gentle! You don't want to stretch the knit.
STEP 3
Transfer your damp knit to a flat surface to block it on. If you've got a blocking mat - great! otherwise a towel will work. The surface needs to be somewhere where your knit can lie flat and can stay there until it fully dries so that the shape sets properly. Make sure it's not a surface that can be easily damaged by having something wet sitting on it!
STEP 4
Arrange your piece so the right side is facing up and the shape is as you'd like it. If you've got a measuring tape you can measure and adjust the piece so it's the correct size.
STEP 5
Allow the knit to air dry - this can take a few days. You can also use a hair dryer to speed up the process, just use a light heat and don't concentrate the air in one spot.
In a bind and need a little more help?
Email us at stitchup@cardigang.com.au and we'll be able to help! Whether you're just starting out, or you've got a specific question or problem (dropped a stitch, no stress!), we're here to get you out of a bind.
WEAR, SHARE AND FLAUNT YOUR MASTERPIECE
You stitched it. You slayed it. Now it’s time to share it! 💖 Tag us @cardigang_knits so we can lose our minds over your masterpiece. Compliments guaranteed. 💅🧶
