This week’s (25th May 2017) pattern is the Dakota Cardigan is another DK-weight v-neck cardigan. If you’re one of those knitters who love stocking stitch, then this one is for you! I love stocking stitch too and I particularly like it when it has tiny details, this makes me smile.

Basic Information
Pattern: Dakota Cardigan
Yarn: WYS Bluefaced Leicester DK – Undyed
Needles: 3.75mm and 4mm
Sizes: to fit chest (suggested) from 76.5cm/30ins through to 122cm/48ins

This cardigan is the cousin of the Dorothy Jumper and I’ve designed it for men and women. It has the same details along the side edges and I’ve taken this detail and put it around the neck. This means there is no picking up stitches on this cardigan, you knit the neck edging as you knit the fronts.

I find it very satisfying to pick up stitches around a neck…but between you and me *whispers*…I love, love, love, LOVE doing this on a crew neck or armhole edge but I’m not so keen on doing it on a long v-neck edge…ssshhh, I didn’t say that! I do enjoy it but only if I get it right first go and as I’ve said before we are all human, and sometimes it takes two or three goes to get it right.
This is especially true when designing v-neck edgings, because I have to work out the best amount of stitches to pick up but once I’ve done that it’s all sorted for you!

On a crew neck I don’t mind this, I might have to take it back once or twice to get the right amount of stitches, but this is fine for a crew or v-neck jumper. And I don’t mind doing it on a straight edge of a cardigan but there is something about a long v-neck pick up, one that goes all the way up, then over and then all the way down the other side and I usually do one side and then the other as I find this more enjoyable.

So…..I love this cardigan because it’s a v-neck cardigan without a neck edging to pick up! Which means when you finished knitting the pieces of this cardigan there aren’t any stitches to pick up for the neck, woohoo!!