Bennington

Description

Fall is hands-down my favorite season, and Bennington is just the kind of cardigan I always reach for during those first chilly fall days. It’s cozy, enveloping, and lusciously complex-looking (while being easy to knit!). Even putting it on just to get the morning paper reminds me of all the hiking, pumpkin- and apple-picking, hot-cider-donut-and-hay-riding days to come.

Bennington is constructed in pieces from the bottom up with set-in sleeves for stability – definitely an important thing with worn-open cardigans of this style! WATERshed’s lightness and body contribute to an incredibly wearable finished product, and I highly recommend it for this sweater.

Sizing. The traditional pattern is offered in twelve sizes: 30 (33, 34 3/4, 36 3/4, 38 1/2, 40 1/2, 42 1/4, 44 1/4, 46, 49, 50 3/4, and 54 1/2)”. The CustomFit pattern will be written to your exact size for men, women, or children.

Gauge. The traditional pattern is written for a Stockinette gauge of 17 stitches and 24 rows to 4” / 10 cm using Harrisville WATERshed. The CustomFit pattern will be written to your exact gauge, though I recommend using an aran or worsted (or DK for smaller folks) yarn to preserve the width of the overall panel.

Shaping and silhouette. In the traditional version of this pattern, vertical darts are used front and back for hourglass waist shaping. The CustomFit version of this pattern is available in straight, a-line, and tapered silhouettes (but not hourglass, since there’s no way to guarantee shaping wouldn’t overlap the back cable across the gauges and sizes of all knitterdom). In both versions, the neckline is picked up and worked after seaming.

Other Notes. The Left and Right cable charts are 20-row repeats while the Center cable chart is a 24-row repeat. Ensure pattern is kept correct throughout the back.