Scattershot
- Susanna
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
Spring has sprung and I've got a new design that's fit for the occasion! Meet Scattershot.
Scattershot started off with the idea of a sweet little cardigan done completely seamlessly, using up as much or as little yarn as you have available. I envisioned it as a short cardi, almost cropped in length — a perfect layering piece to wear with skirts or over a summer dress. The buttoned style is easy to wear either open for a more casual look or buttoned up when you need a bit more warmth.
At its core, Scattershot is a compound raglan cardigan with a V-neck, doubleknit button bands, and ribbing at the hem and cuffs. The cardigan is knit using one strand of fingering-weight wool held together with one strand of lace-weight silk mohair… but more on yarn choice a bit later.
Compound raglan means that raglan increases for the body and sleeves are done independently of each other and in an S-curve shape, resulting in a better fit across the size range. The increase rate for the V-neck is also not constant: increases are first made on every fourth row, then on every other as you get closer to the tip of the V.
There are a few design features that play into the idea of complete seamlessness. First, the neckband and built-in button bands are done in double knitting at the same time with the rest of the body. No picking up stitches required! Since all bands are of the work-as-you-go variety, there's also no need to guesstimate how much yarn to reserve for them. Once you get to the hem bind-off, all finishing is already done.
Second, the sleeves are unusually worked before the body. I often knit my sweaters in this order anyway but it's the first time I've written it into a pattern. Finishing the sleeves first has the benefit of not having to estimate how much yarn to set aside for them. You can knit the sleeves to the length you want, then use up all the rest of the yarn for the body.
Third, the pattern comes with three sleeve-length options: elbow-length, three-quarter length, or full-length sleeves. You can make the cardigan fit your style by picking the sleeve length that suits your preferences. I'm always cold so I went with the long sleeves but the three-quarter length was very popular among my test knitters.
And fourth, the body of the cardigan is completely straight so it's easy to adjust it to any length you want. Since the button bands — and buttonholes — are worked as you go, there's no need to re-calculate buttonhole placements. You can just make the body as short or as long as you want by working fewer or more buttonholes.
All in all, this makes Scattershot very versatile, customizable, and stash friendly. If you're short on yarn, go for shorter sleeves and reserve more for the body. Or if you'd prefer a cropped-length cardigan, knit the sleeves longer and make the body short.
Aside from the built-in doubleknit button bands, Scattershot also features a few techniques to note.
Increases along the V-neck are done using Elizabeth Zimmermann's invisible increases which makes them, well, almost invisible. Raglan increases are done using lifted increases spaced quite far apart, resulting in wide stockinette bands at the raglan seams.
The buttonholes are done using the three-row, double-yarnover buttonhole technique which results in neat, vertical buttonholes that blend pretty seamlessly into the double knitting.
Buttonholes in double knitting usually involve working back and forth separately on both sides of the buttonhole, then using a short-row technique to close the gaps. That isn't needed here: you can work the buttonholes at the same time as you're working on the body of the cardigan.
Scattershot comes in 10 sizes from XS to 6X and is intended to be worn with approximately 5 cm or 2 inches of positive ease in the body. Choose your size based on upper-bust circumference.
As stated earlier, the body of the cardigan is completely straight. This is a bit unusual for me because I generally like to knit my sweaters with waist shaping. Having said that, the pattern does include instructions for optional bust shaping if you choose to add one. The pattern is graded using Kim McBrien Evans' representative size chart and has bust darts for B cup (sizes XS to M), D cup (sizes L to 4X), or F cup (sizes 5X and 6X) along with customizable instructions that you can calculate based on your own measurements.
Often patterns use a hand-dyed base yarn while a solid-colored fluffy stuff plays the second fiddle. With Scattershot I wanted to turn that on its head: the pattern is designed to be knit using a solid or neutral fingering-weight base color together with a speckled, hand-dyed, or tweedy lace-weight silk mohair. The result is a subtly sprinkled fabric where the mohair brings in pops of color while the solid base yarn mellows it down.
For my pink sample I used BC Garn Bio Shetland in a neutral undyed white for the base (yarn A) and Lana Grossa Natural Superkid Tweed in a rose pink color for the fluff (yarn B).
To knit the cardigan you'll need the same amount of both yarns:
for elbow-length sleeves: approx. 610 (700, 780, 850, 950) [1010, 1180, 1260, 1400, 1500] m or 670 (760, 850, 930, 1030) [1110, 1290, 1380, 1530, 1640] yd
for three-quarter length sleeves: approx. 660 (740, 830, 910, 1010) [1080, 1250, 1330, 1460, 1570] m or 720 (810, 910, 1000, 1100) [1180, 1370, 1460, 1600, 1720] yd, or
for long sleeves: approx. 730 (830, 900, 1010, 1090) [1180, 1360, 1480, 1610, 1730] m or 800 (900, 990, 1100, 1200) [1290, 1490, 1620, 1760, 1900] yd.
Scattershot is equal parts playful aesthetic and clever engineering. The pattern is now available for purchase in my pattern shops on Payhip, LoveCrafts, and Ravelry (seizure warning).
How would you pair colors for this cardigan? Share your creation on Instagram using the hashtags #scattershotcardigan and #talviknits. Tag me @talviknits, too, so I can find your project.
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