The Achilles Cardigan is inspired by Madeline Miller’s novel The Song of Achilles, a retelling of the Iliad from a unique perspective. The strong yoke lines echo Achilles’ dedication to fulfilling his destiny as warrior and leader, while an all-over broken rib motif represents his attempts to break with that destiny for the sake of Patroclus, his love and partner.

A top-down cardigan is a fantastic opportunity to experiment with fit and ease. Knit the body and sleeve lengths to perfectly fit your style. I recommend a narrow ease of +1-2” for a muscle-hugging look, fit for any warrior… but select the sizing that best matches your royal identity.

Construction notes:
This garment is worked seamlessly from the top down. After raglan shaping is complete, the sleeve cap stitches are placed on holders and the body is worked to the bottom hem. Next the sleeve stitches are picked back up and worked to the cuff. The button band stitches are picked up along the front edges, and foundation stitches for the width of the band are cast on and worked back and forth, joining together with a picked up stitch every other row to attach to the garment vertically. The left and right button band are worked separately and joined together at the back of the neck using a 3-needle bind off.