This pullover was designed to accommodate very specific requirements. He wanted it to be lightweight, have a comfortable and loose fit around the neckline with a good amount of ease through the torso and, of course, some texture for interest. Whew!

The name was inspired by all the gorgeous colours found in the yarn (colour chosen by him!): rich and strong rust complimented by highlights of gold, blue and green. These are the exact colours that can be found in the rock formations in Caminito del Rey, located in Ardales, Malaga – which are simply breathtaking! If you are ever visiting in the area, do make sure to add this one to your list.

Ardales is knit in stockinette with a cable and rib combination through the body, has a ribbed neckline and a single cable running down the centre sleeves. It’s knit seamlessly from the top down using the contiguous sleeve construction.

Designed for sizes:
S (M, L, 1X, 2X)
Finished chest measurements:
40.5 (44.75, 49, 52, 56)”/102.5 (113.5, 124, 132, 142) cm

Designed with approximately 5-6”/12.5-15 cm of positive ease. (Sample is shown in size medium.)

Yarn – Fingering weight:
Approximately 1830 (2013, 2196, 2379, 2745) yards/1670 (1837, 2004, 2171, 2505) metres.

Shown in DROPS Alpaca (100% alpaca, 183 yards/167 m per 1.8 oz./50 g skein) in colour 5565/Light Maroon, 10 skeins.

Needles:
US 1.5/2.5 mm needles (24”/60 cm circulars)
Required only for the lateral braid through the chest and finishing the neckline.
US 2.5/3 mm needles (32”/80 cm circulars)
Sleeves are knit in the round with DPNs, magic loop, or whichever method is most comfortable.

Gauge:
28 sts x 36 rows = 4”/10 cm (with larger needles in stockinette stitch, after blocking)

Notions:
Cable needle, stitch holder, stitch markers or waste yarn, tapestry needle.

Techniques used:
• Backward loop cast on
• Cables
• I-cord bind off
• Increasing/decreasing
• Lateral braid
• Long-tail cast on
• Picking up stitches
• Short rows (w&t)

Construction:
The pullover is worked from the top down, commencing with the back neck and knit flat initially, working the front neck shaping and using the contiguous construction to work increases for the shoulders and sleeves. Once the neck shaping is complete, the body is worked in the round, and then sleeve stitches are picked up and worked in the round as well. Neck stitches are then picked up to work the neckband.

Note: This pattern is only available in English and has not been translated from Spanish.