This kimono-like cardigan could be made with any #2 yarn but Herrschner’s self striping 2 ply Fashion Yarn gives the distinctive appearance. The instructions include help with self-striping yarns. The gauge shown is 6 stitches/7 rows/“. It was achieved on a Superba at stitch size 12. Brother machines get an acceptable fabric at stitch size 10 but it is a little bit tighter at 6.5 stitches/8 rows/inch. Other standard gauges can get a similar gauge to the Brother. The Brother swatch is shown on page 3 of the pattern. Mid-gauges can match the Superba gauge. Personally, I prefer the drape of the softer fabric at 6 stitches per inch but both are really quite nice. The finished sizes of the garment at 6 stitches/inch are 4044, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64” in the bust and hip area, not including the cardigan band. Sizes at 6.5 stitches/inch would be 3740.6, 44.3, 48, 51.6, 56, 59“. Tips for working with self-striping yarns are included. Neckline is cut and sew with full instructions. Knitting the pieces is super simple as there is so little knitted in shaping.
KIMONO NOTES
In Japanese, the original word kimono means “a thing to wear” so it could be literally anything. But the traditional shape is made entirely of rectangles, as this one is. However, I took some liberties with the shape by adding an angled neckline. The classic design simply leaves a space for the back neck. The two front rectangles add up to a width narrower than the back. When made in soft fabrics, kimono shapes are surprisingly flattering, in spite of the boxy design and they are very, very easy to fit. Because there is no shaping, one can concentrate on the fabric. In this case, all of our mental effort went towards managing the stripes. Lace, fairisle and other fancy fabrics are also good choices for the kimono shape for the same reason: we concentrate on constructing the fabric and need not think about shaping simultaneously. You’ll find more kimono-esque designs in my Kimono Commotion book. The videos mentioned in this article are on my YouTube channel.