Midsommar Cardigan – Fingering

Midsommar is an all-over colorwork pullover that celebrates the height of summer. I’ve always loved flowers. When we were newlyweds just starting out in life, I had a very small budget set aside for fresh flowers. Summer gardens are something that I carry with me year-round. There’s a sense of longing and remembering, looking back, and looking forward. Summer gardens carry with them the hope of a new season, with a nod to the past. Often in January, although I love winter, I find myself thumbing through seed catalogs and dreaming of planting our garden the next spring. Designing this sweater reminded me of that exercise. I began working on the design in the late spring by sketching and playing with floral motifs, then knit the prototype into early summer, then wrote the pattern at the height of blackberry season. I love how, once summer is upon us, with all its bounty, our thoughts turn to winter and ways to preserve the summer harvest, so that we can eat tomatoes and corn and berries all winter. My grandma called this canning season. Putting up blackberries makes it so we have glorious jam all winter. This design is just like that! It lets us wear flowers during the winter. And if you look closely and squint, the flowers carry a snowy nod to winter. I’m going to wear this sweater year-round.

I love this motif so much that I also used it to create Mrs. Hall’s Midsummer Cardigan. During spring 2025, I designed the Mrs Hall’s Pullover with Biches et Bûches Lambswool (isn’t that perfect for spring) and this Midsommar Cardigan with Biches et Bûches Le Petit Lambswool. I wanted to knit a four-season cardigan. One that I can wear when it’s cold in the winter or chilly mornings or cool summer evenings in the Rocky Mountains. I love the light, airy gossamer fabric that Le Petit Lambswool makes! I’m over the moon happy with this fabric. It’s the perfect yarn for such a sweater.

Details

Yarn: Biches et Bûches Le Petit Lambswool 270 yards (228 meters) per 50 g skein Scottish Lambswool.
Main Color: Dark Blue Black 4 (4, 5, 6, 6, 7) skeins 200 (200, 250, 300, 300, 350) grams or approx. 840 (1049, 1166, 1360, 1556, 1787) yards / 860 (959, 1066,1243,1422, 1634) meters
Contrasting Color: Off White 3 (3, 3, 3, 4, 5) or approx. 642 (691, 777, 863, 1211, 1321) yards or 587 (631, 680, 710, 789, 1107, 1207) meters

Needles: U.S. Size 3 (3.25 mm) and 4 (3.5 mm/ gauge-size needle) 32-inch or 40-inch circular needles for larger sizes. U.S. size 3 (3.25 mm) double-point needles. Size 4 (3.5 mm) double-pointed needles and/or 16-inch circular needle (or size needed to obtain gauge).

Notions: 7 3/4” Buttons and a tapestry needle.
Note: Watch your gauge on the sleeves, you may need a different size needle to get gauge!!!

Gauge and swatch
27 stitches and 26 rows = 4 inches on larger needle
Please swatch in the round to determine needle size.

Sizes:
1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Ease: 4-8 inches (10-20) positive ease
Model is wearing Size 2 with an 8” inch (20 cm) positive ease.

Finished measurements
Chest 34 (40, 43.5, 48, 53, 57)”/ 89 (100,108,120, 133, 144) cm
Sleeve length:18.5 (18.5, 18.5,18.5, 19.75, 19.75)” / 47 (47, 47, 47, 50, 50) cm.
Armscye depth: 7.25 (7.75, 8.5, 9.25, 9.75, 10.5) inches /18.5 (19.5, 21, 23, 24.5, 26) cm (but use your sleeve to calculate this depth to exactly match your sleeve).

Length from cast on edge to underarm: 16.25 (15.75, 15.25, 14.5, 18.25, 17.5) inches /40 (39, 37.5, 36.5, 46.5, 45) cm
Length from cast on edge to neckline shaping: 19 (19, 19.25, 19.25, 23.75, 23.75) inches / 48.5 (48.5, 49, 49, 60.5, 60.5) cm
Body length: 23.5 (23.5, 23.75, 23.75, 28, 28) inches / 58.5 (58.5, 59.5, 59.5, 71, 71) cm

Midsommar Cardigan – Sport

Materials
Yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Sport 190 yards per 50 g skein American Merino Wool
Main Color Boro (navy) 5 (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) skeins or 250 (250, 300, 350, 350, 400) grams. Or approx. 835 (950,1086, 1198, 1402, 1574) yards / 745 (850,974,1062,1273, 1421) meters.
Contrasting Color: Crepe (cream) 4 (4, 4, 5, 6, 7) skeins or 200 (200, 250, 250, 250, 300) grams or approx. 642 (691, 777, 863, 1211, 1321) yards or 587 (631, 680, 710, 789, 1107, 1207) meters
Notions: Tapestry needle
Needles: U.S. Size 3 (3.25 mm) and 4 (3.5 mm/ gauge-size needle) 32-inch or 40-inch circular needles for larger sizes. U.S. size 3 (3.25 mm) double-point needles. Size 4 (3.5 mm) double-pointed needles and/or 16-inch circular needle (or size needed to obtain gauge).
Gauge and swatch
25 stitches and 26 rows = 4 inches on larger needle
Please swatch in the round to determine needle

Sizes:
1 (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Ease: 4-8 inches (10-20) positive ease
Model is wearing Size 2 with an 8” inch (20 cm) positive ease.

Finished measurements
Chest 35.5 (41, 46, 51.25, 56.25,61.5) inches/ 89 (102.5, 115.5, 128,141, 153.5, 160) cm
Sleeve length:18.5 (18.5, 18.5,18.5, 19.75, 19.75) inches / 47 (47, 47, 47, 50, 50) cm.
Armscye depth: 7.25 (7.75, 8.5, 9.25, 9.75, 10.5) inches /18.5 (19.5, 21, 23, 24.5, 26) cm
Length from cast on edge to underarm: 16.25 (15.75, 15.25, 14.5, 18.25, 17.5) inches /40 (39, 37.5, 36.5, 46.5, 45) cm
Length from cast on edge to neckline shaping: 19 (19, 19.25, 19.25, 23.75, 23.75) inches / 48.5 (48.5, 49, 49, 60.5, 60.5) cm
Body length: 23.5 (23.5, 23.75, 23.75, 28, 28) inches / 58.5 (58.5, 59.5, 59.5, 71, 71) cm

For additional size options. Change the gauge to 24 stitches over 4 inches (10) cm and the finished chest measurements would be 37 (42.75, 48, 53,58, 64) inches / 92.5. 106.75, 120, 131. 146.75, 160) cm.

Skills used to make Midsommar
Longtail cast on
Knit
Purl
Stranded colorwork knitting
Stranded colorwork purling
Catching floats
Ladderback Jacquard (if using a liight MC and dark CC)
Increasing in colorwork
Chart reading
Steek (prep and cutting)
Buttonholes
Duplicate stitch
Mattress stitch
Binding off
3-needle bind off
Double knitting