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How do you feel about being alone? For me, it’s a vital act of self-care. The luxury of having only my own needs to tend to is a rare thing these days, and I deeply appreciate being able to watch or listen to whatever I want, whether that’s blaring grunge or nothing but the birds.

Solitary is a cardigan inspired by the restorative power of alone time. With options to customise the length and shaping placement, it’s up to you how you wear it. Whether it’s loose and long with leggings or short and snug with swirling skirts, Solitary is here for you - and only you.

Materials

• 4mm needles, or size needed for gauge
• A third needle, the same size as above, for working the three needle bind off
• 2 stitch markers, which you can tell apart, for noting the beginning of the round and lace placement on sleeves
• Tapestry needle, to sew in ends and work seams
• 2 x spare yarn, cable, stitch holder, or other tool for putting stitches on hold
• Pins, locking stitch markers, or other notions for holding pieces together while seaming
• 5 buttons, 0.75” / 18mm in diameter
• optional: crochet hook, the same size as your needles, for working the neater neckband bind off (both the technique and the use of a crochet hook are optional)
• Your preferred blocking equipment

Yarn Requirements

Solitary comes in 10 body and 10 sleeve sizes, which can be mixed and matched for a perfect fit. This means that your yarn requirement depends on your size combination.

The easiest way to present this information is in a table. It’s included in the preview document, in both yards and metres, along with the schematic, all measurements, and a pattern for swatching (written & charted).

You can download the preview document here:

Preview Document

Sizing

Solitary is #SizeInclusive and #ShapeInclusive.

Solitary comes in 10 body sizes and 10 sleeve sizes. You can mix and match any body size with any sleeve size for a custom fit.

Solitary is designed as a waist length cardigan, but includes instructions to adjust the length to make it as short or as long as you’d like.

Solitary uses my mix & match sizing method, which means you can choose any body size and any sleeve size together for a perfect fit. The pattern is written without assuming any particular combinations and tells you whether to follow your body or sleeve size in each section.

Body Sizing

Sizes 1 (2, 3, 4) [5, 6, 7] (8, 9, 10)

Recommended positive ease: 3-8” / 7.5-20cm

A: Chest / Waist (circumference)

33 (37.5, 42, 46.25) [50.5, 55, 59.5] (63.75, 68, 72.5)“
82.5 (94, 105, 115.5) [126.5, 137.5, 149] (159.5, 170, 181.5) cm

B: Back Width (flat)

15.75 (18, 20.25, 22.25) [24.5, 26.75, 29] (31, 33.25, 35.5)“
39.5 (45, 50.5, 55.5) [61.5, 67, 72.5] (77.5, 83, 89) cm

C: Front Panel Width (flat, each)

9.25 (10.25, 11.25, 12.5) [13.5, 14.75, 15.75] (16.75, 18, 19)“
23 (25.5, 28, 31.5) [34, 37, 39.5] (42, 45, 47.5) cm

D: Neck Opening (flat)

4.5 (4.5, 4.5, 4.5) [4.5, 6.5, 6.5] (8.75, 8.75, 8.75)“
11.5 (11.5, 11.5, 11.5) [11.5, 16.5, 16.5] (22, 22, 22) cm

E: Neck to Shoulder (flat)

6 (7, 8.25, 9.25) [10.25, 10.25, 11.5] (11.5, 12.5, 13.75)“
15 (17.5, 20.5, 23) [25.5, 25.5, 29] (29, 31.5, 34.5) cm

F: Total Length

26” / 65cm for all sizes, with full instructions to customise in 2.75” / 7cm increments.

Sleeve Sizing

Sizes A (B, C, D) [E, F, G] (H, I, J)

Recommended positive ease: 2-8” / 5-20cm

G: Bicep / Top (flat)

5.25 (6.25, 7.25, 8.5) [9.75, 10.5, 12.25] (13.75, 15.25, 16.25)“
13 (15.5, 18, 21.5) [24.5, 16.5, 30.5] (34.5, 38, 40.5) cm

H: Bicep / Top (circumference)

10.25 (12.25, 14.5, 17) [19.25, 21, 24.25] (27.25, 30.5, 32.25)“
25.5 (30.5, 36.5, 42.5) [48, 52.5, 60.5] (68, 76.5, 80.5) cm

I: Cuff (circumference)

7.75 (9.75, 9.75, 9.75) [12.00, 12.00, 12.00] (12.00, 14.25, 14.25)“
19.5 (24.5, 24.5, 24.5) [30.0, 30.0, 30.0] (30.0, 35.5, 35.5) cm

Sleeves are 17” / 42.5cm long as written, with full instructions to customise as desired.

Construction

Solitary is a drop shoulder garment, worked bottom up. The back is knit first and put on hold. The fronts are knit next, and joined to the back using a three needle bind off. Stitches are then picked up to work the neckband (which is also the button band). The sleeves are worked separately, in the round, then bound off. After blocking the sides are seamed, which is what allows the sizing to be mix and match; you can choose to seam more to create a smaller armscye and accommodate a narrower sleeve, or less to create a deeper armscye and accommodate a wider sleeve. Finally, the sleeves are attached, and buttons are sewn on.

You can watch a video explaining this construction method here:

Construction Video

Stitches

knit
purl
central double decrease
knit 2 together
knit 3 together
knit front and back
left lifted increase
right lifted increase
slip slip knit
slip slip slip knit
yarn over

Other Techniques

knitting flat
knitting in the round
lace
long tail cast on
picking up stitches
mattress stitch
binding off (standard, three needle)
sewing on buttons

Sample Details

Sample A - Grey
Yarn: The Lonely Knitter DK (100% superwash merino) in Solitary
Size: 7G
Yardage: 1878y / 1643m
Model: Victoria
Bust Ease: 7.5” / 19cm
Bicep Ease: 2.25” / 5.5cm

Sample B - Navy
Yarn: Willow & Lark Poetry (60% wool 10% camel 30% acrylic) in Night Sky
Size: 6G (shortened body above shaping)
Yardage: 1570y / 1436m
Model: Victoria
Bust Ease: 3” / 7.5cm
Bicep Ease: 2.25” / 5.5cm

You can view more details of the samples and fit models used for Solitary in the Sample and Fit Model Galleries.

Sample Gallery

Fit Models

Accessibility

Solitary includes two versions of the pattern: the main version, and a second version designed for low vision and screen reader users.

Both versions of the pattern are colour blind friendly.

The accessible version of the pattern has:

• 24 point sans-serif font (Arial) throughout
• Fully saturated black text on white background
• Single column layout
• Left-aligned text
• No italics
• No header or footer – just page numbers (bottom left)
• Consistent use of heading tags for easy navigation
• Internal links to aid navigation
• All instructions written out in text without reliance on diagrams or charts
• All words written out in full (i.e. no abbreviations)
• No bulleted lists
• No tables
• Tested with screen readers

You can read full details here: Accessible Patterns