Wolfe Island Gansey
from the Edgewater Collection
by Elizabeth McCarten
This useful little cardi is a graceful take on the gansey tradition, featuring the Arbroath
marriage lines stitch pattern. The construction is a blend of traditional and not-so-traditional
methods. I chose to steek the front and armhole openings in order to allow the knitting to
proceed with the right side always facing—so much simpler to keep track of the patterns. Once
the steeks were cut, I used a perpendicular shoulder join to continue the stitch patterns on the
saddle shoulder. The sleeves were then worked down from the shoulders, maintaining a 3-
stitch underarm “seam” down to the cuffs.
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Finished Sizes
Bust: 34 (37 ¼, 40 ½, 43 ½, 46 ¾, 50)”
Length: 18 (18 ¼, 18 ½, 18 ¾, 19, 19 ½)”
Shown in size 34” with 2” of ease.
Suggested Yarns
Galway Highland Heather (100% pure wool); 200 m per 100g ball: 5 (6, 6, 7, 7, 8) balls. Shown
in #1940.
Quince & Co Lark (100% American Wool); 134 yds per 50g skein: 8 (9, 10, 11, 12, 13) skeins.
Shown in “Honey”.
A few yds of lighter weight non-superwash wool for finishing the steeks.
If substituting, choose a non-superwash wool for best results.
The cardigan is meant to be on the short side; if adding length, be sure to purchase extra yardage.
Needles
Size US #7/ 4.5mm
• 16” circular
• 24” circular
• optional: 32” circular for body of larger sizes
• 1 set of dpns, or 40” circular if you prefer the magic loop method.
Size US #6/ 4mm for front borders, saddles, and collar.
• 24” circular
Size US #8/ 5mm
• 24” circular for collar.
Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain required gauge.
Notions
14 ring markers (make one a different colour to designate the start of round), 6 locking stitch
markers, sewing machine and contrasting thread for steeks (it won’t show after finishing),
scissors with small sharp points for cutting steeks, tapestry needle, waste yarn, 8 buttons
(approx ½” in diameter).
Gauge
20 sts = 4” in St st on US#7/ 4.5mm needles.
Pattern Notes
Consider making a pocket lining your gauge swatch.
Steeks for front opening and armholes are 6 stitches wide to allow for machine sewing down
the middle of the centre two stitches. I prefer machine stitching because it is simple, quick and
very secure. If you choose to use another method, you may require a different number of steek
stitches, which will alter the stitch counts in the pattern.
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For photo tutorials on stitching and cutting the steeks, see
http://chezlizzie.blogspot.ca/2012/09/trellis-steek-and-i-cord-tutorial.html.
The two outer stitches of a steek are “border stitches”, to be used in knitting up stitches for the
front borders, collar, and sleeves. Work into the half of the border stitch closest to the body of
the garment. For a more detailed explanation of how to knit up stitches, see
http://chezlizzie.blogspot.ca/2013/03/tutorial-picking-up.html.
M1L = Make 1 left. Insert left needle, from front to back, under strand of yarn which runs
between next stitch on left needle and last stitch on right needle; knit this stitch through back
loop. 1 stitch increased.
M1R = Make 1 right. Insert left needle, from back to front, under strand of yarn which runs
between next stitch on left needle and last stitch on right needle; knit this stitch through front
loop. 1 stitch increased.
pm = place marker
SWR = Slip, wrap, replace. Slip next stitch, bring yarn to opposite side of work, replace the
slipped stitch, turn, and continue. I have adopted this term from Lucy Neatby. When working
the first stitch after a wrap, pull slightly on the working yarn to “strangle” the wrapped stitch.
In garter stitch, there is no need to neaten the wraps on subsequent rows—just ignore them.
Chart A Chart B Chart C
• • 12 • • 12 • • 12
• • 11 • • • 11 • • 11
• • 10 • • 10 • • 10
• • 9 • • • 9 • • 9
• • 8 • • 8 • • 8
• • 7 • • • 7 • • 7
• • 6 • • 6 • • 6
• • 5 • • • 5 • • 5
• • 4 • • 4 • • 4
• • 3 • • • 3 • • 3
• • 2 • • 2 • • 2
• • 1 • • • 1 • • 1
For Body and Sleeves, read EVERY row of Charts from right to left, starting at the lower right
corner.
For Saddle Shoulders, read odd-numbered rows from right to left and even-numbered ones
from left to right.
• = purl on RS, knit on WS.
blank square = knit on RS, purl on WS.
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Body
Pocket Linings (Make 2)
With 24” US #7/ 4.5mm circ or 2 dpns, CO 17 (21, 25, 25, 25, 25) sts using the longtail method.
Beg with a purl row, work 25 rows in St st (knit RS rows, purl WS rows).
Break yarn, leaving an end about 36” long for sewing in pocket (if you wrap the end into a
yarn butterfly, it will stay neatly out of your way). If not using dpns, transfer sts to a spare
needle.
Back Border
With 24” US #7/ 4.5mm circ, CO 86 (94, 102, 110, 118, 126) sts using the longtail method.
Row 1 (RS): Sl1 knitwise, knit to end.
Rows 2-18: Rep Row 1. There should be 10 ridges facing RS, and you should have just
completed a WS row.
Break yarn, leaving a 6” tail. Transfer sts to a spare needle.
Right Front Border
With 24” US #7/ 4.5mm circ, CO 43 (47, 51, 55, 59, 63) sts using the longtail method.
Row 1 (RS): Knit to end.
Row 2: Sl 1 knitwise, knit to last st, p1 (for selvedge to aid in knitting up front border).
Rows 3-18: Rep Rows 1 and 2. There should be 10 ridges facing RS, as for back. Break yarn,
leaving a 6” tail. Transfer sts to a spare needle.
Left Front Border
With 24” US #7/ 4.5mm circ, CO 43 (47, 51, 55, 59, 63) sts using the longtail method.
Row 1 (RS): Sl1 knitwise, knit to end.
Row 2: P1, knit to end.
Rows 3-18: Rep Rows 1 and 2. 10 ridges facing RS as for back and right front.
DO NOT break yarn.
Join Fronts and Back
Rnd 1: Beg with Left Front, sl1 knitwise, k1, work across Row 1 of Chart A, pm, k7 (9, 11, 13,
15, 17), work Row 1 of Chart B, k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17), pm, work Row 1 of Chart A, pm, CO 6 sts
by backward loop method for steek, pm, work Row 1 of Chart C, pm, k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17),
work Row 1 of Chart B, k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17), pm, work Row 1 of Chart C, p1, purl last st of
Right Front tog with first st of Back, p1, work Row 1 of Chart A, pm, k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17), work
Row 1 of Chart B, k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17), pm, work Row 1 of Chart A, work Row 1 of Chart C,
pm, k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17), work Row 1 of Chart B, k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17), pm, work Row 1 of Chart
C, p1, purl last st of Back tog with first st of Left Front, p1, pm for start of rnd. 176 (192, 208,
224, 240, 256) sts total.
Rnd 2: Work Row 2 of Chart A, sl marker, k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17), work Row 2 of Chart B, k7 (9,
11, 13, 15, 17), sl marker, work Row 2 of Chart A, sl marker, knit 6 steek sts, sl marker, work
Row 2 of Chart C, sl marker, k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17), work Row 2 of Chart B, k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17),
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sl marker, work Row 2 of Chart C, work Row 2 of Chart B, work Row 2 of Chart A, sl marker,
k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17), work Row 2 of Chart B, k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17), sl marker, work Row 2 of
Chart A, work Row 2 of Chart C, sl marker, k7 (9, 11, 13, 15, 17), work Row 2 of Chart B, k7 (9,
11, 13, 15, 17), sl marker, work Row 2 of Chart C, work Row 2 of Chart B.
Cont to work patt as est in Rnd 2, substituting successive rows of Charts until there are 26 rnds
of charted patt in total, incl joining rnd above the borders.
Insert Pockets
Next Rnd: Work across Chart A, sl marker, k0 (0, 0, 2,
4, 6) sts, transfer next 17 (21, 25, 25, 25, 25) sts onto
length of waste yarn, k0 (0, 0, 2, 4, 6) sts, working
across first pocket lining k7 (9, 11, 11, 11, 11), work
Row 3 of Chart B, k7 (9, 11, 11, 11, 11), sl marker, work
in est patt across rem sts of Left Front, sl marker, k6
for steek, sl marker, work across Chart C, sl marker,
k0 (0, 0, 2, 4, 6) sts, transfer next 17 (21, 25, 25, 25, 25)
sts onto length of waste yarn, working across second
pocket lining k7 (9, 11, 11, 11, 11), work Row 3 of
Chart B, k7 (9, 11, 11, 11, 11), sl marker, work in patt
across rem sts of Right Front, work in est patt to end
of rnd. 176 (192, 208, 224, 240, 256) sts total.
Work even in est patt, slipping markers and maintaining front steek sts, until garment meas
11 ½ (11 ¼, 11, 10 ¾, 10 ½, 10 ½)” from start of work, or desired length to underarm, ending
with an even-numbered chart row.
Setup Armhole Steeks
Next rnd: Work in patt across Left Front, front steek, and Right Front to the 3 right underarm
“seam sts’, transfer seam sts to a locking st marker, pm, CO 6 sts by the backward loop method
for right armhole steek, pm, work in patt across Back to the 3 left underarm “seam sts”, pm,
transfer those seam sts to a locking st marker, CO 6 sts by backward loop method for left
armhole steek. 182 (198, 214, 230, 246, 262) sts total.
Work 6 rnds even, slipping markers, and maintaining steeks in St st (knit every rnd).
Begin Neckline Decreases
Rnd 1: Work in patt across Left Front to 2 sts before front steek marker, k2tog, sl marker, k6
steek sts, sl marker, SSK, work in est patt to end of rnd. 2 sts dec. 180 (196, 212, 228, 244, 260)
sts total.
Rnd 2: Work even in est patt, working the k2tog and SSK from the previous rnd as knit sts.
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Rep Rnds 1 and 2 thirteen (fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen) MORE times (14, 15,
16, 17, 18, 19) dec in total ea side of front steek). 154 (168, 182, 196, 210, 224) sts total.
Work even in patt, cont to work the stitch on either side of the front steek in St st, until
garment meas 16 ¾ (17, 17 ¼, 17 ½, 17 ¾, 18 ¼)”” from lower edge of garment, ending last rnd
at centre of left armhole steek. Note: this is not the total length. The saddle shoulder will add
another 1 ¼” to the total length from the top of the shoulder.
Next Rnd (remove markers as you work): Starting at centre of left armhole steek, BO 3, work in
patt across left front to front steek, BO 6, work in patt across right front to right armhole steek,
BO 6, work in patt across next 28 (30, 33, 36, 39, 42) sts for right back shoulder, BO next 28 (30,
32, 34, 36, 38) sts for back neck, work in patt across next 28 (30, 33, 36, 39, 42) sts for left back
shoulder, BO 3. Break yarn, and weave in end neatly to facilitate the sewing and cutting to
come. Transfer the 28 (30, 33, 36, 39, 42) sts of ea shoulder to separate lengths of waste yarn.
Preparing and Cutting Steeks
Using a sewing machine set at a small stitch (No. 2 on my Bernina), sew down the exact middle
of both of the 2 centre sts of the front steek, being careful not to catch the back of the garment or
any live stitches. Be sure to anchor the sts securely at the top and bottom of the steek.
Repeat for the armhole steeks.
Turn the work inside out and cut carefully between the two lines of sewing (it is easier to see
the lines from the wrong side).
Saddle Shoulders
You will now be working Charts A and C BACK AND FORTH over the centre 10 sts of the
Charts. The two outer sts will be used to work the join. Work the entire saddle shoulder firmly.
Left shoulder
Setup: With 24” US #7/ 4.5mm circ, and with RS facing, transfer all 28 (30, 33, 36, 39, 42) sts of
left back shoulder onto needle, followed by the same number of sts from the left front
shoulder. The tips of the circ needle will be at the neck. Holding work with RS facing and front
shoulder sts on RH needle, using a new length of yarn, CO 12 sts by the longtail method; turn.
Row 1 (WS): P7, k1, p2, k1, purl last st tog with first st on needle of front shoulder; turn.
Row 2: Wyib sl1 purlwise, work the centre 10 sts of Row 2 of Chart A, SSK last st of saddle tog
with first st of left back; turn.
Row 3: Wyif sl1 purlwise, work across centre 10 sts of Row 3 of Chart A, purl last st of saddle
tog with next st of front shoulder; turn.
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Row 4: Wyib sl1 purlwise, work across centre 10 sts of
Row 4 of Chart A, SSK last st of saddle tog with next st
of left back; turn.
Cont to work back and forth, attaching the saddle
shoulder to the front and back shoulders at the end of
every row as above, substituting successive Chart rows,
making the join by p2tog on WS rows and SSK on RS
rows, and always slipping the first st on ea row, until all
front and back shoulder sts have been used up. Break
yarn, leaving a 6” tail. Place 12 sts of saddle onto a
length of waste yarn.
Right shoulder
Setup: With 24” US #7/ 4.5mm circ, and with RS facing,
transfer all 28 (30, 33, 36, 39, 42) sts of right front
shoulder onto needle, followed by the same number of
sts from the right back shoulder. The tips of the circ
needle will be at the neck. Holding work with RS facing
and back shoulder sts on RH needle, using a
new length of yarn, CO 12 sts by the longtail
method; turn.
Row 1 (WS): P1, k1, p2, k1, p6, purl last st tog
with first st on needle of back shoulder.
Row 2: Wyib sl1 purlwise, work the centre 10
sts of Row 2 of Chart C, SSK last st of saddle
tog with first st of left front; turn.
Row 3: Wyif sl1 purlwise, work across centre
10 sts of Row 3 of Chart C, purl last st of
saddle tog with next st of back shoulder;
turn.
Row 4: Wyib sl1 purlwise, work across centre 10 sts of Row 4 of Chart C, SSK last st of saddle
tog with next st of left front; turn.
Complete as for left shoulder.
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Sleeves
You will now return to reading the charts in the rnd.
Using 16” US #7/ 4.5mm circ, purl the 3 underarm sts that have been on hold, M1L into the
horizontal strand between the underarm sts and the body, knit up 2 sts for every 3 rows up to
the saddle shoulder, pm, work IN PATT across the saddle, pm, knit up 2 sts for every 3 rows
back to the underarm, M1R between the body and the underarm sts, then pm for start of rnd.
You will have approximately 65 (69, 75, 79, 85, 89) sts. The exact number may vary from knitter
to knitter. Just make sure that you have the same number in both front and back. The total
number should be an ODD number.
Work even, maintaining the appropriate 12-st Chart patt and working Chart B over the 3
underarm sts, for 6 rnds.
Rnd 7 (dec rnd): Work Chart B over 3 underarm sts, SSK, knit to marker, work appropriate
Chart patt over next 12 sts, sl marker, knit to 2 before underarm sts, k2tog. 2 sts dec.
Now dec every 6th (6th, 5th, 5th, 4th, 4th) rnd until 41 (41, 43, 45, 47, 49) sts rem, or desired wrist
circumference. Switch to dpns when work becomes uncomfortable (or use magic loop).
Work even until sleeve meas 15 (15 ½, 16, 16 ½, 17, 17 ½)” or about ½” less than desired length.
Border
Rnd 1: Purl.
Rnd 2: Knit.
BO purlwise.
Front Borders
Left border
With US #6/ 4mm 24” circ, and RS facing, beg at bottom of V-neck, knit up 3 sts for every 4
rows all the way to lower edge of cardigan. Make a note of the st count.
Rows 1-4: Sl1 knitwise, knit to end.
BO knitwise from the WS, working last 2 sts as k2tog for a neat corner.
Right border (buttonhole border)
With US #6/ 4mm 24” circ, and RS facing, beg at lower edge of cardigan, knit up 3 sts for
every 4 rows all the way to the start of the V-neck; aim to have the same number of sts as you
had for the left border.
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Row 1: Sl1 knitwise, knit to end.
With locking st markers, mark placement of 6 buttonholes evenly spaced on right front; place
markers BETWEEN 2 sts at desired points. The top buttonhole marker should be 3 sts from the
top and the bottom buttonhole should be just above the garter st border.
Row 2: Sl1 knitwise, *knit to 2 sts before marked buttonhole, k2tog, YO, k2tog, rep from * until
all buttonholes are done, knit to end.
Row 3: Sl1 knitwise, knit to end, working (k1, p1) into each YO from previous row.
Row 4: Sl1 knitwise, knit to end.
BO knitwise from WS, working quite firmly when passing by a buttonhole (to prevent future
stretching), and working last 2 sts as k2tog for a neat corner.
Collar
With US #6/ 4mm 24” circ, and RS of cardigan facing, beg at the base of the V-neck on Right
Front (leaving the top of the front border alone), knit up sts around the neckline in the foll
ratios (making small adjustments as necessary to keep the left and right sides symmetrical):
• along the V-neck slopes, knit up 1 st for every row,
• along front vertical edges (if any) between the V-neck decreases and the saddle, knit up
3 sts for every 4 rows,
• from the shoulder saddles, knit into all 12 CO sts,
• at the back of the neck, knit into every BO st, AND
• at the corner joins between the back neck sts and the saddles, pick up the running
thread and twist it before knitting into it to close any gaps (make ea of these twisted sts
lean toward centre back),
The total number of sts will vary from knitter to knitter; it is not critical. Keep track of the
number of knitted up sts on the right side and aim to match those numbers on the left.
Rows 1-3: Sl1 knitwise, knit to end.
Place locking st markers at the top of ea shoulder, in the middle of ea saddle. You should have
42 (44, 46, 48, 50, 52) sts between markers.
Short row shaping
Row 4: Sl1 knitwise, knit to 1 st before left shoulder marker, SWR; turn.
Row 5: Knit to 1 st before right shoulder marker, SWR; turn.
Row 6: Knit to 4 (4, 4, 4, 4, 5) sts before left shoulder marker, SWR; turn.
Row 7: Knit to 4 (4, 4, 4, 4, 5) sts before right shoulder marker, SWR; turn.
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Row 8: Knit to 7 (7, 7, 7, 7, 9) sts before left shoulder marker, SWR; turn.
Row 9: Knit to 7 (7, 7, 7, 7, 9) sts before right shoulder marker, SWR; turn.
Row 10: Knit to 10 (10, 10, 10, 10, 13) sts before left shoulder marker, SWR; turn.
Row 11: Knit to 10 (10, 10, 10, 10, 13) sts before right shoulder marker, SWR; turn.
Row 12: Knit to 13 (13, 13, 13, 13, 17) sts before left shoulder marker, SWR; turn.
Row 13: Knit to 13 (13, 13, 13, 13, 17) sts before right shoulder marker, SWR; turn.
Row 14: Knit to 16 (16, 16, 16, 16, 21) sts before left shoulder marker, SWR; turn.
Row 15: Knit to 16 (16, 16, 16, 16, 21) sts before right shoulder marker, SWR; turn.
Row 16: Knit to end, ignoring wraps and removing marker.
Row 17: Sl1 knitwise, knit to end, ignoring wraps and removing marker.
Switch to US #7/ 4.5mm 24” circ to complete collar.
Rows 18-31: Sl1 knitwise, knit to end. There should be 10 garter st ridges on what will be the
underside of the collar, counting along the V-neck (non-short-row) edge.
With the underside of the collar facing, BO very loosely (I used a US #8/ 5mm needle in my
RH hand), working the last 2 sts as k2tog for a neat corner.
Finishing
Pocket borders
Transfer live pocket sts to a US#7/ 4.5 needle.
Row 1 (WS): Knit.
Row 2: Sl1 knitwise, knit to end.
Using US #8/ 5mm needle, B), working last 2 sts as k2tog.
Weave in all ends. Whipstitch pocket linings in place.
Wet block. It is best to do this BEFORE tidying the steeks, as the blocking process will
encourage the steek facings to lie flat. The collar should roll on the 8th ridge from its outside
edge; take time to block it carefully! When dry, you may wish to steam the side and underarm
“seams” open; if so, use this opportunity to steam the collar too.
Finish steeks. My preference is to use a finer wool to work buttonhole st along the cut edges.
For a photo tutorial on tidying the steeks, see http://chezlizzie.blogspot.ca/2012/02/tidying-
up.html.
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Schematic
A: 34 (37 ¼, 40 ½, 43 ½, 46 ¾, 50)”
B: 2 (2, 2, 2, 2, 2)”
C: 9 ½ (9 ¼, 9, 8 ¾, 8 ½, 8 ½)”
D: 6 ½ (7, 7 ½, 8, 8 ½, 9)”
E: 1 ¼ (1 ¼, 1 ¼, 1 ¼, 1 ¼, 1 ¼)”
F: 5 ½ (6, 6 ½, 6 ¾, 7, 7 ½)”
G: 15 ½ (16, 16 ½, 17, 17 ½, 18)”
H: 8 (8, 8 ½, 9, 9 ½, 10)”
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Copyright Elizabeth McCarten 2015
For questions or comments, contact me on Ravelry, username emccarten.
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