Mattie Cardigan Pattern

Mattie is a top-down, seamless cardigan with a burst of flowers around the yoke. The inspiration behind this sweater is my grandpa’s grandmother, Mette Petersen Hansen who was born in Denmark. In 1862, twenty-five-year-old Mette and her husband Mads sold their dairy farm and, with their three children, immigrated to America. They crossed the Atlantic on the Athena with her sister’s family and Mette’s mother. Three days before they landed in New York, Mette’s six-year-old daughter Minne got sick, died suddenly, and was buried at sea. Crossing the plains to Utah, Mette’s five-year-old son Hans also got sick and passed away. She then gave birth on the plains to a little boy named Peter who only lived a few weeks. Weakened from childbirth and sadness, she rode into the Salt Lake Valley in a wagon at the peak of sunflower season.

When I was little, my Grandma Hansen told me how when Mette arrived in the Salt Lake Valley and saw sunflowers, she got a feeling that somehow everything was going to be alright. On her way from Salt Lake City north to her new home in Cache Valley, Utah, tragedy struck again. Mette lost her mother and her last child, a darling little girl named Karen. My mother was named after her.

I’ve often wondered how Mette found the strength to carry on. I still can’t imagine. She bore nine more children in America. In the end, only five of her thirteen children lived to become adults. Since Mette’s name changed to Mattie in America, when I was little, I was told courageous stories about Mads and Mattie. They were among the first settlers in Providence, Utah. They built a home and farm. They had five more beautiful children. They filled their home with music. They were generous. From Denmark to Providence, they shared with others less fortunate. They found joy. Whenever I think times are hard, I think of how Mattie bore more sorrow than I will hopefully ever know. And her example gives me strength to carry on and find joy in the journey.

This is my second sweater for my great-great-grandmother. The first was called Mette. It was a traditional Norwegian kofte with a sea of Selbu stars (to honor her Norwegian grandfather). This new design is her American sweater, named Mattie, and it’s covered with a yoke full of cheerful blossoms. I hope this Mattie Cardigan brings you courage, happiness, strength, confidence, and a feeling that somehow, someway, everything is going to be all right.

Mattie is knit top-down, making it easy to try the sweater on as you go and tailor-fit the depth of the yoke and the length of the body and sleeves. I hope you love making and wearing Mattie!

Sizes 
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
3-5 inches/ 7.5-12.75 cm inch positive ease
Finished Measurements
Chest: 34 (36, 38, 40, 42 ¾, 45 ½, 47 ½, 50, 52, 54 ¾) inches / 85, 90 (95, 100, 107, 113, 118.75 ,125.5, 130, 137 cm)
Yoke Depth: 9 (9, 9, 9 ½, 9 ½, 9 ¾, 10 ¼, 10 ½, 10 ¾, 11) inches / 22.8 (22.8, 22.8, 24.3, 24.3, 24.75, 26, 26.6, 27.3, 28) cm including ribbing
Body length from Underarm to bind off edge: 13 (13 ¼, 13 ½, 14, 14, 14½, 15, 15, 15 ½, 15 ½) inches /33 (33.5, 34.5, 35.75, 35.75, 37, 38, 38, 39.5, 39.5) cm
Sleeve Length: 17 (17 ½, 17 ½, 18, 18 ½, 19, 19 ½, 20, 20, 21) inches/ 43 (44.5, 44.5, 45.5, 47, 48.5, 49.5, 51, 51, 53.5) cm
Total Length: 22 (22 ¼, 22 ½, 23 ½, 23 ¾, 24 ¾, 25 ½, 25 ¾, 26 ¼, 26 ½) inches/ 55.8 (56.5, 57, 59.7, 60.3, 62.8, 64.4, 65.5, 66, 67.8) cm
Yarn
Biches & Buches Le Petit Lambswool 50 g, 248 meters/270 yards
Main color: yellow mustard/jaune moutarde 5 (5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 8) 50 g skeins
Contrast Color 1: natural 1 (1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1) 50 g skein
Needles
32 (32, 32, 32, 40, 40, 40, 40, 40, 40) / 80 (80, 80, 80, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100, 100) inch US 4/ 3.5mm circular needle or size needed to obtain gauge in colorwork and single color for the yoke and body. US 4/ 3.5mm 16-inch /40 cm circular needle for the first rows of the yoke and the sleeves. / US 0/ 2 mm 16-inch /40 cm circular needle for the neckband and ribbing. US 0/ 2 mm DPNs/Flexiflips for the cuffs and button band. Tapestry needle.
Notions
Buttons: 10 (10, 10, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12) ¾ -inch buttons
1 ½ yards /1.37 meters ribbon for the inside of the button band
Gauge and Swatch
24 stitches and 33.5 rows = 4 inches or 10 cm in colorwork
Please swatch in the round to determine needle size.
Note: Swatch in both single color and in colorwork. You may need to knit the single-color part of the sweater with a smaller needle than the colorwork section. The gauge is the same throughout the sweater.
Skills Used
Top-down
Knitting in the round
k1p1
Knitting in colorwork
Backward loop
Picking up and knitting stitches
Jeny’s stretchy bind off
Buttonholes
Mattress stitch
Preparing and cutting a steek
k2tog
ssk