top of page
  • Facebook
  • Grey Instagram Icon
  • Grey Pinterest Icon
  • Grey YouTube Icon
  • LinkedIn

Is the Versatile Garter Lace Wrap Cardi the Perfect Choice for Your First Knitted Garment?

Writer's picture: JoanneJoanne

Updated: May 1, 2024


Garter Lace Cardi is a convertible fluffy wrap cardigan with a stripy lace pattern. It's worked in deep blue and shown on a mannequin wrapped at the waist with tails hanging at the side
Garter Lace Cardi

Discover why this versatile lace wrap cardi is the perfect choice for your first knitted garment or as a project for a confident garment maker to enjoy some relaxed crafting without having to constantly refer to the pattern. Embrace glamour and warmth in one stunning piece and try wearing it in different ways with your favourite outfits. I am really pleased to be able to let you know that my Garter Lace Wrap Cardi Knitting pattern is now available in my Ravelry and Etsy Stores as an individual pattern.


Garter Lace Cardi is a convertible fluffy wrap cardigan with a stripy lace pattern. It's sketched in light pink and shown on a model wrapped at the waist with simple line drawings of it laid flat and wrapped at the shoulders plus a scarf in the same stitch pattern alongside
Garter Lace Cardi sketches

I created this design based on the desire to wrap up and enjoy a relaxing winter moment with the feel of a cosy blanket but a much more glamorous appearance. I came up with the design after looking at a swatch I'd created for a knitted version of the Woodland Sunrise Hoodie which eventually became a crochet pattern. You can see the swatch in this blog post.


Garter Lace Cardi is a convertible fluffy wrap cardigan with a stripy lace pattern. It's worked in deep blue and shown on a mannequin wrapped at the shoulder with tails hanging at the rear
Garter Lace Cardi

The Suri Alpaca that I chose to work with perfectly fitted the romantic look of the garment. The soft fluffy yarn brought the texture to life perfectly and allowed for the right drape, shape and structure of the garment and for the lace stitch pattern to have a warm filler while still showing off the stiches. The yarns felt amazingly soft and easy to work with didn't slow my work down like some fluffy yarns can. I am very excited to think of perhaps creating a small project with the leftovers!


fluffy yarn and knitting needles shown with a spiky thistle flower
Garter Lace Cardi materials

This wide-sleeved cardi is intended to be an all seasons favourite in your wardrobe. It's an ideal extra layer for cooler summer evenings with a breathable fibre and open lace pattern, yet at the same time, the hollow nature of alpaca fibre and fluffy texture of the yarn enables warm air to be kept near the skin in the depths of winter. The lightweight nature of the yarns, knitted in the lace stich, produces a glamorous looking garment suitable for eveningwear that can simultaneously feel like a cosy blanket depending on how you choose to wear it. It's an easy, enjoyable to make garment that will help keep the wearer the right temperature without compromising on glamour or luxury.


Garter Lace Cardi is a convertible fluffy wrap cardigan with a stripy lace pattern. It's worked in deep blue and shown on a mannequin with one side wrapped at the waist and the other at the shoulder
Garter Lace Cardi

Of course the most obvious feature of the cardigan is how versatile it is to wear. I've shown it wrapped with tails fixed either side of the waist; either side of the shoulders and one fastened in each position but maybe you'd prefer to wear it open or knotted gently at the bust. The tails appear as small ruffles or a cape and you could even use a brooch to fasten them. When you have finished the full version, the pattern includes details of how to create a more traditional cardi too and it would be pretty easy to work a short sleeved version too if you prefer.


Garter Lace Cardi is a fluffy knit with a stripy lace pattern. It's worked in deep blue and shown in progree on metal circular knitting needles with scissors and a needle case alongside
Garter Lace Cardi in progress

* Knitting needles: Knit Picks

* Needle Case: Furls


The cardigan has minimal shaping and uses a single row, simple repeat throughout plus a little garter stich for edging and belt loops. The easy, meditative feel of the stitch and simple block shaping make this a good first lace or first garment project and anyone who looks forward to a knit row over a purl row is in for a treat as there isn’t a single purl stitch in the piece!


There are even videos to support you if you're new to this stitch or the cast on methods I chose or if you just fancy using the stitch in your own projects, like the scarf in my sketch, rather than making the cardigan. Take a look at the stitch video:





It's a low attention piece generally, so great to accompany a favourite TV show or audiobook or maybe to take to craft group with you so you have something that still allows you to chat to friends.


Garter Lace Cardi is a convertible fluffy wrap cardigan with a stripy lace pattern. It's worked in deep blue and shown on a mannequin (from behind) wrapped at the shoulder with tails hanging at the rear
Garter Lace Cardi

Although I loved every stage of making it, you might be surprised at the part I liked best which was the blocking and seaming! Seeing it come together as a lovely garment from a bunch of scrunchy formless pieces was amazing. It looked just as I wanted and the lace stitch meant that all the seams seemed shorter than I expected too! Maggie the mannequin looked so elegant and I'll admit I tried it on too!


Garter Lace Wrap Cardi Knitting pattern is now available in my Ravelry and Etsy Stores as an individual pattern. A French version of the pattern has also been published ion the Biscotte Yarns website in sizes XS-4XL.


Do let me know if you make it. I'm always so excited when I see that someone has used one of my patterns!


* Affiliate links

64 views2 comments

Recent Posts

See All

2 Comments

Rated 0 out of 5 stars.
No ratings yet

Add a rating
Victoria T
Victoria T
Apr 06, 2024
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

It is beautiful!

Like
Joanne
Joanne
Apr 17, 2024
Replying to

Thanks so much Victoria! 😊

Like

© 2022 by J Fowler. Created with Wix.com

bottom of page