Knitting a V-Neck Cardigan Tutorial ♡ Part 2
Welcome back, knitters! If you’ve been following along since Part 1, you already have your gauge swatch behind you, your yarn wound into a beautiful cake, and your back panel either finished or well underway. In Part 2, we’re diving into the sections that most knitters find both the most exciting and the most intimidating: shaping the front panels, knitting the sleeves, and — the part everyone asks about — constructing that clean, elegant V-neck. By the end of this post, you’ll have everything you need to bring your cardigan together into a finished, wearable piece you’ll want to live in all autumn and winter long.
If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, I’d encourage you to start there so you understand the yarn requirements, needle sizes, and the stitch patterns we’re using throughout this project. That said, if you’re a more experienced knitter who’s jumped in at Part 2 because you already have the basics figured out, the instructions below are written to be as self-contained as possible.
Let’s pick up our needles and keep going.
A Quick Recap of Where We Left Off
In Part 1, we cast on for the back panel and worked our way through the ribbed hem, the body, and the armhole shaping. Depending on your size, your back panel should measure somewhere between 14 and 16 inches from the cast-on edge to the bound-off shoulder stitches. Give it a good block before you set it aside — this is especially important if you’re working with a plant-based fiber like cotton or bamboo, which really benefits from wet blocking to settle the stitches into place.
Your current stitch counts should match the numbers from the size chart in Part 1. Before you continue, count your stitches one more time and compare them to your notes. It sounds tedious, but catching a discrepancy now saves an enormous amount of heartache later.
Knitting the Left Front Panel
The left and right front panels are mirror images of each other, and they’re worked separately. Let’s start with the left front, since its V-neck shaping begins at the center front edge and decreases toward the left shoulder.
Casting On and the Ribbed Hem
Using the same needle size as your back panel ribbing (usually one size smaller than your main needle), cast on half the number of stitches you used for the back, minus the center stitch allowance. For a size medium, this typically means 48 stitches on the front panels versus 96 on the back.
Work 1×1 ribbing (knit 1, purl 1) for 2 inches, ending with a wrong-side row. Switch to your main needle size and work in your chosen body stitch — in our case, a simple stockinette with a seed stitch border on the center front edge to keep the fabric from rolling.
The seed stitch border is 4 stitches wide and is worked on every row, right side and wrong side. Here’s how it looks:
Right side row: Seed stitch over 4 sts, knit to end.
Wrong side row: Purl to last 4 sts, seed stitch over 4 sts.
This border will later line up with your button band, and keeping it in place from the very beginning means the fabric lies flat and the finished edge looks intentional and polished.
Armhole Shaping on the Left Front
When your left front panel matches the length of your back panel up to the armhole (measure carefully — put the pieces side by side), it’s time to shape the armhole. This shaping happens on the side seam edge (the right edge of your work as you look at it from the right side), not the center front edge.
Bind off the same number of stitches at the beginning of your armhole as you did on the back. Then decrease 1 stitch at the armhole edge every right-side row until your armhole depth matches the back. The decreases should be worked as SSK (slip, slip, knit) on right-side rows, which creates a left-leaning decrease that hugs the armhole curve beautifully.
Beginning the V-Neck Shaping
This is the section most knitters feel anxious about, and I want to reassure you: V-neck shaping is simply a series of regular decreases worked at consistent intervals. The geometry does the work — you just have to stay consistent.
When to Start the V-Neck
The V-neck shaping begins at the same row as, or very close to, the armhole shaping. The exact placement determines how deep your V will be. A deeper V (more fashionable and dramatic) means starting the neck decreases earlier — some patterns begin them even before the armhole shaping. A shallower V (more modest and classic) starts the neck decreases at or after the armhole rows.
For this cardigan, we’re working a classic medium-depth V. Begin your neck decreases on the same row you begin your armhole bind-off.
How to Work the V-Neck Decreases
On every right-side row, work a decrease at the center front edge (the seed stitch side). The decrease stitch sits just inside the seed stitch border so the border remains intact throughout.
Right side row: Work 4 seed stitches, K2tog, knit to end (before armhole decreases, if applicable).
K2tog (knit two together) creates a right-leaning decrease that slopes toward the shoulder, which is exactly what you want on the left front. The right front will use SSK in the same position for the mirror-image slope.
Continue this decrease every right-side row (every other row) until the V reaches its full depth, then switch to decreasing every 4 rows to slow the rate and taper gently toward the shoulder. The exact numbers depend on your size — refer to the size chart in Part 1 for the specific stitch counts and row counts at each stage.
When you’ve worked all the decreases, you should have roughly a third of your original front stitch count remaining as your shoulder stitches. These will be joined to the back shoulder stitches using a three-needle bind-off or sewn together with a mattress stitch, depending on your preference.
Knitting the Right Front Panel
The right front panel is worked exactly like the left, but mirrored. Here are the key differences to keep in mind:
The seed stitch border sits on the left edge of your work (the center front, as worn). The armhole shaping happens at the right edge of your work (the side seam). The V-neck decrease on the right front uses SSK instead of K2tog, so the decrease slopes in the correct direction. On right-side rows: knit to last 6 stitches, SSK, work 4 seed stitches.
One common mistake is accidentally working the V-neck decreases on the wrong edge. Before you start each session, glance at the piece and remind yourself which edge is the center front (seed stitch border, buttons will go here) and which is the side seam (plain stockinette). It sounds obvious, but it’s an easy mix-up to make after a long day.
Knitting the Sleeves
With your front and back panels complete (or nearly so), it’s time to tackle the sleeves. Sleeves are often worked last, and many knitters find them meditative — there’s a pleasant rhythm to sleeve knitting once the shaping is established.
Casting On for the Sleeves
We’re working bottom-up sleeves, starting at the cuff and increasing toward the sleeve cap. Cast on your cuff stitches using the smaller needle size and work 2 to 2.5 inches of 1×1 ribbing, the same ribbing as the hems on your body panels. This creates a unified look across the finished garment.
Switch to your main needle and begin working in stockinette. From here, the sleeve increases will gradually widen the sleeve from cuff to underarm.
Sleeve Increases
Increases are worked at both ends of the needle to keep the sleeve symmetrical. Work a M1L (make 1 left) after the first stitch and a M1R (make 1 right) before the last stitch. This creates an invisible, slanted increase that blends into the fabric.
Increase every 6th row for the first half of the sleeve, then every 8th row for the second half. This tapering increase rate creates a sleeve that’s roomy through the upper arm without being boxy at the bicep. Again, specific stitch counts for each size are in the Part 1 size chart.
Continue increasing until you reach the sleeve width measurement for your size (typically measured at the widest point just before the sleeve cap). Your sleeve at this point should be roughly 16 to 18 inches long from the cast-on edge, depending on the size.
Shaping the Sleeve Cap
The sleeve cap is the curved top of the sleeve that fits into the armhole. This is where a bit of math earns its keep, but the shapes are logical once you understand what you’re creating.
Begin by binding off the same number of stitches at the beginning of the next two rows as you did at the beginning of the armhole shaping on the back and front panels. This creates the underarm curve.
Then work a series of decreases at both ends of every right-side row. The number of decrease rows varies by size, but the principle is the same: you’re sculpting the cap into a gentle dome that will sit smoothly inside the armhole opening.
After the decrease rows, you’ll have a small number of stitches remaining (usually between 10 and 16 depending on your size). Bind these off loosely. The bound-off edge at the very top of the cap is the crown, and it should match the width of the bound-off edge at the top of the armhole.
A well-shaped sleeve cap is shallow enough to allow freedom of movement but deep enough to sit smoothly without puckering. If your cap seems slightly too tall or too shallow, a good block will often ease it into the right position.
Seaming the Cardigan
Once all five pieces are knitted and blocked — back, left front, right front, and two sleeves — it’s time to seam them together. This step transforms individual panels into a garment, and it’s worth taking your time.
Shoulder Seams
Join the front shoulder stitches to the back shoulder stitches using a three-needle bind-off or mattress stitch. The three-needle bind-off gives a sturdy, visible seam on the inside of the garment, while mattress stitch creates an almost invisible join. For a cardigan worn with the seams on the inside, either works beautifully.
Line up the pieces carefully before seaming. The right side of the back should face the right side of the front panel, and the stitch counts should match perfectly.
Side Seams
Use mattress stitch along the side edges to join the front panels to the back. Work with the right sides facing you, picking up the bars between stitches on each side alternately. Pull the yarn gently every few inches to close the seam — the join should be nearly invisible from the right side.
Begin at the hem and work toward the armhole, stopping when you reach the bound-off armhole stitches.
Setting In the Sleeves
Setting in a sleeve takes patience, but it’s enormously satisfying when it’s done well. Find the center top of the sleeve cap (the midpoint of the bound-off crown stitches) and pin it to the shoulder seam. Then pin the underarm bind-off of the sleeve to the underarm bind-off of the armhole. Ease the sleeve cap around the curve of the armhole, pinning as you go and distributing the fabric evenly.
Once pinned, seam using mattress stitch or backstitch (backstitch is slightly more secure for set-in sleeves). Work slowly and check frequently that the sleeve is lying flat and the seam is even.
After both sleeves are set in, seam the sleeve underarms from the cuff to the underarm point.
Knitting the V-Neck Band
The V-neck band is the finishing touch that frames the entire front of the cardigan. It tidies the V-neck edges, adds structure, and gives the cardigan its polished, intentional look.
Picking Up Stitches Around the V-Neck
Using your smaller needle and beginning at the lower right center front edge, pick up stitches along the right front, around the back neck, and down the left front. The rate at which you pick up stitches matters for the band to lie flat: along straight vertical edges, pick up 3 stitches for every 4 rows; along the back neck bind-off, pick up 1 stitch for every bound-off stitch.
At the bottom point of the V, mark the center stitch with a stitch marker. This stitch is critical — it’s where the two sides of the V meet, and the decrease worked here on every row creates the sharp, clean point of the V.
Working the V-Neck Band
Work in 1×1 ribbing, and at the center V stitch, work a double decrease on every row (both right-side and wrong-side rows) to keep the V-point sharp. The double decrease used here is: slip 2 stitches together knitwise, knit 1, pass the slipped stitches over (S2KP). This creates a centered decrease that draws both sides of the V evenly toward the point.
Work the band for about 1 inch, then bind off in pattern (knit the knit stitches, purl the purl stitches as you bind off). Binding off in pattern keeps the ribbing from pulling tight across the neckline.
Button Bands and Buttonholes
For a button-band cardigan, you have two options: pick up stitches along the center front edges and knit the bands directly onto the finished pieces, or work the bands as separate strips and sew them on. The integrated pick-up method is neater and more streamlined, and it’s what we’re using here.
The left front band is worked in ribbing without buttonholes. The right front band gets evenly spaced buttonholes. To calculate buttonhole placement, decide how many buttons you want (5 to 7 is typical for a cardigan), mark the positions with stitch markers before you begin, and work the buttonholes on the right-side rows when you reach them.
A clean one-row buttonhole is worked as follows: bind off 2 stitches, continue to the next marker, then cast those 2 stitches back on using a backward loop cast-on on the return row. Reinforce the corners of each buttonhole with a small whipstitch after finishing for durability.
Blocking the Finished Cardigan
This step is not optional — I say this with love. Blocking transforms a knitted garment from “something I made” to “something I made that looks extraordinary.” Even if you blocked your individual pieces before seaming, the finished garment benefits from one final full blocking.
Soak the cardigan in cool water with a small amount of wool wash for 15 to 20 minutes. Gently squeeze out the water (do not wring), roll the cardigan in a clean towel to remove excess moisture, then lay it flat on a blocking mat. Shape it to your exact measurements, ease the V-neck band into a sharp point, and smooth the sleeve caps. Pin the edges if needed and leave it to dry completely — usually 24 to 48 hours depending on your fiber and climate.
Finishing Touches
Weave in all your ends using a tapestry needle, weaving each tail in two directions through the back of the fabric to secure it. Sew on your buttons, aligning them carefully with the buttonholes. Give the seams a light press with a damp cloth and a cool iron if needed.
Then try it on.
A Note on Fit Adjustments
If you get to the end and the fit isn’t quite what you hoped, don’t despair. V-neck cardigans are among the most adjustable garments in knitting. The V-neck band can be worked slightly tighter or looser to adjust neckline depth. Shoulder seams can be repositioned by a stitch or two. Sleeves can be eased differently into the armhole. Knitting gives you more flexibility than sewing, and a few hours of fussing almost always produces a garment you love.
What’s Coming in Part 3
Part 3 will cover variations on this pattern — how to adjust the neckline for a deeper plunge, how to modify the sleeves for a sleeveless version, how to add a hood if you want something cozier, and how to adjust stitch counts for different yarn weights if you want to knit a lighter summer version in linen or cotton. We’ll also talk about how to style the finished cardigan and what to look for when choosing buttons that complement rather than compete with your yarn.
Thank you so much for knitting along with me. Drop your questions in the comments — I read every single one and try to respond within a day or two. And if you share your finished cardigan online, please tag me so I can see it. There is truly nothing I love more than seeing this pattern worked up in all
