Are you looking for warm and cozy crochet cardigan patterns that you can wear any time? They are the perfect piece for the transition from autumn to winter weather! 

These stylish crochet cardigans will keep you looking chic and keep you comfortable. They are perfect wardrobe basics that will match just about anything. 

Crocheting a cardigan may seem a little intimidating at first but after a few attempts, you'll find it effortless. We've picked out our top 60+ Free Crochet Cardigan Patterns to help get you started.

Why Make a Crochet Cardigan Pattern?

Making a crochet cardigan can seem pretty intimidating, but let me tell you, it’s way easier than you think. Like any other crochet garments, crochet cardigans also use basic stitches and often simple shapes like rectangles.

Whatever level of skills you have, these crochet cardigan patterns will give you a fun challenge and leave you with something you’ll love to wear. 

Because cardigans tend to be boxy, they may be more forgiving in terms of choosing the correct size, so they’re also great to make for gifts.  

Types of Crochet Cardigan Construction

If you are wondering how to make an easy crocheted cardigan, there are many different ways to construct your next – or maybe first – crochet cardigan. Basic stitches like single crochet (sc), double crochet (dc), and so on can be used, just like any other projects you have done before. 

We’ve listed 4 basic cardigan construction techniques for you. These techniques are very easy, even beginner crocheters can follow along. 

Let’s start!

3 Rectangles Plus Sleeves Added

When I started crocheting, my pastime was to watch crochet tutorials on YouTube. Most of the sweater or cardigan tutorials I see use this simple construction method. Three rectangles are crocheted separately (front and back) and then seamed together to form a vest. 

Then you add the sleeves in whatever way the pattern suggests. One of the most common ways to attach the sleeve is to crochet from the armhole down until you reach the desired sleeve length. Another way to make sleeves is to crochet separate rectangles and then sew them into the armhole. 

Tip: when attaching sleeves to the body of a cardigan, work with the wrong side out so that yout seam won’t be visible on the outside of the garment. 

2 Rectangles Plus Sleeves Added (or Left Off)

Another easy crochet cardigan construction technique is two rectangles sewn together. The fun part of this technique is that you have the option to have sleeves or not. 

To make this effortless cardigan, you just need to crochet two long simple rectangles. Then fold the rectangles in the middle for the shoulder, and only sew one side of the rectangle from the bottom all the way to the top, leaving room for the armhole. 

Once you’ve finished the other rectangle, you can join the two in the center with a back seam. With the right sides together, work through both of the layers and join them with a slip stitch (Sl st). 

To finish the cardigan, you can add sleeves if you want to keep your arms warm or you can just simply leave it as it is. You can see this construction in action in the Two-Rectangle Cardigan from Yarnspirations.

1 Rectangle Plus Sleeves Added

If you think crocheting a cardigan with just one rectangle is impossible, then you are completely wrong. You can definitely do it. In fact, I can say that this is the simplest way to make a cardigan. Yes, you heard me right! SIMPLEST! 

There are two ways for you to make a rectangle cardigan. 

If you despise having to seam the pieces up of your project, then this technique is the one for you. First, you crochet the main body sideways, leaving slits for the armholes. Then, attach the sleeves directly to the main body. Check out this pattern from Crochet Dreamz to see how it’s done.

The other method involves crocheting one simple rectangle. Lay the rectangle flat with the wrong side facing up, then fold the lower corner and the upper corner right side to the center so they are touching each other. Do the same on the other side. Then seam the folded corner together leaving room for the armholes. After that, you may then work with the sleeves. 

If you prefer to have a longer cardigan, then you can add more rows at the bottom of the sweater. Make and Do Crew has a great tutorial for this type of cardigan.

1 Base Shape Plus Sleeves Added

If you think you know all the techniques of how to make a crochet sweater, then you missed this one. One base shape construction technique is basically crocheting a large rectangle that will serve as a lower fronts and back of the cardigan (which is basically the “base”). 

The upper parts of the cardigan are worked directly onto the base: two small rectangles on each side of the base for the front upper part and one bigger rectangle at the center of the base for the upper back part. Then seam the sections together and add your sleeves. See this concept in action in the Home Town Cardi from Meghan Makes Do.

How to Correctly Measure and Size a Crochet Cardigan

Getting the right measurements and sizing for your crochet cardigan can make and break your project. This is a vital part when making your own design and is important when working from a pattern, too, so you can select the correct size to stitch. But no need for you to fret, we got you covered. 

Let’s learn how to properly measure for a cardigan.

How to Measure

The quickest way for you to get the perfect size of your cardigan is to get the measurement of your favorite sweater or cardigan from your wardrobe. You’ll never go wrong with this technique, especially if you’re just starting your first crochet cardigan. 

Generally, getting the measurements for your cardigan is pretty simple. The Craft Yarn Council has great resources to show you where and how to measure sweaters and other garments, standard measurements used in patterns, how much ease is typically worked into garments and so much more. 

For the sizing, you just need to get the measurements of the following: chest or bust (around the fullest part), center back neck-to-cuff (base of the neck to wrist), back waist length (base of neck to natural waist), cross back (shoulder to shoulder), arm length (armpit to wrist), upper arm (circumference at widest part), armhole depth (top, outside edge of the shoulder to armpit, waist (at point where it is narrowest) and lastly, the widest point of the hips if your sweater is that long. 

What Kind of Fit Do You Want?   

One of the most important things to consider when making or designing your own crochet cardigan is the fit, whether you want it loose or snugged, oversized, and how long or short you want it to be.

The size of a cardigan or a pullover is typically based on the actual chest or bust measurement with ease added in. A classic fit is actually 2-4 inches wider than the actual body measurements, for example, and oversized cardigans can be 6-10 inches or more larger than the chest measurement of the wearer. 

How to Calculate Yardage For A Finished Cardigan

If you are trying to determine how much yarn you used for a cardigan you’ve already crocheted, you can estimate based on how many skeins you used, or you can be more accurate by weighing your project. 

For example, let’s say your crochet sweater/cardigan is about 230g. Check the yarn label for the weight in grams or ounces, and the length in yards or meters. Let’s say you used 100 gram balls with 300 meters of yarn. 

Multiply the weight of your finished project and the length of the skein. Then, divide the product by the weight of the skein. (230g x 300m / 100g). The resulting number is 690m, which is the exact yardage of your project. 

That’s it. No sweat, right? 

If you’re trying to estimate how much yarn you need to crochet a cardigan, that can really vary depending on the style of the cardigan (cropped versus long, fitted versus oversized), the stitch pattern used and the size of the garment. 

Luckily crochet patterns give us a yardage estimate so we can make an educated guess as to how much yarn we need to stitch that particular project in the size we need (it’s always a good idea to buy a little extra yarn just in case). 

If you’re designing a project and want to estimate how much yarn you will need, you can search online for similar projects using the same weight of yarn to give you a good idea how much yarn you might need for your project. 

If you want to be really scientific about it, you can crochet a swatch with the yarn you want to use, using the hook size and stitch you want to use, measure the number of stitches and rows in that swatch, then determine the yardage for the swatch as above or unravel the swatch and measure the yarn. 

Then you can determine how much yarn you need for x number of stitches and roughly how many stitches will be in your project. Multiply the number of stitches by the amount of yarn per stitch and you’ll have a pretty good guess and how much yarn you’ll need for your project.  

Supplies Needed to Crochet a Cardigan

Choosing the Perfect Yarn to Crochet a Cardigan

Selecting the perfect yarn for your cardigan can feel overwhelming. But to make it less stressful, I believe that the most important thing to consider when deciding what yarn to buy is why you want to make that particular cardigan and when it is going to be worn. 

The weight of the yarn serves as a great factor in your decision-making. If you want to wear the cardigan in winter or fall, then it’s best to use a medium to super-bulky yarn to give you warmth during this cold season. 

And if you’re planning to wear it in summer or spring, then the perfect yarn for your cardigan is either fingering, sport, or DK yarn. 

Of course, if you are working from a free crochet cardigan pattern it will tell you what kind of yarn (both weight and brand/type) they used. You can choose to use the exact same yarn if it’s available, or you can pick something else you like in that weight category. 

Still need help choosing the best yarn for your project? Here are a few of our favorites in different weight categories. 

1. Superfine/fingering

• EweEwe Fluffy Fingering 
• Knit Picks Hawthorne Speckle Hand Painted 
• Lion Brand Summer Nights 

2. Fine 

• Lion Brand LB Collection: Cotton Bamboo Linen 
• Lion Brand Oh Baby 
• Knit Picks Heatherly Sport 

3. Light/DK

• Lion Brand Mandala Baby
• Lion Brand Comfy Cotton Blend
• Malabrigo Caprino

4. Medium/Worsted

• Lion Brand Vanna's Choice Yarn
• Knit Picks Wool of the Andes
• Lion Brand Basic Stitch 

5. Bulky

• Lion Brand Hue and Me
• Knit Picks Brava Bulky
• Bernat Maker Home Dec

6. Super Bulky

• Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick
• Bernat Softee Chunky Yarn
• Knit Picks Mighty Stitch

How Many Skeins of Yarn Do You Need to Crochet a Cardigan? 

As mentioned above, there are several factors to consider when knowing how many skeins of yarn you’ll need to crochet a cardigan. First thing you’ll need to identify who’ll wear the cardigan and the size you will need to stitch. This plays a big role in how it determines the number of skeins of yarn you’ll need. If the cardigan is for a baby, then you’ll need less yarn or if it's for an adult, then you need more yarn. 

Yarn choice also plays a role in how much yarn you need. The heavier the weight of yarn you choose, the less yarn you will need in general. 

Another thing to consider is the design of the cardigan. The type of stitches you use also have an impact on the amount of yarn needed. 

If you’re buying yarn without a particular pattern in mind, you’ll probably need somewhere between 1,000 and 3,500 yards of yarn, depending on all of the above considerations. 

Crochet Hooks for Crocheting a Cardigan

Selecting crochet hooks to make a cardigan is as easy as pie. If you’re working from a pattern, it will tell you what size crochet hook to use. If you’re designing a sweater yourself or the pattern doesn’t say, check the yarn label of the yarn you want to use for a suggestion.

If you are making one of the Tunisian crochet cardigan patterns linked below, you’ll need a special Tunisian crochet hook, which is like a regular hook but either extra long or with a cable attached to hold extra stitches. 

Want to learn more about Tunisian crochet? Check out our Tunisian crochet workshop, where you can learn basic stitches, get practice patterns and more. 

Notions and Tools Needed

Aside from the crochet hooks and yarns that you'll be using, here are some of the items that will be needed for your cardigan project. 

• A darning needle is necessary to weave the yarn tails upon finishing your work.  
• Stitch markers aren’t essential unless you are working in the round, but they come in very handy when it comes to keeping track of your rows or marking the ends of rows. 
• A good sharp pair of scissors is essential for cutting your yarn. 
• A tape measure will help you measure your cardigan as you go and make sure it's the right size. 
• If you’re making a crochet patchwork cardigan or a granny square cardigan in particular, a blocking board is helpful to pin out your squares to ensure they are all the same size. Blocking other kinds of cardigans is great, too, to smooth out the stitches and give your project a finished look. 

Best Stitches For A Crochet Cardigan

Have you ever wondered what stitches to use for your crochet cardigan design? Of course, you can use any stitch you like or that the pattern you want to use calls for, but here are some great crochet stitches to try in a cardigan.

You may want to check out our Ultimate Crochet Stitches Library. This is a collection of 45 different crochet stitch patterns you can use for sweaters, blankets, or anything else you want to stitch.

Double Crochet Stitch 

One of the basic stitches, double crochet stitch or dc is one of the quickest and I can say the most used stitches in crochet. A row of dc is not too dense, unlike the single crochet, so it's perfect for crochet wearables, especially crochet cardigans, sweaters, or cardigan hoodies. It’s also pretty fast to stitch.

To learn more about how to make a double crochet, check out the post here.

Half Double Crochet Stitch

Half double crochet stitch or hdc, is one of the most underrated basic crochet stitches. For some reason, it's not used as much as the other stitches. However, personally, this stitch is one of my favorites. It is a little less dense than single crochet but it feels like it works up faster, and it has a distinctive look.

Learn how to half double crochet.

Granny Stitch

Granny stitch is a fun and easy stitch that makes a nice lacy look to your crochet cardigan. It’s basically the flat version of the stitch used to make granny squares, thus the name. 

This stitch is a combination of two basic stitches, double crochet and chain stitch. 

Ribbed Stitch 

Adding ribbed stitch to the edges of your cardigan gives it a nice, finished look and prevents curling at the edges. There are several different ways to do ribbing but it’s commonly worked by alternating stitches worked in the front loop or back loop only to create ridges.

Tips for Crocheting Cardigans

Read Through the Entire Pattern Before Starting Your Cardigan

When you find a pattern that you want to follow for your cardigan, the best thing to do is to read through the entire pattern FIRST before starting. 

One of the mistakes crocheters sometimes make is that they start right away with the project without even knowing what are the steps/techniques involved or what stitches used. If you are a beginner crocheter, make sure to familiarize the abbreviations used in the pattern. 

Always read the pattern to make sure you have all the tools and supplies you need, that you understand the instructions and that you’re aware if there are instructions that have you doing more than one thing at once (such as increasing and continuing a stripe or stitch pattern). 

If you need any help with the basics or you aren’t sure what the pattern is asking you to do, our Crochet Fundamentals workshop is a great reference. It covers everything from choosing your yarn to how to hold a hook, basic stitches, finishing techniques and much more. 

Check Your Gauge Before You Start Crocheting Your Cardigan

Frogging (or needing to rip out your work) is the worst thing that can happen when you're working on your project. So, it is very important to make and measure a gauge swatch before you get started to ensure your project will come out the right size.

To make your crochet gauge, make a sample at least 4 inches square using the yarn and stitch pattern called for in the pattern. If you are getting the same number of stitches as the pattern suggests, you’re ready to start work on your cardigan. 

If, however, you aren’t getting the same number of stitches, you’ll need to change your hook size and try again. If you’re getting more stitches than the pattern suggests, you need a bigger hook. If you’re getting too few stitches, try again with a smaller hook. 

Getting your gauge to agree with that of the pattern is essential to having your cardigan fit properly, so take the time to do it right. 

Measure Your Crochet Cardigan As You Go

As you go with your cardigan project, it is crucial to measure your work. You want to make sure you’re staying on gauge and that you’re knitting your pieces to the correct length. 

If your cardigan is worked in several pieces, using stitch markers to mark every tenth row or so will make it easier to count how many rows are in each piece to ensure they are all the same length when you go to stitch them together. 

Modify Your Crochet Cardigan For a Perfect Fit

The best thing about making your own crochet cardigan is that you can change the design if you want so that it fits your own shape and style. 

You can easily modify a crochet pattern to make the cardigan longer or shorter, or to make the sleeves long or short, or eliminate them altogether. 

You can also change the width of your cardigan pieces if you like to get a better fit, or to add waist shaping. Just make sure that the number of stitches you have works for the stitch pattern you are using. 

Best Way to Seam the Sleeves on a Cardigan for a Professional Look

There’s nothing that ruins the look of a crocheted cardigan more than sloppy finishing. I know you want to get to wearing your project as fast as possible, but taking the time to finish your projects well will make them that much nicer to wear. 

Before you sew any of your pieces together, you should block them (wash and pin out to the correct size/shape) first but do not weave in ends. Those long tails are helpful for sewing.

To sew the side seams of your crochet cardigan, it’s a great idea to single crochet the pieces together from the wrong side. This is a really secure seam that is quick and easy to do. 

It is somewhat bulky, though, so it might not be the best choice for sewing sleeves to your cardigan. To do that, align your two pieces so that the right sides are together. Use your yarn tail or another piece of yarn to work through the loops at the edge of the garment, making sure to stitch one loop from the front piece and one from the back together. 

Crochet Cardigan Patterns for Beginners

Ready to make your very first crochet cardigan? You've come to the right place. We listed a few great cardigan patterns for beginners. You'll surely find an easy and simple perfect cardigan for you.