Free Crochet Cardigan Patterns

Cardigan shapes you can crochet for free

Granny square jackets, cropped boleros, longline dusters, cocoon shrugs, hooded cardis and classic buttoned styles all appear here, sized for ladies as well as babies and children. Each free PDF sets out the tension, hook size, finished bust measurements and yarn quantities, so you can choose a size by the ease you actually want to wear rather than by the label you usually buy. There are patterns for a first garment as well as fitted, shaped designs for anyone who has already made a few.

How crochet cardigans are constructed

Most fall into three camps. Rectangle-based cardigans are made from simple panels folded and seamed, with sleeves formed by the fold; they need almost no shaping and are the easiest way into garments. Motif cardigans join granny squares or hexagons into a body, which makes them portable and endlessly adaptable in colour. Shaped cardigans, worked top-down in one piece or in pieces and seamed, involve increases, armhole shaping and sleeve caps, and give the neatest fit. The pattern page tells you which you are getting, and it is worth knowing before you buy the yarn.

Choosing yarn for a cardigan

• 4 ply: lightest drape and the most refined fabric, ideal for spring layers, but a long project on a 3mm or 3.5mm hook.
• DK: the everyday all-rounder on a 4mm hook, wearable indoors and out.
• Aran and chunky: quicker and warmer, and best suited to relaxed, oversized shapes rather than fitted ones.
• Cotton holds structure and stitch definition but has no recovery, so heavy cardigans can grow.
• Wool and wool blends stretch and spring back, which flatters a fitted cardigan and helps sleeves keep their shape.

Getting the fit and ease right

Crochet fabric is denser and heavier than knitting, so a cardigan that fits closely can feel stiff. Measure a cardigan you already like and compare it with the pattern's finished bust measurement, then decide on ease: two to five centimetres for a close fit, fifteen or more for a genuinely oversized shape. Always work a tension square in the stitch pattern the pattern specifies, wash and dry it as you plan to treat the garment, then measure. Crochet grows when wet more than most people expect, and a swatch that has been through water tells you the truth.

Techniques and finishing details

Beyond the basic stitches you may meet front and back post stitches for ribbed cuffs and bands, working into the back loop only for a flexible edge, short rows for shoulder shaping, and picking up stitches evenly along a front edge for the button band. Buttonholes in crochet are usually a chain space skipped over a couple of stitches, so plan their spacing before you start rather than after. Seaming with mattress stitch or slip stitch through both edges gives a much cleaner join than whip stitch on a garment.

Care and wearing

Check the ball band, and wash a handmade cardigan the same way you swatched it. Dry flat, never on a hanger, because the weight of wet crochet will pull the shoulders out of shape permanently. Steam blocking settles seams and relaxes any tightness around the armholes. For more choice, see the wider crochet cardigan collection, or browse everything in the free crochet patterns library.

Crochet cardigan questions

Is there a simple crochet cardigan pattern that's free? Yes. Rectangle-based and granny square cardigans need very little shaping and are the usual recommendation for a first garment.

Can I print the pattern? Every pattern here downloads as a free PDF you can print or save, and it stays in your account.

How much yarn does a ladies cardigan take? Commonly 1,000 to 1,800 metres of DK depending on size and length. Buy to the yardage in the pattern and add a spare ball.

Which hook size should I use? Start with the size the pattern names, then change hook, not tension, until your swatch matches. A larger hook also gives a softer, drapier fabric.

Why does my cardigan look bulky at the shoulders? Usually a dense stitch worked at a tight tension. Try a larger hook, a lighter yarn, or a design with set-in sleeves rather than a straight drop shoulder.