This time I’ll teach you a very easy version of a cardigan. Very colorful and nice to wear during the spring days that are coming. The pattern is very easy to adjust to your own size.

Materials

  • 8 skeins of Ice Yarns Pastel Cotton in the color pink shades blue shades (or other number 4 yarn)
  • 10 mm crochet hook
  • Stitchmarker
  • Measuring tape
  • Scissors
  • Tapestry needle

Terms used/abbreviations

Ch                    chain
Hdc                 half double crochet
Sl st                slip stitch

Notes

  • This pattern is written in US terms.
  • The body is worked up from bottom to top in one piece.

Pattern

We start this pattern with a number of measurements.

Measure your size at chest height. The tape measure should not be pulled tight around your body and leave about 1 inch of space between the ends. Write this number down at 1. Now measure from the armpit to almost mid front. Write this number at 2. We measure from shoulder to shoulder, write this number at 3. Measure the height from your armpit to where you want your cardigan to fall. Write this number at 4. Finally, measure the height from your armpit to the top of your shoulder. Write this number at 5.

You are now ready to start.

Body

We start our pattern with a half double crochet foundation chain, if you want to learn how you can click on this link https://2loopz.com/half-double-crochet-foundation-chain/
If you are a beginning crocheter or you don’t like starting with this foundation, you can also start with a normal chain and work up a row of hdc on top. Make sure your foundation chain is an uneven number and is 1 inch shorter than the size you measured at number 1. Your work stretches a bit so you get the desired width by working up the cardigan.

Row 1: ch1, turn your work. Make 2 hdc in the first stitch, skip a stitch, 2 hdc in the next. Repeat this to the end of the row. Row 2: ch1, turn your work. Make 2 hdc in between the 2 hdc from the row below. Make 2 hdc in between the next 2 hdc

Repeat row 2 until you have the length you wrote down by number 4. Now we start with the upper half of the body. Starting with the first front panel. Ch 1, turn your work and then work the pattern until you reach the width you wrote down by number 2. Ch1, turn your work and work up until you reach the top of your shoulder, this should be the number you wrote down by number 5. Write down the amount of rows you’ve made so every part gets exactly the same amount of rows. Bind off and cut your yarn. Count your stitches and make an exact same piece on the other end of your cardigan.

Bind off and attach your yarn in the left corner of your back.

Work up the same amount of rows you did for the front panels until you have the width you wrote down at number 3. Bind off and weave in your ends.

Your body of the cardigan is done. We close the shoulder seams by folding your cardigan with the front panels on top of the back panel (See photo) and make slip stitches along the shoulders. You can close the seams the way you prefer, I made sl st but I also use the mattress stitch a lot. Bind off and weave in your ends. Turn your work the right side out and try it on to double check if it fits.

Sleeves

For the sleeves you attach your yarn in the corner under the arm in between 2 hdc.
Ch 1, hdc in the same space, 2 hdc in between the next 2 hdc, 2 hdc in the corner, then make 2 hdc every other row all the way around. Don’t close your round but keep making 2 hdc in between the 2 hdc. Check every once in a while how it fits. If you need decreasing then do this under the arm by making just 1 hdc in between the 2 hdc and in the next row skip this 1 hdc and jump straight to the next 2 hdc. Then fit again if it fits better. Every time you need decreasing do it like this. Write down your rounds and when you make your decreases so you can repeat this on the other sleeve. I made decreases in rounds 3, 6, 11, 18 and 20. Work up the sleeve until you reached the length you like. I stopped just passed my elbows. End with a round of hdc in every stitch around, close this last round with a sl st in the first hdc of your round. Repeat the same steps for the other sleeve.  

Border

Attach your yarn in the bottom corner of the front panel and ch2, then hdc in the same row, hdc in the next row, 2 hdc in the next row, hdc in the next, 2 hdc in the next. Eyeball this and see if the work lays nice and flat. If it is wavy then make less hdc and if it is too tight then make some more hdc. Repeat this all the way around the front panels and the neck. Bind off and weave in your ends.

This easy peasy cardi is ready to wear.