10 Beautiful Cardigan Knitting Patterns
Just because it’s summer, don’t put your needles down!
You can knit sweaters and wear them almost all year round.
Thanks to air conditioning, we’ve all experienced cold shoulders in restaurants, movie theaters, offices, or other public venues…so having a cardigan handy is a must!
I’ve rounded up ten lovely and interesting sweaters that will keep you warm while looking cool. In addition, these cardigans may be worn in spring, fall, and maybe even winter.
If you’re into knitting sweaters, you may also enjoy these lace sweater patterns, these tees to knit and wear in summer, or these easy sweater knitting patterns.
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10 Beautiful Cardigan Knitting Patterns
#1. Kaga Cardigan Knitting Pattern
“Kaga”, flower bud in Japanese, is a boxy cardigan that dresses up your casual outfit.
It is worked from the top down seamlessly. The fronts and back are first worked back and forth separately. After short-row shoulder shaping, they are worked in Kaga pattern to the underarm, then joined. The lower body is knitted in one piece to the hem.
Sleeves sts are picked up around the arm openings and worked down in the round in 1x1 rib.
The front and neck edging are finished neatly with I-cord.
Uses fingering weight yarn
Designed by Ririko
Get Kaga Cardigan Knitting Pattern on Ravelry
Get Knit Picks Stroll Tonal Yarn for this project
#2. Maema Cardigan Knitting Pattern
Maema is a lightweight cardigan knit top down in one piece. It features Honeycomb Brioche on the fronts and back to provide some squishy texture on this simple raglan shape.
It is open at the front with exaggerated armholes and roomy elbow length sleeves, which makes it a perfect spring and summer layering piece.
Uses fingering weight yarn
Designed by Megan Nodecker
Get Maema Cardigan Knitting Pattern on Ravelry
Get Knit Picks Hawthorne Speckle Hand Painted Yarn for this project
#3. Sebec Cardigan Free Knitting Pattern
We’re feeling the bobble trend hard with this simple and fashion forward cardigan, Sebec.
Made from the bottom up with a v-neck and set in sleeves, we love how fun yet polished this cardigan is to wear.
Uses worsted weight yarn
Designed by Amy Christoffers
Get Berroco Pima 100 Yarn for this project
#4. Summer Woods Cardigan Knitting Pattern
Give color work a try! Summer Woods is a cropped Fair Isle cardigan knitting pattern. It’s worked flat from the bottom-up and sewn together. Rows only use one or two colors making this a fabulous project for a beginner wanting to knit stranded color work.
Uses worsted weight yarn
Designed by Christina Taylor
Get Knit Picks Swish Worsted Yarn for this project
#5. Gambit Cardigan Knitting Pattern
Gambit Cardi is a tidy cardigan featuring a classic fit and a slight nod to mid-60s fashion inspired by The Queen’s Gambit.
Knit top-down flat and designed as an engaging beginner-friendly project with design elements to keep even the most seasoned knitter entertained, Gambit Cardi’s sophisticated fit lends to a stylish and infinitely wearable addition to your hand knit wardrobe.
Featuring classic design elements: stockinette, cable button band, a touch of seed stitch- on the collar, button band, cuffs and hem- and tidy i-cord edging for clean lines. Rounded out with a chic, slightly structured fit and elbow length sleeves. Perfect when paired with a sunny retro minidress or crisp modern separates, Gambit Cardi is a straightforward knit with lots of personality!
Gambit Cardi is ideal for the beginner garment knitter for several reasons: It’s DK so it’s quick, it’s seamless and knitted flat (worked back and forth rather than in the round), an unfussy fit offers lots of flexibility and the basic design elements are a great opportunity to build your repertoire of stitches. Helpful video tutorials will take you through every step of the making process from Collar to Hem such as: Choosing the right size, Swatching for Gauge, German Short Rows, Lifted Increases, Cables without a Cable Needle and more!
Uses DK weight yarn
Designed by Wool & Pine
Get Swift Tweed DK Yarn OR Knit Picks City Tweed Yarn for this project
#6. Ripple Jacket Knitting Pattern
Smart and cool with high fashion details and the perfect fit! Ripple is a cool jacket with the comfort of a knit cardigan.
Knit at a big gauge with two yarns held together for a marled color effect, it is a rather quick project. The detailed instructions will lead you through to knit a wonderful and versatile everyday piece.
A flattering cut and princess lines that conjure away a few pounds make this jacket a unique wardrobe staple. The pattern includes many options for the shaping, to create a perfectly fitting cardigan for you!
Uses two fingering/sport weight yarns held together for worsted weight
Designed by Hinterm Stein
Get Ripple Jacket Knitting Pattern on Ravelry
Get Knit Picks Shine Sport and Palette Yarn for this project
#7. Cornish Cardigan Free Knitting Pattern
Cornish, is a simple stockinette cardigan with a slight crop and wide shawl collar. Throw it over a dress or a casual summer outfit and hit the sunset cruise.
Uses DK weight yarn
Created by Berroco Design Team
Get Berroco Zinnia Yarn for this project
Jasper Cardigan Knitting Pattern
#8. Jasper Cardigan Knitting Pattern
This easy breezy cotton cardi is a must on any vacation. With polished, unexpected details like sweeping front pockets and bound edges, the simple silhouette is elevated to an elegant garment that’s suited for day or night.
SKILLS
This is an easy level knitting pattern and the techniques involved are the knit and purl stitches, decreasing with k2tog and ssk, picking up and knitting stitches from an edge, and seaming.
Uses worsted weight yarn
Designed by Alexandra Tavel
Get Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton Yarn for this project OR buy the kit
#9. Sarah Cardigan Knitting Pattern
Sarah is a perfect in-between seasons jacket - just right for cool days in lieu of a coat. The half-fisherman rib is not quite as condensed as full fisherman rib, resulting in a lofty, slightly puffy fabric. Dramatic angled, drop-shoulders and oversized pockets make Sarah fun to knit and even more fun to wear!
Uses DK weight yarn
Designed by Julie Weisenberger
Get Knit Picks Swish DK Yarn for this project
#10. Fine Sand Cardigan Knitting Pattern
A sleek, minimalist design that lets the yarn shine! To the discerning eye of a knitter it will be apparent that the shaping is achieved through elegantly placed lifted increases throughout the yoke and then carried down the back. A few short rows are used to make the front sections a touch shorter than the back. Altogether, the result is a simple and wearable cardigan.
It is worked from the top down, entirely seamlessly. The instructions comprise only a few repetitive elements, so it’s easy to find your knitting rhythm. Suitable for a knitter with some experience with top down knitting.
Uses DK or sport weight yarn
Designed by Heidi Kirrmaier, image by Mabenne
Get Fine Sand Cardigan Knitting Pattern on Ravelry
Get Knit Picks Shine Sport Yarn for this project
