CROCHET CARDIGAN - VIDEO TUTORIAL & PATTERN
OPTION 1 — CLASSIC CARDIGAN
This cardigan is worked top-down with raglan increases, using turning rows.
The fit is customizable — try it on as you go and adjust the length as needed.
Materials:
Yarn:
• Short cardigan: approx. 1,050 yds / 960 m
• Long cardigan: approx. 1,800 yds / 1,645 m
(I used Lion Brand 100% Wool — 5 oz / 140 g per skein, 299 yds / 273 m per skein: approx. 3.5 skeins for short version, 6 skeins for long version)
Hooks:
• 10 mm crochet hook (main body)
• 6 mm crochet hook (ribbing)
Notions:
• Scissors
• Stitch markers or contrasting yarn (optional, recommended)
Abbreviations (US Terms)
• ch — chain
• dc — double crochet
• hdc — half double crochet
• sc — single crochet
• sl st — slip stitch
• rep — repeat
Construction Overview
• Worked top-down
• Raglan construction
• Turning rows
• Double crochet stitch
• Customizable length for body and sleeves
Yoke & Raglan Setup
Using 10 mm hook.
1. Foundation Chain
Ch 40.
2. Stitch Distribution
Divide stitches as follows (including raglan stitches):
• Front: 4 sts
• Sleeve: 6 sts
• Back: 16 sts
• Sleeve: 6 sts
• Front: 4 sts
Raglan lines: 4 stitches total
→ Distribution: 4–6–16–6–4
3. Work in dc, turning rows.
Raglan Increases
• Raglan increase = 3 dc in the same stitch
• Always work increases into the center stitch of the previous increase
• Use stitch markers or a contrasting yarn to mark the center stitch of each raglan increase
Front Shaping (Neck Opening)
• From Row 1, start increasing at the outer edge stitches of the front panels
• Repeat these front-edge increases for 4 rows
After Row 4:
• Continue working raglan increases as before
• Stop increasing at the front edges
Yoke Length
Continue working rows until the underarms are ready to be joined.
• I worked 15 rows total before joining
• Try the cardigan on and adjust if needed
Joining Underarms
Before joining, mark the front-facing side of each sleeve.
Join Row (Row 16)
1. Work to the first raglan increase
2. Make 1 hdc into the center stitch of the raglan increase
3. Skip all sleeve stitches
4. Make 1 hdc into the center stitch of the next raglan increase
5. These two hdc are joined into one stitch
6. Repeat for the second sleeve
Body
After joining the underarms:
• Continue working dc in turning rows
• No increases or decreases
• Work until desired length
My measurements:
• Short cardigan:
• 14 rows after joining
• 29 rows total (including join row)
• Long cardigan:
• 38 rows after joining
• 52 rows total (including join row)
Sleeves
• Start at the underarm
• Work in turning rows
• Dc stitches
• No shaping
I worked 18 rows for each sleeve after joining.
Adjust sleeve length as desired.
Ribbing & Edging
Switch to 6 mm hook.
Work on the right side.
Round 1 – Single Crochet Edge
• Sc evenly around the entire cardigan opening
Placement:
• 2 sc around each dc post
• 1 sc between rows
• At bottom corners: 3 sc in one stitch
Round 2 – Double Crochet
• Dc around
• Repeat corner increases: 3 dc in corner stitch
Rounds 3 and up — Ribbing
• Dc front post / back post alternately
• At corners: increase into the center stitch of the previous corner increase
• Repeat this round as many times as needed to achieve your desired ribbing width
• Repeat the same ribbing process on the sleeves
OPTION 2: CARDIGAN WITH COLLAR
This version uses the same basic cardigan construction as the original version, with a few adjustments to the yoke and length. Ribbed cuffs, a bottom band, collar, and front button bands are added separately and attached to the finished cardigan.
A separate video tutorial is included for this finishing option.
Materials
Hook:
- 10 mm crochet hook
NAVI DUNE Yarn:
For the sample cardigan, I used 12 skeins total:
- 3 skeins — Sprout
- 2 skeins — Pearl
- 3 skeins — Peony
- 4 skeins — Dandelion
Yoke
Ch 40.
Distribute the stitches the same way as in the original cardigan:
- Front: 4 sts
- Sleeve: 6 sts
- Back: 16 sts
- Sleeve: 6 sts
- Front: 4 sts
- 4 raglan stitches total
Distribution: 4–6–16–6–4
Work the yoke using the same raglan construction described in the original version.
For this version, do not work the additional increases along the front edges.
For my cardigan:
- 10 yoke rows total
- Rows 1–5: Dandelion
- Rows 6–10: Pearl
- Row 11: joining row
Join the underarms using the same method described above.
Body
After joining the underarms, continue working the body in dc turning rows without increases or decreases.
For my cardigan, I worked 9 body rows after joining.
Adjust the length if needed before adding the bottom ribbing.
⸻
Sleeve Ribbing
The ribbing is worked separately in rows and then attached to the sleeve.
First, count the stitches around the sleeve opening.
Divide this number by 2 to estimate how many ribbing rows you will need.
My example:
31 sleeve stitches ÷ 2 = 15.5
I rounded this down to 15 rows so the cuff would be slightly smaller than the sleeve opening.
Ribbing
Ch 4.
Row 1:
Ch 2 for turning. Work 4 hdc into the back bumps of the foundation chain.
Row 2:
Ch 2, turn. Work 4 hdc in the back loop only (BLO).
Repeat Row 2 until you have the required number of rows.
For my cardigan: 15 rows.
Attaching the Ribbing
Place the ribbing against the right side of the sleeve opening.
Distribute approximately 1 ribbing row across every 2 sleeve stitches.
To attach:
- Insert the hook through the edge of the ribbing row
- Insert through the corresponding sleeve stitch
- Work a sl st to join them
Continue around the entire sleeve opening.
When you reach the end, bring the first and last ribbing rows together and join them with sl sts to close the cuff into a ring.
Repeat for the second sleeve.
⸻
Bottom Ribbing
The bottom ribbing is made using the same method as the sleeve ribbing.
The ribbing is 4 stitches wide.
Count the stitches along the bottom edge of the cardigan and divide by 2.
My example:
65 stitches ÷ 2 = 32.5
I rounded this to 33 ribbing rows.
Ch 4 and work the ribbing in hdc BLO as described above.
Attach the ribbing along the bottom edge, distributing approximately:
1 ribbing row across every 2 cardigan stitches.
⸻
Collar
The collar is also worked separately in rows.
My collar is 15 stitches wide, approximately 7 in (18 cm).
To estimate the number of collar rows, count the stitches around the neckline and divide by 1.5.
My example:
40 neckline stitches ÷ 1.5 ≈ 27 rows
Ch 15 and work the collar in hdc BLO until you reach the required number of rows.
For my cardigan: approximately 27 rows.
Attaching the Collar
Position the collar so that the joining seam will sit on the inside of the cardigan.
Attach it to the neckline with sl sts.
Distribute approximately:
2 collar rows across every 3 neckline stitches.
Continue evenly across the entire neckline.
⸻
Front Button Bands
Both front bands are worked separately using the same ribbing technique.
My bands are 5 stitches wide.
For the front bands, I recommend measuring them directly against the finished cardigan rather than calculating the number of rows. This helps prevent the front edge from stretching or pulling.
First Band — Button Side
Ch 5.
Work hdc BLO rows until the band matches the full length of the cardigan front.
For my cardigan: 34 rows.
Attach the band evenly along the front edge using sl sts.
Second Band — Buttonhole Side
Before making the second band, use the finished first band to decide where you want your buttons.
Mark the button positions evenly along the cardigan.
Make the second band in the same way.
At each marked buttonhole row, replace the 3rd hdc with ch 1 to create the buttonhole.
Continue until the second band matches the first.
Attach the second band with sl sts, starting from the bottom edge, so both front bands align symmetrically.
⸻
Finishing
Sew the buttons onto the first front band, aligning each button with its corresponding buttonhole.
• Fasten off
• Weave in all ends
Done!
Tag your finished cardigan: @olga.levinski — I'd love to see your creation!