Imagine Cardi
By Brittany Rooney, It's Britt's Knits
(a division of Brittique)
Free crochet pattern for an easy crochet cardigan sweater.
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The Imagine Cardi is a crochet cardigan pattern that's made entirely from rectangles, and is easy to adjust sizing as needed.
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The ad-free photo condensed version of this crochet pattern can be found at www.buybrittique.com/crochetpatterns
It's also available through my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/listing/630570802/
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I've added it there because I understand people prefer sites they're familiar with. However, my site does have an SSL certificate, meaning your information is safe and secure. There are less fees associated with this site, and I pass those savings along to you through lower prices.
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Pattern is written in U.S. terms. Finished products may be sold only if you provide a link back to this page. Pattern may not be shared, sold or reproduced.
Tools/Supplies and stitches used
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Tapestry needle
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Yarn: Lion brand Mandala yarn in Chimera. It's a weight 3 and comes 590 yards per skein. This pattern uses approx 1 3/4 skeins. There are lots of other colors available, too.
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Hook: L/11-8.00mm for most of the pattern. I/9-5.50mm for wrist cuffs. Personally I'm a fan of Boye because I like the shape and style of the hook itself and am a fan of the aluminum hooks. (and blue!)
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*Disclaimer: If you purchase using the link(s) I may receive a small commission that helps with some of the costs of this site, which means I can keep making FREE crochet patterns. Disclosures here.
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Stitches used:
Hdc- Half double crochet
Ch- Chain
sk- skip
Hdcflo- Half double crochet, front loop only
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Please note photos show this cardigan with the number of stitches recommended. Model is 5'4" & 150 pounds. She wears a size large or US 10. The sweater has a lot of stretch. You can easily increase/decrease any part of this crochet cardigan or lengthen/shorten areas. The large parts of this pattern (Back panel, 2 sleeves, 2 front panels) are all worked with the same stitch pattern. You will start by making 5 rectangles.
Back Panel:
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Beg ch: Loosely Ch52 (hold lengthwise across your back or against the back of a sweater that you love to determine if this is your desired length). Adjust if needed, but keep chains an even number.
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Row 1: Hdc in the 4th chain from the hook. (this counts as the first hdc, ch1. (ch1, sk1, hdc in the next stitch.)25x. Including the first stitch, this makes 26 hdcs (or half of the number of the beginning chain)
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Row 2: ch3, turn, hdc in 2nd st. (ch1, sk1, hdc)25x, making 26 hdcs.
Repeat Row 2 until you reach your desired length. I did 55 rows, not including the chain row. Determine length by holding rectangle vertically at the top of your shoulders.
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**If you change the length of the back panel, be sure to match the length of the front panels.**
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Front Panels: (Make 2)
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Beg ch: Loosely Ch28. This makes a fairly thin strip in front. If you plan on adding buttons or want to closed, you may wish to make it longer but keep chains an even number.
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Row 1: Hdc in the 4th chain from the hook. (this counts as the first hdc, ch1. (ch1, sk1, hdc in the next stitch.)13x. Including the first stitch, this makes 14 hdcs (or half of beginning chain)
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Row 2: ch3, turn, hdc in 2nd st. (ch1, sk1, hdc)13x, making 14 hdcs.
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Repeat until you have 55 rows (or number of rows of back panel)
Sleeves: (Make 2)
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*Note- I made mine crazy long and baggy. If you want them average length or aren't putting the cuffs on, you may wish to eliminate about 10 rows.
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Beg ch: Loosely Ch40. Wrap around the largest part of your arm to determine desired width.
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Row 1: Hdc in the 4th chain from the hook. (this counts as the first hdc, ch1. (ch1, sk1, hdc in the next stitch.)19x. Including the first stitch, this makes 20 hdcs.
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Row 2: ch3, turn, hdc in 2nd st. (ch1, sk1, hdc)19x, making 20 hdcs.
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I did 54 rows (but again, I wanted SUPER long). Hold at top of shoulder and let it hang to determine length. Remember it will stretch, and that we're adding a cuff.
Wrist cuffs: (Make 2)
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***Using I/9-5.50mm hook***
Beg ch: Ch18. Wrap around your hand to determine desired width. I have small wrists but like cuffs loose. If putting a thumb hole in, measure above thumb.
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Row 1: Hdc in the 2nd chain from the hook. (this counts as the first hdc, Hdc in the next 16, making 17 hdcs.
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Row 2: Ch2, turn, hdcflo in each of the 17 stitches.
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Repeat row 2 until you have 15 rows, or desired length. Keep in mind thumb hole will be created when sewing later.
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Sewing:
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If you used Mandala yarn and have a preference for which colors are where, determine the right side (rs) and wrong side (ws). Lay front panels vertically on each side of the back panel, (ws) facing up.
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Blanket stitch the panels to the back, leaving about 12" unworked on top. You can use any stitch- just make sure it doesn't show, but allows a bit of stretch.
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Fold arms in half, (ws) facing out, and sew together, making a tube. Do the same with the wrist cuffs, leaving a 1-2" opening for the thumb.
Keeping both as (ws), match the seams of the sleeves and wrist cuffs, and sew together. The sleeves are about twice as wide, so safety pins are very helpful to get an even stitch.
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With both facing (ws), sew the sleeves onto the sweater, starting about 4" down from the top. Keep the sleeve slightly taught to avoid a tight armhole. Once it's been sewn to the back and front panels, sew any unworked area all the panels. Repeat with other sleeve.
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With the sweater facing (ws), sew about 4" across the top of the front panel, connecting it to the top of the back panel. You can sew at a diagonal here to round the shoulders if desired.
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With (rs) facing out, single crochet 1 row at the end of each cuff.
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Single crochet 1 row around the entire border of the sweater.
I want to see yours!
I really hope you enjoyed working on this crochet cardigan! I would love to see what yarn you used and any unique changes you made. Let's show each other some love by bringing attention to each other's social media pages!
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Instagram: @BuyBrittique
Facebook: @ItsBrittsKnits
Twitter: @BuyBrittique
Hashtag: #ImagineCardi
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