Easy, oversized, and casual crochet cardigan for women.

Meet your new hooded cardigan crochet pattern that will accompany you in your everyday activities.

Say hello to my latest crochet design in collaboration with Hobium Yarns! It is a lightweight cardigan made with their recycled wool La Mia Just Wool. This is actually my very first cardigan design and I am in love!

And I do have a special place in my heart for hooded cardigans. I find them so practical.

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I always try to design things that are casual and cozy, easy and fun to wear and make. I have a thing for garments that are more in the athleisure category. Meaning they look athletic and casual but they are not something you would wear going to the gym. More like something you would wear when you pick your children from school or on a morning walk to the park.

The pockets and hood really add up to the category above! I used a different stitch for them to create texture, which I love, and let the eye wander. The ribbing also adds up, I think, to the level of coziness I wanted to bring with this design.

Slightly oversized, this cardigan can fit two sizes, small and medium. It actually fits bust from 34-40 inches easily. If you noticed in the photos, it actually can fit around my almost 9-month pregnant belly and I am a size medium with a 38 ½ inch bust. Not bad for a fit, what do you think? Depending on how you like to wear your clothes, this will be a good fit for most of you.

You could adjust the height by adding or subtracting rows on all panels and the sleeves. The final measurements for this crochet cardigan are 82 cm (32 inches) long, 55 cm (21.5 inches) wide, and 109 cm (43 inches) total bust circumference.

The yarn

Let’s talk a bit about the yarn I used. As I mentioned this is their recycled wool which is what I loved from the start. Recycled wool is made out of recycled sweaters, wool garments, and other wool yarns. They are then turned into fiber again and then colored. That means less waste and less impact on the environment.

It was really a pleasure to work with this yarn. Despite that it is 100% wool, it was quite soft and not at all harsh on the hands. The other thing that really surprised me in a very pleasant way is that it doesn’t get tangled easily. I had to do a lot of frogging for this crochet cardigan and I usually just rip out big amounts of the project and leave the yarn on the couch beside me until I am ready to wind it into a ball.

Not a great practice! Don’t try this at home, guys! But the amazing thing was that it didn’t get tangled or knotted together in any way. I wish I would have snapped a pic for you to see the mess I make with my frogged yarn. Definitely another plus for this yarn!

So, what are you waiting for? Head over to the Hobium Yarns blog and grab your free pattern. It is available as a free pdf download over there.

UPDATE 23/10/2024: The Casual Crochet Cardigan is now free on my blog. It was a hard choice to make and it took me too long to post this. I am sorry to the people that were waiting for this pattern.

It was a hard decision for me because I try to offer my designs in as many sizes as possible. All my garments now range from XS-5X, or from newborn to 14 years of age for kids.

Unfortunately, I can’t offer this in any more sizes than the original. It’s been many years, and I would have to make it over in order to offer more sizes. I don’t want to just do the math and be done with it.

I really don’t have the time or energy, to remake an older pattern, so it was a hard choice to publish it in just a couple sizes and not retire it entirely. There were too many people waiting for it, for too long.

Maybe, at some point I will be able to remake it with another yarn, but that’s not the case for the foreseeable future. I am sorry to disappoint… ;-(

Crochet accessory patterns you may like:

How to get this crochet cardigan pattern:

• If you are interested in the free version, scroll down below.
• You can get the premium ad-free pdf with a print-friendly version in any of my shops below. Or…

• You can sign up for my exclusive Wooly Stitches Club where you can get the entire Malloo pattern library for one small yearly fee. Enjoy crocheting from the comfort of your couch and never have to worry about paying full price for every premium PDF pattern. Click the image below to be pleasantly surprised.

Materials:

Yarn: La Mia Just Wool
Crochet hook: US I/5.5 mm
Yarn needle
Scissors
Stitch markers (2)

Yardage: 17 skeins of La Mia Just Wool or about 1860-1970 m (2034-2154 yds)

Don’t be intimidated by the 17 skeins you are going to need. They come in 50 gr balls and the price is amazing!

Gauge: 13 sts and 7 1/2 rows is 4″ in dc

Abbreviations

Fdc: Foundation double crochet
dc: double crochet
ch(s): chain(s)
st(s): stitch(es)
dc dec: double crochet decrease
sc: single crochet
sc dec: single crochet decrease
sl st: slip stitch
hdc: half double crochet
tlo: third loop only
sk: skip

Measurements

32″ (82 cm) long, 21.5″ (55 cm) wide, 453″ (109 cm) total bust circumference. One size fits bust 34-40 inches.

Casual crochet cardigan pattern free!

Back panel

R1: Fdc 68 (or ch 71, dc in third ch from hook and in all chains across), ch 2, turn  (68)
R2: dc in each st across, ch 2, turn  (68)
R3-56: repeat row 2  (68)
R57: dc 24, hdc, sc 18, hdc, dc 24, ch 2, turn  (68)
R58: repeat row 57  (68)

Cut yarn and set the back panel aside.

Front panels (make 2)

R1: Fdc 36 (or ch 39, dc in third ch from hook and in all chains across), ch 2, turn  (36)
R2: dc in each st across, ch 2, turn  (36)
R3-50: repeat row 2
R51: (dc dec) x 2, dc in each st across, ch 2, turn  (34) Place marker on top of this row on both panels. You will need it for the hood.
R52: dc 30, (dc dec) x 2, ch 2, turn  (32)
R53: (dc dec) x 2, dc in each st across, ch 2, turn  (30)
R54: dc 26, (dc dec) x 2, ch 2, turn  (28)
R55: (dc dec) x 2, dc in each st across, ch 2, turn  (26)
R56: dc 22, (dc dec) x 2, ch 2, turn  (24)
R57-58: dc in each st across, ch 2, turn  (24)

In the last row (58), do not ch 2. Leave a long tail for sewing and cut your yarn. Make another one of the same panel.

Align front and back panels together and sew. There is not really a good side and a wrong side for this fabric, but know that however you choose to place them, you are sewing the wrong side and then you will turn them inside out.

Seam the shoulders first, 24 stitches on each side and leave the center unworked. Then seam the sides until row 43. The rest of the rows are the armholes.

Hood:

The first row of the hood might seem tricky but it is not. Just bear with me as I try to give you as much detail as I can so you can finish this row easily.

Start on row 51 of the left panel. That is the row you placed your marker. You will just make one stitch on this spot and you will move on, to the next row. For the remaining 7 rows of the panel, you will make 2 stitches in every row, according to the instructions below.

Now you have reached the back panel. It should have 20 stitches (18 sc and 2 hdc of the last row of the back panel) but since you made the seams it now has 22 stitches, one more on each side where you seamed the front and back panels together. Continue with the instructions in row 1 of the hood. There will be an increase in the middle. All increases in the hood are one sc and one dc in the same stitch. Just remember to alternate them as the pattern goes.

You finished the back panel and now you will continue with the front right panel. Again, 2 stitches in every dc row, and the last stitch will go in your other marker. Remove markers. It may sound complicated, but believe me, it’s not. Just take it step by step.

R1: Join yarn at the left panel, at the end of row 51, ch 1, sc in the same st, (dc, sc) in each dc row of the left panel. You will end up with 15 st(s). One st in every st of the back panel, alternating dc with sc. It will go like this: dc, sc in the next 10 st(s), increase in the next 2 st(s) [dc, sc, dc, sc], dc, sc in next 10 st(s). Then repeat the process for the right panel as you did on the left panel. You will make 15 more st(s) on the right panel, beginning with dc, sc for each dc row and ending with a dc on the top of row 51 of the right panel, ch 1, turn (54)
R2-4: sc, dc in each st across, ch 1, turn  (54)
R5: sc, dc in next 26 st(s), (sc, dc) x 2, sc, dc in all remaining st(s), ch 1, turn  (56)
R6-8: sc, dc in each st across, ch 1, turn  (56)
R9: sc, dc in next 27 st(s), (dc, sc) x 2, dc, sc in all remaining st(s), ch 1, turn  (58)
R10-12: sc, dc in each st across, ch 1, turn  (58)
R13: sc, dc in next 28 st(s), (sc, dc) x 2, sc, dc in all remaining st(s), ch 1, turn  (60)
R14-16: sc, dc in each st across, ch 1, turn  (60)
R17: sc, dc in next 29 st(s), (dc, sc) x 2, dc, sc in all remaining st(s), ch 1, turn  (62)
R18-20: sc, dc in each st across, ch 1, turn  (62)
R21: sc, dc in next 30 st(s), (sc, dc) x 2, sc, dc in all remaining st(s), ch 1, turn  (64)
R22-24: sc, dc in each st across, ch 1, turn  (64)
R25: sc, dc in next 31 st(s), (dc, sc) x 2, dc, sc in all remaining st(s), ch 1, turn  (66)
R26-32: sc, dc in each st across, ch 1, turn  (66)
R33: sc, dc in next 31 st(s), sc dec in next 2 st(s), dc, sc in all remaining st(s), ch 1, turn  (64)
R34: sc, dc in next 30 st(s), sc dec in next 2 st(s), sc, dc in all remaining st(s), ch 1, turn  (62)
R35: sc, dc in next 29 st(s), sc dec in next 2 st(s), dc, sc in all remaining st(s), ch 1, turn  (60)
R36: sc, dc in next 28 st(s), sc dec in next 2 st(s), sc, dc in all remaining st(s), ch 1, turn  (58)

Leave a long tail for sewing and cut yarn. Turn the hood inside out and sew the last row together. 

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Front edging

We will make a sc edging around the front of the cardigan. This will be our base for the ribbing. Connect yarn on the bottom of the left panel.

You will make 2 sc’s in every dc row. You will end up with 102 sc for the left panel, 106 sc for the hood, and 102 sc for the right panel. Cut yarn.

Ribbing (front)

R1: Join yarn at the first sc you made for the front edging. Ch 6, hdc in second chain from hook and in all remaining ch(s), sl st in next 3 sc’s, turn  (5)
R2: sk all 3 sl st(s), hdc in tlo (remember that since we are turning the third loop of the hdc is now located on the front of your work) in each st across, ch 1, turn  (5)
R3: hdc in tlo in each st across, sl st in next 3 sc’s, turn  (5)
R4-207: repeat rows 2 and 3. Sl st and fasten off on the last row.

Ribbing (bottom)

Turn the project so that the hood is close to you, and the bottom side of the cardi is further away from you. Join yarn on the bottom left side, on the first hdc of the last row of the ribbing front.

Repeat exactly as ribbing front for 98 rows, until you reach the end of the other side. Sl st and fasten off on the last row.

Pockets (make 2)

R1: ch 22, sc in second ch from hook, dc in next ch, sc, dc in each ch across, ch 1, turn  (21)
R2: dc, sc in each st across, ch 1, turn  (21)
R3: sc, dc in each st across, ch 1, turn  (21)
R4-18: repeat rows 2 and 3

Do not cut yarn. We will continue with the ribbing of the pocket.

Ribbing

R1: ch 7, hdc in second ch from hook in all ch(s) across, sl st in next 3 st(s)  (6)
R2: sk all 3 sl st(s), hdc in tlo in each st across, ch 1, turn  (6)
R3: hdc in tlo in each st across, sl st in next 3 st(s)  (6)
R4-14: repeat rows 2 and 3. In the last repeat, there will be only 2 st(s) for the sl st, not 3.

Again, do not cut yarn. We will continue with a sc edging around the pocket for easier sewing and a better finish.

Ch 1, turn and sc evenly around. You will make 24 sc down one side, 3 sc in the corner, 19 sc in the bottom, 3 sc in the corner, and 24 sc up the other side. Leave a long tail for sewing and cut yarn. Repeat the process to make another pocket.

Placement of the pockets

I saw my pockets 2 and a half rows from the bottom of the cardi (without taking the ribbing into account) and 8 st(s) in from the side of the cardi, again without taking the ribbing into account. Please check the position first and mark with pins what feels like the optimal position for you. The instructions above are just a suggestion and it might not work for you.

Sleeves

R1: Join yarn at the bottom of the sleeve hole. Ch 2, dc 50 evenly around, sl st to join, ch 2  (50) As a general rule you will make 1 dc in the first dc row and 2 dc in the next 2 dc rows. This should easily get you 50 dc around.
R2-10: dc in each st around, sl st to join, ch 2  (50)
R11: dc, dec, dc 44, dec, dc, sl st, ch 2  (48)
R12-13: dc in each st around, sl st, ch 2  (48)
R14: dc, dec, dc 42, dec, dc, sl st, ch 2  (46)
R15-16: dc in each st around, sl st, ch 2  (46)
R17: dc, dec, dc 40, dec, dc, sl st, ch 2  (44)
R18-19: dc in each st around, sl st, ch 2  (44)
R20: dc, dec, dc 38, dec, dc, sl st, ch 2  (42)
R21-22: dc in each st around, sl st, ch 2  (42)
R23: dc, dec, dc 36, dec, dc, sl st, ch 2  (40)
R24-25: dc in each st around, sl st, ch 2  (40)
R26: dc, dec, dc 34, dec, dc, sl st, ch 2  (38)
R27-30: dc in each st around, sl st, ch 2  (38)

Do not cut yarn, we will continue with the ribbing.

Ribbing

R1: Ch 13, hdc in second ch from hook and in all ch(s) across, sl st in next 4 st(s), turn  (12)
R2: sk all 4 sl st(s), hdc in tlo in each st across, ch 1, turn  (12)
R3: hdc in each st across, sl st in next 4 st(s), turn  (12)
R4-21: repeat rows 2 and 3

In the last repeat there are only 2 st(s) left to sl st, not 4. Leave a long tail for sewing and cut yarn. Turn the sleeve inside out and sew the first and last row of ribbing together. Repeat the process for the other sleeve.

Fasten off and weave in all ends. I hope you enjoyed making this hooded crochet cardigan.

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If you decide to make it, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @malloo.knitwear and use #malloomakers so I can your projects!

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