The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan is a free and easy crochet pattern that is made to measure, size inclusive and designed to be intuitive and beginner friendly. The full instructions are posted below for you to view for free.
There’s nothing better than a lightweight crochet cardigan that is comfortable and easy to wear. The type that is perfect for layering – whether you need a cozy extra layer for cooler evenings or a cover-up over a cute summer top (crocheted of course) on warmer days. We designed The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan as a relaxed fit cardigan, with loose open sleeves, and effortless drape. This versatile cardigan is easy to crochet and a must-have for any venturing down the “handmade wardrobe” path.
We designed the Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan with fast simple stitches and minimal shaping. This means the easy crochet pattern is great for beginners looking to make their first garment! The simple classic open-front design and flowing sleeves give it a modern look! We have been throwing ours over short skirts and jeans on casual days…yet last week we needed something a little more formal and had it over a long dress!
Recognize this stitch before? We used it in our Pretty Lace Crochet Tee!
We also think this would make an easy, thoughtful handmade gift as this pattern works up quickly and its design makes it easy to customize for different lengths and sizes. We don’t receive a lot of hand made gifts (we tend to give them more than we receive them :)) but we would love to receive this – its forgiving on style and fit and looks like it took so much more effort than it really does!
Please support us: We are trying to keep all our crochet patterns free for everyone, when you access and view them online. We meet the costs of running this website through coffee donations at https://ko-fi.com/kiksandjackcrochet and ad revenue. When you buy us a cup of coffee, you buy us a cup of motivation. Thank you for keeping us motivated and inspired every day to keep designing free crochet patterns for you.
Just a little mention on this yarn. This is the yarn that introduced us to Hobbii. We have crocheted with it many times before. Everything just looks great and it’s so comfortable. Since then we have discovered other yarns we adore from this brand, but this was the one that started it. Check out these patterns using the same yarn:
The Classic Cropped Crochet Sweater.
The Campbell Everyday Crochet Sweater Top.
The Colins Easy 3/4 Sleeve Beginner Crochet Top.
You can find all the details in the section Crochet Materials found below including some great substitutions.
So grab your yarn and hook, and let’s get started on The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan. Tag us your work in progress on social media and we promise to cheer you on or just follow us to keep up to date on new releases!
DESCRIPTION of The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan
The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan is a long loose sleeved cardigan using mainly three types of easy stitches. It is designed to drape with significant positive ease. We have crocheted Kiks + Jack’s version to finish below the waist, however this is a made to measure pattern and is fully customizable. It features a simple neckline with a clean edge.
The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan is a made to measure, size inclusive, and beginner friendly pattern. It uses weight 3/DK/light worsted yarn. This pattern accommodates for different gauges however it is best to stay close to our gauge and select a yarn that drapes well.
CROCHET MEASUREMENTS & SIZES
The pattern instructions for The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan are made to measure, based on your required measurements.
Kiks + Jack Crochet will always try to write patterns that are “made to measure” (versus graded sized patterns S, M, L, XL etc) so that crocheters can get the wonderful benefits of making a garment that fits perfectly. However we do appreciate taking measurements can be inconvenient for some and have also provided standard measurements for those who wish to use it.
To crochet The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan you will need the following measurements and you should write them down for easy reference:
Chest/Bust: Measure around the fullest part of your chest/bust. Do not draw the tape too tightly.
Finished length: Measure from where you would like the cardigan to end up to the top of your shoulder. We wanted our cardigan to hit at our hips.
Arm Length: With arm slightly bent, measure from armpit to wrist (or where you would like the sleeve to end)
Armhole Depth: Measure from the top outside edge of the shoulder down to the armpit.
Standard Sizing (For Reference)
If you would like to use standard sizing for the chest/bust – then for XS (S, M , L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL) use approximately 28-30 (32-34, 36-38, 40-42, 44-46, 48-50, 52-54, 56-58, 60-62) inches or 71-76 (81-86, 91-96, 102-107, 112-117, 122-127, 132-137, 142-147, 152-158) centimetres.
If you would like to use standard sizing for arm length – then for XS (S, M , L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL) use approximately 16.5 (17, 17, 17.5, 17.5, 18, 18, 18.5, 18.5) inches or 42 (43, 43, 44.5, 44.5, 45.5, 45.5, 47, 47) centimetres
If you would like to use standard sizing for armhole depth – then use approximately 6-6.5 (6.5-7, 7-7.5, 7.5-8, 8-8.5, 8.5-9, 9-9.5, 9.5-10, 10-10.5) inches or 15.5-16.5 (16.5-17.5, 17.5-19, 19-20.5, 20.5-21.5, 21.5-23, 23-24, 24-25.5, 25.5-26.5) centimetres
Note: The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan is designed as an oversized fit with significant positive ease.
CROCHET GAUGE
The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan pattern is a made to measure pattern and therefore can accommodate different gauges however we recommend using a yarn gauge similar to ours to achieve a similar effect. This pattern is designed to drape so try to select a yarn that has great drape.
Using a 4.5mm crochet hook (US 7), approximately 14 double crochets across and approximately 8 rows of double crochet in 4″ x 4″ (10 cm x 10 cm).
CROCHET MATERIALS for The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan
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Yarn brand: Happy Place by Hobbii. Weight 3/Light Worsted/DK. 100g per skein and 273 yards (or 250m) per skein. Approximately 4.5 skeins or 1228 yards (or 1125 m) used for our garment with a finished width of 18 inches and a finished length of 22 inches.
Color used is Salty Licorice.
We understand Happy Place is selling fast and only available in limited colours. We have also crocheted with Acacia by Hobbii Yarn Weight 3/DK/Light Worsted and we absolutely love this yarn too!
Remember to try and select a yarn that has a beautiful drape.
4.5 mm crochet hook (US size 7). We use many different crochet hooks and if you are looking for some great budget friendly ergonomic crochet hooks try these from Amazon. It comes in a set and the grip and the shape is amazing for beginner crocheters. We also love the slightly more pricey crochet hooks from Clover Crochet Hooks and the beautiful Furls Crochet Hooks (these are so stunning, we just love looking at them!)
Yarn Winder!!! (Our new LOVE). We have held off on a yarn winder for a long time. We love the idea of crochet being simple with just a hook and some yarn. However we decided to get this yarn winder, because it was affordable and we weren’t sure about investing in a super fancy one yet. We love it because it breathes life back into scrappy yarn lying around that looks messy. It’s simple to use and is holding up really well for us.
Measuring Tape. We use a super budget friendly measuring tape. Make sure it has cm and inches (not all patterns are written with both). We are always crocheting on the go so we like our tapes small and compact and we put one in our design area, one in our bag and one in our car. Retractable works best! We use these super cheap mini measuring tapes from Amazon.
Stitch Markers. We use these locking crochet stitch markers from Amazon and these stitch markers that do not lock. They are cheap and colourful.
Blocking Pins. You should buy more pins than you think you need. If you are going to take the time to block don’t skimp on the pins. We like T shaped stainless steel pins that don’t rust when they get wet. We love these blocking T pins from Amazon and the tin means the pins don’t fall out on the floor.
Yarn Needle. Buy blunt needles with large eyes for yarn. We use these Yarn Needles because we like the convenient bottle, they are budget friendly and we get lots of them!
Scissors. We love these thread snippers because they are cheap, we get two of them AND they come with a case (some don’t). Don’t carry these without the case! After you use thread snippers you won’t want to snip with scissors.
CROCHET STITCHES & ABBREVIATIONS
The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan pattern uses US terminology.
ch = chain (With one loop on your hook, yarn over and pull through the loop)
sc = single crochet (Insert hook into desired stitch. Yarn over and pull through the stitch. You now have two loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through all two loops)
dc = double crochet (Yarn over and insert hook into desired stitch. Yarn over and pull through the stitch. You now have three loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through the first two loops. You now have two loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through all two loops)
tc = treble crochet (Yarn over once and then yarn over again. Insert hook into desired stitch. Yarn over and pull through the stitch. You should now have 4 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops. You should now have 3 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through 2 loops. You should now have 2 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through the remaining 2 loops)
tch = turning chain
sl st = slip stitch
st = stitch
sk = skip stitch
* = repeat the instructions following the * as directed
Note unless stated otherwise turning chains do not count as a stitch if there are 1 or 2 chains and the turning chain does count as a stitch if there are 3 or 4 chains.
SUMMARY of CONSTRUCTION for The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan
The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan is made by first crocheting the main back panel followed by crocheting two front panels. We will then seam the panels together and crochet the sleeves directly on to the main panels, until the sleeves reach your desired width and length.
This pattern is made to measure and can accommodate for different gauges.
PERMISSIONS AND COPYRIGHT for The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan
You may not publish or share any pattern on this website www.kiksandjackcrochet as your own including this pattern The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan. Except as permitted by the copyright law applicable to you, you may not reproduce or communicate any of the content on this website, including files downloadable from this website, without the permission of the copyright owner, Kiks + Jack Crochet.
You may not use any Kiks and Jack Crochet photo as your own photo.
You may crochet items to sell using The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan pattern upon permission by email at [email protected]. Please link back to this post in exchange.
PATTERN INSTRUCTIONS for The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan
Crochet the Main Back Panel
Calculate the length of your foundation chain as follows:
| Halve your “Chest/Bust Measurement“ | Our chest/bust measurement = 32 inches around Half our chest/bust measurement = 32/2 = 16 inches |
| Add additional 2-3 inches for positive ease | 16 + 2 = 18 inches |
Chain a length as calculated above counting the number of chains at the same time. Do not pull the chain too tight when you measure it.
Make sure the total number of chains is a multiple of 4. If the total number of chains is not a multiple of 4, then increase the number of chains so that the total number of chains is a multiple of 4. If you already have a multiple of 4 then keep it as is.
Chain 1 more.
Kiks + Jack Crochet Example: Our chest/bust measurement = 32 inches around and we have to chain 18 inches as per our calculation above. We reached 18 inches after chaining 67 chains. We add one more chain to take it to 68 chains so that it is a multiple of 4. We then add 1 extra chain to make the total number of chains 69.
Tip: You may find it helpful to use stitch markers to mark the first and last stitch in each row to ensure you are crocheting all the stitches required.
Row 1: ch4 (counts as a stitch and a ch1), 4dc in 5th ch from hook, sk 3 ch, *4dc in next ch, sk 3 ch, rep from * to the end, dc in the last ch. Turn
Row 2: ch1 (counts as a st), sk 1st st, 1sc in each st across the row, 1sc in top of tch. Turn
Row 3: ch3, sk 3st, *4dc in next st, sk 3st, rep from * to end of row ending with dc in tch. Turn.
Row 4: rep row 2
Row 5: ch3, sk 3st, *4dc in next st, sk 3st, rep from * to end of row ending with dc in tch. Turn.
It’s a great time to check if you are completely happy with the width of the top before you crochet any further. You may want to hold it up against you to check. If it’s perfect keep going. If you would like to make changes to the width, it is best to start again increasing or decreasing the number of chains that you originally used making sure you follow all the rules relating to the stitch multiples.
Row 6: repeat row 2
Row 7: ch4, tc into 2nd st, tc across, tc into tch. Turn
Row 8: repeat row 2
Row 9: ch3, sk 3st, *4dc in next st, sk 3st, rep from * to end of row ending with dc in tch. Turn.
Row 10: repeat row 2
Repeat rows 3-10 until the total length is equal to your “Finished Length Measurement”. Finish on a single crochet row.
Fasten off.
Crochet the Front Panel (Make 2)
You will now crochet 2 panels that will make up the front of your cardigan. The width of each front panel is calculated as follows:
| Calculation | Kiks+Jack Crochet Example |
| How many inches wide is your back panel? Divide by 2 | Our back panel is 18 inches. 18 inches / 2 = 9 inches |
| Multiply by 0.85 and round to nearest 0.5 inches | 9 inches x 0.85 = 7.65 inches 7.5 inches (rounded to nearest 0.5 inch) |
Chain a length as calculated above counting the number of chains at the same time. Do not pull the chain too tight when you measure it.
Make sure the total number of chains is a multiple of 4. If the total number of chains is not a multiple of 4, then increase the number of chains so that the total number of chains is a multiple of 4. If you already have a multiple of 4 then keep it as is.
Chain 1 more.
Kiks + Jack Crochet Example: Based on our calculation, we have to chain 7.5 inches. We reached 7.5 inches after chaining 32 chains which is a multiple of 4. We then add 1 extra chain to make the total number of chains 33.
Row 1: ch4 (counts as a stitch and 1ch), 4dc in 5th ch from hook, sk 3 ch, *4dc in next ch, sk 3ch, rep from * to the end, dc in the last ch. Turn
Row 2: ch1 (counts as a st), sk 1st st, 1sc in each st across the row, 1sc in top of tch. Turn
Row 3: ch3, sk 3st, *4dc in next st, sk 3st, rep from * to end of row ending with dc in tch. Turn.
Row 4: rep row 2
Row 5: ch3, sk 3st, *4dc in next st, sk 3st, rep from * to end of row ending with dc in tch. Turn.
Row 6: repeat row 2
Row 7: ch 4, tc into 2nd st, tc across, tc into tch. Turn
Row 8: repeat row 2
Row 9: ch3, sk 3st, *4dc in next st, sk 3st, rep from * to end of row ending with dc in tch. Turn.
Row 10: repeat row 2
Repeat rows 3-10 until the total length is equal to your “Finished Length Measurement” ie. the same length as your back panel. Finish on a single crochet row.
Fasten off.
Remember you need to make 2 identical front panels.
Assemble the Main Panels
Kiks + Jack Crochet highly recommends blocking all your panels before assembly. Blocking your panels will set your panels to the shape and size you want and give it a polished look.
Step 1: Seam the Front and Back Panels at the shoulder.
Place one front panel and back panel together lined up at the side and shoulder with the right sides facing together. With a yarn needle and matching yarn, seam the panel together across the shoulders starting from the edge and across to the end of the front panel. Fasten off.
Do the same with the second front panel on the other side of the back panel. See the diagram below (for illustrative purposes only).
Step 2: Measure your armhole depth. Fold the panels and sleeve panels at the seamed shoulders so that your cardigan is facing wrong side out. Measure your armhole depth + 1 inch from the top of the shoulder down the side of the cardigan. Place a stitch marker here. Do the same on the other side. This will mark out your armholes.
Tip: We like to “try it on” and make sure we feel comfortable with the armhole space. You can manually adjust it by moving the stitch markers up and down the side, ensuring they are even on both sides.
Step 3: Seam the sides of the sweater. With the cardigan still facing wrong side out, seam the sides of the two panels together with a yarn needle and matching yarn. Seam from the bottom edge up the side towards the stitch marker.
Fasten off.
Crochet the Sleeves
Note that the stitch pattern changes for the sleeve panel.
Turn your cardigan right side out. We will now crochet the sleeves directly on to the cardigan.
Attach a matching yarn at the base of the armpit.
Round 1: ch1 (does not count as a st), sc evenly around the armhole opening. Ensure you finish on a multiple of 4, sl st to join to the ch1. Tip: When you reach large spaces you should crochet multiple single crochets into the same space. eg. when you reach a dc space, crochet 2sc into the space and when you reach a tc space, crochet 3sc into the space).
As guidance our armhole depth measurement is 8 inches and we crocheted 60 sc around the armhole based on our gauge.
Round 2: ch3, sk 3st, *4dc in next st, sk 3st, rep from * to end of round ending with a dc in the last st and sl st to join top of tch.
You do not turn after each round.
Round 3: ch1 (counts as a st), sk 1st st, 1sc in each st to end of round, ending with sl st to join top of tch.
Round 4: ch3, sk 3st, *4dc in next st (your 4dc clusters should line up roughly on top of each other), sk 3st, rep from * to end of of round ending with a dc in the last st and sl st to join top of tch.
Repeat rows 3-4 in that order until you reach your “desired sleeve length measurement”. You should find that the sleeve starts out tighter and narrower around the armpit and then the stitches tend to loosen out and the sleeve widens slightly towards the bottom.
Fasten off.
Repeat the instructions for the second sleeve on the other side.
Crochet around the Front and Neckline
Attach yarn to the bottom of the cardigan
Round 1: ch1 and sc all around the front and neckline evenly, to the other bottom side of the cardigan. Turn
Round 2: ch2, hdc into 1st st, hdc back around the front neckline to the other side.
Fasten off.
Finish & Celebrate The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan
Weave in all your ends.
Congratulations you have finished The Pretty Lace Crochet Cardigan and we hope you enjoyed this free crochet pattern.
Please support us: we are trying to keep all our crochet patterns free for everyone, when you access them online. We meet the costs of running this website through coffee donations at https://ko-fi.com/kiksandjackcrochet and ad revenue. When you buy us a cup of coffee, you buy us a cup of motivation. Thank you for keeping us motivated and inspired every day to keep designing free crochet patterns for you.
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