The Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan is a free and easy crochet pattern that is made to measure, size inclusive and designed to be intuitive and beginner friendly.
Do you love crochet pieces that are perfect for those transitional periods? From winter to spring and summer to fall? From warmer weather outside to an air-conditioned office or restaurant? Or simply as you walk deeper into the forest valley? It’s great to have something that isn’t too bulky but warm enough to give you that extra layer.
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The Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan is one of those great transitional pieces. Its a light shorter cardigan that you can throw over at any time. It’s a great idea to consider your yarn selection carefully as it is going to customize this piece even more. Use a cotton blend for a light cardigan that is not too warm. Or crochet it in a premium acrylic for something that will be super soft and warm to throw on as the temperature drops.
We used Bernat Softee Cotton by Yarnspirations as we started designing and crocheting the Everyday Crochet Cardigan in summer. We wanted something that kept us a little warmer in the summer nights. But now that we are moving into fall we wear it straight on and straight out the door – over light Ts and tanks such as the Lavender Bamboo Summer Crochet Top. As it gets closer to winter, it’s going to make a great middle layer under a heavier more oversized crochet cardigan, and it’s probably going to be used in spring too!
We kept this one neutral using the colour Feather Grey. It looks more Tan or Beige, than Grey and it matches with everything. There is also a gorgeous blue called Seaside Blue, and it’s a darker denim blue that would look amazing for the first layering piece in winter.
We used two basic stitches for the main panels. The half double crochet and the treble crochet. The treble crochet is the long stitch and gives the cardigan drape and flow. Adding the half double crochet, gives the cardigan a little structure and fit as it’s a tighter stitch. Both are easy stitches, super fun and the switch keeps it interesting. The treble crochet also works up quickly lengthwise!
Bernat Softee Cotton is a weight 3/ Light yarn that is 60% cotton and 40% acrylic and as the name suggests, super soft and squishy. Try to stay away from cotton yarns that are used for dishcloths and sturdy bags and typically stiffer. I am definitely planning on crocheting another one, slightly longer, in soft premium acrylic to take me into the colder months. Stay tuned.
Let’s get started on The Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan!
Update (Feb 2024): We have now created a sister pattern to The Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan called The Campbell Everyday Crochet Sweater Top.
DESCRIPTION of The Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan
The Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan is a casual cardigan with long sleeves and ribbing on the bottom and at the cuffs. It can be worn all season and features a simple neckline and opening. The cardigan is suitable for beginners, using two simple stitches – the half double crochet and the treble crochet. There are no button holes or buttons used for this pattern. The cardigan would be great for summer and spring in cotton blends and perfect for fall and winter in premium acrylic blends
This is a free and easy crochet pattern available as a size inclusive made to measure pattern. It is beginner friendly and uses weight 3/light worsted yarn. The stitch pattern is simple using primarily half double crochets and treble crochets.
CROCHET MEASUREMENTS & SIZES
The pattern instructions 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) 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 sizing for those who wish to use it.
To use this pattern 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 just below your waistline (or where you would like the top to end) up to the top of your shoulder. We wanted our cardigan to hit a little lower than the waistline.
Arm Length: With arm slightly bent, measure from armpit to wrist (or where you would like the sleeve to end)
Wrist Circumference: Measure from one point on your wrist all around your wrist.
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
Note: Designed as a loose fit with significant positive ease.
CROCHET GAUGE
Using a 4mm crochet hook, approximately 14 treble crochets across and approximately 5.5 rows of treble crochet in 4″ x 4″ (10 cm x 10 cm).
Note the Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan pattern is made to measure and can accommodate for different crochet gauges. However try to select a yarn with a similar gauge to this version.
CROCHET MATERIALS for The Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan
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Yarn brand: Softee Cotton by Bernat Yarnspirations. Weight 3/Light/DK. 120g skein and 254 yards (or 232m).
Approximately 3.75 skeins or 950 yards (or 870m) used for our garment (approximately S) with a finished width of 19 inches and a finished length of 19 inches.
Color used is Feather Grey.
4 mm crochet hook (US size 6). 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. However our absolute favourite, slightly more pricey crochet hooks are clover crochet hooks. You can buy then in a set or individually. We started our collection just purchasing the size 4 ,5 and 6.
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 Campbell Everyday 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)
hdc = half 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 all three 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 two loops. You should now have 3 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through two loops. You should now have two loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through the remaining two loops).
BLO = back loop only
tch = turning chain
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 Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan
The Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan is made by first crocheting a back panel ribbing and then crocheting the main back panel. We will then crochet two front panels, starting with the ribbing and this will make up the front of the cardigan. This is not a close shut cardigan so we will not be crocheting button holes or attaching buttons. We will then crochet the sleeve panels starting with the cuff and then crochet the sleeve panel until it reaches the required length. Finally will seam the two front panels and the back panels at the shoulder and then seam sleeves directly on to the panels.
PERMISSIONS AND COPYRIGHT for The Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan
Please do not publish or share The Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan pattern as your own. You may crochet items to sell using this pattern upon permission by email at [email protected]. Please link back to this post in exchange. Please do NOT use my photos as your own photos.
PATTERN INSTRUCTIONS for The Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan
Crochet the Main Back Panel Ribbing
The height of our ribbing is approximately 2-2.5 inches. Based on our gauge this is approximately 12 chains. However you can adjust the number of chains if you want to change the height of the ribbing or you are using a yarn with a different gauge.
ch 12
Row 1: hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc in each ch across until end. Turn
Row 2: ch2, hdc BLO in each st across, hdc in the entire st on the last st. Turn
Repeat row 2 until the total length of the ribbing is equal to HALF of your “Chest/Bust Measurement” + 2 inches.
Example: Our chest/bust measurement = 32 inches around. Half of 32 inches = 16 inches. We keep repeating row 2 until the total length of the ribbing reaches 18 inches (16 + 2 = 18 inches)
Count the total number of rows.
Example: We counted a total of 43 rows to achieve a length of 18 inches.
It’s a great time to check if you are completely happy with the width of the cardigan before you crochet any further. Place the ribbing up at your waist or top of your hips to see if the width (length of ribbing) is right for you. If you would like it to be wider and more oversized, crochet a few more rows. If you would like the ribbing to be tighter and less oversized, then you can frog (unravel) a few rows.
Do not fasten off.
Crochet the Main Back Panel
You will now crochet down the long side of the ribbing that you just crocheted.
To calculate the number of stitches that you will crochet down the long side of the ribbing, calculate as follows:
| Calculation | Kiks + Jack Crochet Example |
| Count the number of rows in your ribbing | We crocheted 43 rows in our ribbing (to achieve 18 inches) |
| Multiply this by 1.5 (round up if necessary) | 43 X 1.5 = 65 stitches |
Row 1: Using the working yarn, ch2, hdc into the first st, hdc across the ribbing the number of stitches you calculated above in total. Turn
In K+J example above we will crochet 65 half double crochets across the long side ribbing. You may want to divide your ribbing into 4 quarters using stitch markers and ensure you are crocheting approximately 25% of your total stitches in each quarter. This will help you ensure you are crocheting evenly across your ribbing.
Row 2: ch2, hdc in first st, hdc across the row until the last st. Turn
Row 3: ch3, tc in the first st, tc across the row until the last st. Turn
Row 4: ch2, hdc in first st, hdc across the row until the last st. Turn
Row 5: repeat row 3 (tc row)
Row 6: repeat row 4 (hdc row)
Row 7: repeat row 3 (tc row)
Row 8: repeat row 4 (hdc row)
Row 9: repeat row 3 (tc row)
Row 10-13: repeat row 4 (hdc row x 4)
Repeat row 3-13 in that order until the back panel (including ribbing) is equal to your “Finished Length Measurement“. Finish on a hdc row (Row 4).
Fasten off.
Example: Our “Finished Length Measurement” is 19 inches. Therefore we crochet rows 3-13 until the total back panel including the ribbing equals 19 inches with the final row being a hdc row.
Crochet the Main Front Panel Ribbing (Make 2)
You will now crochet 2 panels that will make up the front of your cardigan. The length of each front panel ribbing is calculated as follows:
| Calculation | Kiks+Jack Crochet Example |
| Calculate the number of rows you crocheted in your back panel ribbing | We crocheted a total of 43 rows in the back panel ribbing |
| Multiply by 0.8 and round up | 43 rows x 0.8 = 35 rows (rounded up) |
| Divide by 2 and round up | 35 rows divided by 2 = 18 rows (rounded up) |
ch 12
Row 1: hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc in each ch across until end. Turn
Row 2: ch2, hdc BLO in each st across, hdc in the entire st on the last st. Turn
Repeat row 2 until the total number of rows in your ribbing is equal to the number of rows you calculated above.
K+J example: Based on our measurement, we keep repeating row 2 until the total length of the ribbing is 18 rows
Do not fasten off.
Crochet the Main Front Panel (Make 2)
You will now crochet down the long side of the ribbing.
To calculate the number of stitches you will crochet down the long side of the ribbing, calculate as follows:
| Calculation | Kiks+Jack Crochet Example |
| Count the number of rows in your front panel ribbing | We have 18 rows in our ribbing |
| Multiply this by 1.5 | 18 X 1.5 = 27 stitches |
Row 1: Using the working yarn, ch2, hdc into the first st, hdc across the ribbing the number of stitches you calculated above. Turn
In K+J example above we will crochet 27 half double crochets across the long side of the ribbing.
Row 2: ch2, hdc in first st, hdc across the row until the last st. Turn
Row 3: ch3, tc in the first st, tc across the row until the last st. Turn
Row 4: ch2, hdc in first st, hdc across the row until the last st. Turn
Row 5: repeat row 3 (tc row)
Row 6: repeat row 4 (hdc row)
Row 7: repeat row 3 (tc row)
Row 8: repeat row 4 (hdc row)
Row 9: repeat row 3 (tc row)
Row 10-13: repeat row 4 (hdc row x 4)
Repeat row 3-13 in that order until the front panel (including ribbing) is equal to your “Finished Length Measurement” and the same length as your back panel. Finish on a hdc row (Row 4).
Fasten off.
K+J example: Our “Finished Length Measurement” is 19 inches. Therefore we crochet rows 3-13 until the total front panel including the ribbing equals 19 inches with the final row being a hdc row.
Make sure you crochet TWO identical front panels with ribbing.
Crochet the Sleeve Panel (Make 2)
Crochet the Sleeve Panel Ribbing
ch 12
Row 1: hdc in 3rd ch from hook, hdc in each ch across until end. Turn
Row 2: ch2, hdc BLO in each st across, hdc in the entire st on the last st. Turn
Repeat row 2 until the total length of the ribbing is equal to your “Wrist Circumference Measurement” + 2 inches. Make sure it fits comfortably and is not too tight.
Count the number of rows (we crocheted 19 rows).
Do not fasten off.
Crochet the Main Sleeve Panel
Note: The sleeves are crocheted as one row of treble crochet and one row of half double crochet. This is a different pattern to the main panel.
You will now crochet down the long side of the ribbing using the working yarn.
Row 1: ch1, 2sc in every row (in our example we would crochet 19 rows x 2 = 38sc)
Row 2: ch2, hdc in first st, hdc across the row until the last st. Turn
Row 3: repeat row 2
Row 4: ch3, tc in the first st, tc across the row until the last st. Turn
Optional Sleeve Width Increase: Repeat rows 3-4 for approximately halfway up your forearm. For Kiks + Jack’s version this was after we had crocheted 4 triple crochet rows. Measure the width of your sleeve panel. If you need to increase this width to fit the widest part of your arm (usually the bicep) you can increase 2 stitches on every hdc row (i.e on every row 2). You would do this on Row 2 by crocheting 2hdc at the start of the row and 2hdc at the end of the row. You can keep crocheting these additional 2 stitches per row for every Row 2 until the width of your sleeve panel increases to your required width. We did not need to do this for Kiks + Jack’s version, so this is optional.
Repeat row 3-4 until the total length of your sleeve, including the cuff, is equal to your “Arm Length Measurement“.
Fasten off.
We will show you how to check the sleeve length again under “Assembly” below so that you can ensure you have the perfect fit.
Remember you need to crochet two identical sleeve panels.
Assembling the Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan
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.
We block our panels by pinning all the pieces on to an old yoga mat and manipulating the shape and edges so the front and back panel are similar and the two sleeve panels are similar. We then spray it with water focusing on the edges and ensuring it is well saturated. Do not remove the pins until the panels are completely bone dry.
Step 1: Seam the Front and Back Panels at the shoulder.
Place one front panel and back panels together lined up at the side and shoulder with the right sides facing together. With a yarn needle, seam the panel together across the shoulders starting from the edge and up 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: Line up your sleeves at the midway point to the shoulder and seam. Open up the two panels (now seamed at the shoulders) so that the right side is facing the floor and the wrong side is facing upwards. Take one of your crocheted sleeves and fold it in half lengthways. Place a stitch marker at the top of your sleeve at the centre point. With the wrong side of the sleeve facing up, attach this stitch marker to the left edge of the left shoulder seam.
Do the same on the right side with the other sleeve.
Customization Tip: It is a good time to check the length of your sleeve. You can “seam” the sleeve panel with a few stitch markers to the main panel. Try it on.
If you would like the sleeve to be longer (eg. some like the length to be almost at the knuckles vs the wrist), you can add a few more rows on to your sleeve. You do this by unknotting your final knot when you fastened off at the end of the sleeve panel, attaching matching yarn and crocheting a few more rows. Or you can reduce rows if you like your sleeves shorter. You do this by unknotting your final knot when you fastened off and pulling out (frogging) the rows. Make sure you do the exact same on the second sleeve.
When everything is perfect, using a yarn needle and matching yarn, seam the sleeves to the main panels (wrong side facing up). See the diagram below (for illustrative purposes only).
Step 3: Seam the sides of the sweater and the bottom of the sleeve together. Fold the panels and sleeve panels at the seamed shoulders so that your cardigan is facing wrong side out. With a yarn needle and matching yarn, seam the sides of the two panels together up to the armpit and along the bottom of the sleeve.
Fasten off.
Crochet around the Everyday Cardigan opening
Attach a matching yarn at the bottom of your front panel. Select the side that works for you if you are right handed or left handed.
Row 1: ch1, sc around the entire opening. Turn
Try to keep the stitches even and aim for 2sc in each tc and 1sc in each hdc. Crochet evenly up towards the neckline, around the neckline and down the other side towards the bottom.
Row 2: ch2, hdc around until the end. You should crochet back up towards the neckline, around the neckline and down the other side towards the bottom where you started Row 1
Fasten off.
Finish & Celebrate the Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan
Weave in all your ends.
Congratulations you have finished The Campbell Everyday Crochet Cardigan and we hope you enjoyed this free crochet pattern.
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