Looking for an oversized crochet cardigan pattern? I bet you’ll love the Becky Cardigan, an easy and FREE cardigan pattern that is made from rectangles and has a dreamy edging! Find the free crochet pattern instructions below, orpurchase a print-friendly, ad-free PDF here.
This design was born when I decided it was high time to make my mom a cardigan.
Let’s just say that she has been asking me to make her one for…a LONG time.
Last Christmas, I had her pick out the yarn and jumped into the design. While there were some bumps on the way, I’m very happy that I can now share this oversized crochet cardigan with you.
It’s designed to be big, cozy, and warm. Since it has a whopping 11 inches of positive ease added in, I think you could almost consider it a type of blanket cardigan!
It’s just one of those things you love to wrap yourself up in. Like so…
How do you crochet an oversized cardigan?
To make any kind of oversized crochet sweater or cardigan, there’s one main thing that will help (and I already mentioned it!) That one thing is adding EASE. Defined, ease is basically the difference between your bust measurement, and your cardigan or sweater measurement.
To make this cardigan oversized, we will be adding positive ease, which means we will be making the cardigan much LARGER than the size of the bust.
This cardigan pattern adds 11 inches of positive ease. Sometimes this can be scary, especially for us smaller-chested people. However, don’t be afraid to go big or go home! This cardigan is extra cozy and wraps ALL the way around you when you’re done.
Related:
Is it hard to crochet a cardigan?
It really depends on the pattern. But overall, cardigans are not as hard to crochet as people sometimes think they are. This particular pattern is designed to be quite easy – the whole body is just made from 3 simple rectangles!
How long does it take to crochet this cardigan?
Because this crochet cardigan is super oversized, it may take longer to make than others. It will all depend on how fast you can crochet. The good thing is that the stitch pattern used in this cardigan is mindless. Meaning, you can easily work on it while watching a show or during other activities where your brain is not 100% focused on crocheting.
Crochet Cardigan PDF Pattern
If you want this pattern free, just keep scrolling down. However, if you would like to print out the PDF pattern, I have you covered! The Becky Cardigan can be purchased HERE.
AND…the PDF includes something pretty special: a fully customizable version of the pattern! That’s right – if you purchase, you’ll get not only a PDF of sizes XS-3XL, but also a separate PDF that will walk you through the process of getting the perfect fit in this cardigan.
The perks of having this PDF are:
- Create a custom gauge. You won’t have to stick to the gauge provided. I’ll show you how to make a swatch and create a custom cardigan from your OWN gauge!
- Add a customized amount of ease. You don’t have to stick to the standard sizes, but can customize the exact amount you want (through a step by step worksheet).
Oversized Crochet Cardigan Video Tutorial
This oversized sweater even comes with a full step by step video tutorial! Watch below or directly on my YouTube channel.
A Brava Sport Yarn Crochet Pattern
Let’s talk yarn. I used We Crochet’s classic Brava Sport. This yarn is 100% premium acrylic. It’s not one of those yucky acrylic yarns…yet it’s still very inexpensive!
You’ll need somewhere between 5-8 balls to make this cardigan. But at just $2.49 a skein, that’s still less than $20 in yarn to make this entire sweater in the largest size! 😲
CLICK HERE TO SHOP BRAVA SPORT (in tons of amazing colors!)
That Sleeve Though 😍
I just had to show you a close up of the sleeve before we get into the pattern. I’m telling you, once this whole cardigan comes together, sleeves, puff stitch edging and all…it’s so good!
More Crochet Cardigan Patterns
- Angelica Cardigan
- Juniper Cardigan
- Midsummer Cardigan
- Summer Breeze Vest
The Becky Cardigan – an Oversized Crochet Cardigan Pattern!
Are you ready to make this crochet sweater for ladies? Let’s jump in!
- To Pin this pattern to your Pinterest Boards, clickHERE
- To buy the inexpensive, ad-free PDF, clickHERE
- To add this pattern to your Ravelry queue, clickHERE
Materials:
- We Crochet Brava Sport Yarn: (100% Acrylic, 273 yds/249 m, 3.5 oz/100 g) Silver 5 (6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7) skeins
- Or approximately 1200 (1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1850, 1950) yards of sport weight yarn
- Suggested substitutes: I Love This Yarn Sport
- H/5.5mm crochet hook (or size to obtain gauge)
- Yarn needle
See my favorite sweater yarns here
Sizing/Fit:
This pattern is written in sizes XS, with S, M, L, XL, 2XL, and 3XL in parentheses.
The fit: This sweater is designed to be extra oversized. The sizing below has 9” of positive ease written in for XS, and 11” of positive ease for the rest of the sizes. If you would like your sweater to be not quite so big, feel free to size down. For example, if you want a semi-oversized sweater and your bust size is 40”, consider making the Medium instead of the Large. You would still have 7” of positive ease making that size.
To fit finished bust size: 30 (32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52)”
Finished Bust Measurement (all panel measurements combined): 39 (43, 47, 51, 55, 59, 63)”
Width of back panel: 21 (23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33)”
Width of front panels: 9 (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)”
Length of all panels (before edging): 25 (25, 25, 26, 26, 27, 27)”
Gauge:
17 stitches and 14 rows in the modified lemon peel stitch = 4”
(see special stitches for instructions)
Notes:
- Ch 1 at beginning of rows does NOT count as a sc.
- Cardigan is made from 3 panels: 1 back panel and 2 front panels. Pieces are sewn together and then sleeves are joined at the base of the armhole and worked in the round.
- All pieces of the cardigan start with a foundation single crochet row (fsc). If you are unfamiliar with this technique, check out this blog post. Starting with a regular chain stitch is not recommended because it won’t be as stretchy. But if you need to start with a chain, just be sure to add one more chain to your starting row number. Then, skip the first chain and work one row of sc across (this will give the same result of fsc, just less stretchy).
Abbreviations/Stitches Used:
Chain – ch
Slip Stitch – sl st
Single crochet – sc
Repeat – rep
Round – rnd
Skip – sk
Stitch(es) – st(s)
Space – sp
RS – right side
YO – yarn over
Special Stitch:
Puff Stitch (puff st): YO, insert hook into indicated st. YO, pull up a loop. (YO, insert hook into same st, YO, pull up a loop) 2 times. YO, pull through 6 loops on hook. YO, pull through last 2 loops on hook.
If you need help with this stitch, please see this video.
Modified Lemon Peel Stitch: Fsc any odd number.
Row 1: Sc in first fsc, dc in next. (Sc in next fsc, dc in next fsc) across, sc in last fsc, turn.
Row 2: Sc in first sc. (Dc in next dc, sc in next sc) across, turn.
For help with this stitch (and to see the difference between the regular & modified lemon peel stitch) please refer to this blog post.
BACK PANEL
Fsc 89 (97, 107, 115, 123, 131, 139)
Row 1 (RS): Ch 1, sc in first fsc. *Dc in next fsc, sc in next fsc. Rep from * across, turn.
Row 2: Ch 1, sc in first sc. *Dc in next dc, sc in next sc. Rep from * across, turn.
Rep row 2 for a total of 89 (89, 89, 91, 91, 94, 94) rows. Note: you can very easily adjust the length of this cardigan. Simply repeat row two until desired length.
FRONT PANEL (MAKE 2)
Fsc 39 (43, 47, 51, 55, 59, 63)
Row 1 (RS): Ch 1, sc in first fsc. *Dc in next fsc, sc in next fsc. Rep from * across, turn.
Row 2: Ch 1, sc in first sc. *Dc in next dc, sc in next sc. Rep from * across, turn.
Rep row 2 for a total of 89 (89, 89, 91, 91, 94, 94) rows. Note: if you adjusted the length of the back panel, make sure to add or subtract the same amount of rows to your front panels.
ASSEMBLY
Lay front panels on top of back panel, with right sides facing each other (inside).
Using yarn needle and length of yarn, sew across shoulders using seaming method of choice. There should be 39 (43, 47, 51, 55, 59, 63) on each side, with 11 (11, 13, 13, 13, 13, 13) unworked sts from the back panel.
Learn 3 methods of seaming garments
Sew up the sides leaving a 6.5 (7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5)” armhole opening.
SLEEVES (Worked in Turned Rounds)
Rnd 1: With right side of cardigan facing out, join yarn with a sc at the base of the armhole. Work one dc. (Sc, dc) all the way around for a total of 54 (58, 64, 68, 72, 76, 80) stitches. (If you want to adjust, it should be an even number) Join with a sl st to first dc. TURN.
Want photo tutorials along with the pattern? Grab the ad-free PDF, perfect for visual learners!
Rnd 2: Ch 1, dc in next dc (1 decrease made by SKIPPING the first sc, see photo below). *Sc in next sc, dc in next dc. Rep from * until 2 sts are left. Sc2tog over last 2 sts, join with sl st to beginning dc. TURN. (52, 56, 62, 66, 70, 74, 78) sts
Just to be clear: decreases at the beginning of rounds are made by skipping a stitch, while decreases at the end are made with a sc2tog. Note that the skipped stitch will not be super obvious due to the fact that the round is turned. Just make sure you put your first dc in the nearest dc after turning.
Rnd 3: Ch 1, sc in next sc. Dc in next dc. *Sc in next sc, dc in next dc. Rep from * around. Note that the last dc will look like it’s in the slip stitch join but that is ok! Join with sl st to beg sc, turn. (52, 56, 62, 66, 70, 74, 78) sts
Rnd 4: Rep rnd 2 – (50, 54, 60, 64, 68, 72, 76) sts
Rnd 5: Rep Rnd 3 – (50, 54, 60, 64, 68, 72, 76) sts
Rep Rnd 2-3 until you have a total of 15 rnds.
At the end of Rnd 15: 40 (44, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66) sts
Rnd 16: Ch 1, sc in same sc as sl st. Dc in next dc. *Sc in next sc, dc in next dc. Rep from * around. Join with sl st to first sc, turn.
Sizing note: the goal here is to decrease toward the elbow. Feel free to keep repeating rnds 2-3 to add in more or less decreases before working evenly in the next rounds. You want to be happy with the fit of the sleeves before continuing. Also, if at any point during the even rounds, you feel you need to decrease more, that is fine as well. Just repeat round 2 anytime you want to make the sleeves smaller.
Rnds 17-40: Work the modified lemon peel stitch evenly around, turning at the end of each rnd.
Rnd 41: Rep rnd 2 – 38 (42, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64) sts
Rnd 42-45: Work the modified lemon peel stitch evenly around, turning at the end of each rnd.
TO ADJUST SLEEVE LENGTH: Keep working in the modified lemon peel stitch until the sleeves are about 1.5” shorter than the length you want. This is the place to add length, because the edging starts on the next rnd.
Rnd 46: Work the modified lemon peel stitch evenly, but DO NOT turn. (The point in not turning here is that the next rnd is worked with the WRONG side facing out. If you adjusted the sleeve keep this in mind).
Rnd 47: Without turning, ch 1, sc around. Join with sl st to first sc. TURN.
Rnd 48 Sizes XS & S ONLY: Ch 1, sc in next sc. (Ch 5, skip 3 sc, sc in next sc) 7 (8) times. Ch 5, skip 4 sc, sc in next sc. Ch 5, skip last 4 sc, sl st to first sc. Turn. 9 (10) ch-sps and sc
Rnd 48 Sizes M-3XL ONLY: Ch 1, sc in next sc. (Ch 5, skip 3 sc, sc in next sc) 11 (12, 13, 14, 15) times. Ch 5, skip last 3 sc, sl st to first sc. Turn. 12 (13, 14, 15, 16) ch-sps and sc
Rnd 49: Ch 2, (puff st, ch 2, puff st) in same sc as sl st. Sk next ch 5 sp. *(Puff st, ch 2, puff st) in next sc. Sk next ch-5 sp. Rep from * around. Sl st to first puff st, turn. 18 (20, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32) puff sts
Rnd 50: Ch 1, *sc in next puff st. 2 sc in next ch-2 sp, sc in next puff st. Rep from * around. Join with a sl st to beg sc, turn. 36 (40, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64) sc
Rnd 51 (optional): Ch 1, hdc in same st as sl st. Hdc in each st around. Join with sl st to beg hdc. 36 (40, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64) sc
CARDIGAN EDGING
To finish the cardigan up, the last thing we need is the pretty puff stitch edging!
Side Edging:
Lay the cardigan out in front of you with the front facing you. Join yarn with a sc in the left hand bottom corner.
Row 1: *Ch 5, skip about 4 “rows’, sc in next row. Repeat from * all the way up the side of the left front panel. Note that the chain spaces do not have to be perfectly spaced. I tried counting about 4 rows in between each one, but it didn’t work out perfectly every time and it turned out fine.
When you get to the unworked stitches between the panels, continue to evenly space the ch 5s with about 3-4 stitches in between each sc. Then, work them down the side of the other panel as well. When you get to the end, just make sure they are as evenly spaced as possible so you can land a final sc in the corner. Turn.
Row 2: Ch 1, 2 dc in first corner sc. *Sk next ch-5 sp, (puff st, ch 2, puff st) in next sc. Rep from * all the way around both front panels, until one ch-5 sp and one sc is left. Sk last ch-5 sp, 2 dc in last sc. Turn.
Row 3: Ch 1, sc in first 2 dc. *Sc in next puff st, 2 sc in next ch-2 sp, sc in next puff st. Rep from * around both front panels until no puff sts are left. Sc in last 2 dc. Fasten off.
Bottom Edging:
Lay cardigan out again, this time facing you but upside down (since we are going to work along the bottom).
Join yarn with a sc in the corner of the left panel. You’ll want to join on the side of the last sc row you did for the previous edging (so that both edgings line up evenly).
Rep rows 1-3 of the side edging, but work along the bottom this time. For the very first row, you will want to leave 3-4 fsc in between each sc. Once again, don’t worry too much about it being perfectly spaced.
After you finish row 3, fasten off and weave in all your ends!
I hope you enjoyed this oversized women’s crochet cardigan. It was so much fun to design!
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to comment below or contact me.
To see ALL my sweater crochet patterns, click HERE.
More Crochet Garments:
- Midsummer Cardigan Crochet Pattern
- 20+ Crochet Top Patterns for Summer
- Angelica Cardigan Crochet Pattern
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Happy Crocheting!
