Free Pattern For Crochet Cardigan: Peek A Boo Cardigan

Introducing everyone’s favourite the Peek-a-Boo Cardigan. You will love creating this fashionable and easy crochet cardigan pattern. A stunning piece worked seamlessly in one piece with a mesmerizing mesh stitch pattern. The best part? This versatile cardigan comes in two delightful lengths, ensuring the perfect fit for your unique style.

Crafted with the utmost care and attention to detail, the Peek-A-Boo Cardigan is designed to be a fast and enjoyable project. Thanks to the meticulously crafted open stitch work, this pattern works up quickly without compromising on the intricacy and charm of the design.

To make your crocheting experience even more delightful, the pattern includes a step-by-step tutorial tailor-made for size small, which you can find on our YouTube channel. Our detailed guidance will take you through each stitch, ensuring a seamless and rewarding journey from start to finish.

How to Crochet a Cardigan

This easy crochet cardigan pattern features a wonderfully simple construction, making it an ideal choice for crochet enthusiasts looking to improve their skills. The cardigan is worked in one seamless piece, beginning at the back band and smoothly progressing through the body towards the arms, then transitioning to the front panels and bands. Complete with sleeve cuffs and button-up ribbing added after seaming and blocking. Don’t be intimidated by the seaming- It is much easier than it “seams”. I have included a tutorial to guide you through the process.

Below, you will find everything you need to make this easy crochet cardigan pattern, including the yarn, hook, materials, free written pattern for blog subscribers, pictures and a video tutorial. If you love this free crochet cardigan pattern, please share!

Why is my Work Curving to One Side?

Have you noticed some curving in your crochet cardigan? Maybe you’ve made a blanket and noticed that although your stitch count is correct, it appears to be shrinking or skewing sideways. Not to worry—some fibers and stitches have a tendency of doing this. Blocking your finished piece can help straighten out these inconsistencies.

How to Block Crochet

1. Soak the entire garment in lukewarm water with a small amount of dish soap or wool wash.
2. Allow the garment to soak for about 30 minutes.
3. Gently squeeze out excess water.
4. Wrap the garment in a towel to remove more water.
5. Lay the garment out on blocking mats/foam mats or blocking boards
6. Carefully pin it to the schematic measurements for your size.
7. Let the garment dry completely, this may take 24-48 hours.

Sizes included for the Crochet Cardigan

XS (S, M, L, XL, 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X)

Curious about how sizing is determined? Check out the Craft Yarn Council site for helpful information on garment size.

Skill Level

Intermediate, written in standard American terms.

Substituting Yarn

Yarn substitution is an important skill for crocheters, enabling you to achieve your desired results if the original yarn specified in a pattern is not available.

The Peek-a-Boo Cardigan is crocheted using Comfy worsted from WeCrochet, a beautiful and soft cotton blend yarn perfect for warm weather. It leans towards the lighter side of worsted weight, so consider this when selecting substitute yarns.

If you opt to substitute the yarn for this pattern, a list of suitable alternatives below. However, remember to conduct a gauge swatch with your chosen yarn and adjust your hook size as needed to match the pattern’s specified gauge for accurate sizing. This step is vital to ensure that the final garment is crafted as intended.

Suitable Yarn Substitutes

Brava Worsted – 218 yards/100g

Mighty Stitch Worsted 208yds/100g

Lion Brand Color Theory 246yds/100g

Heatherly 218yds/100g

Construction

The cardigan is worked in one piece flat, starting at the back band and finishing with the front panels. The sleeve cuffs and button-up ribbing are added after the cardigan is assembled.

The pattern is written for the smallest size, with larger sizes in parentheses ( ). If there is only one number, it applies to all sizes. A step-by-step video tutorial for the size small is available on our YouTube channel.

Gauge

16.5 sts and 9.5 rows equal to 4″ in mesh pattern blocked with 4.5mm hook

11 sts and 8 rows equal to 2″ in ribbed pattern blocked with 4mm hook

Obtaining the correct gauge is fundamental to having correct garment sizing. You may need to adjust your hook size to meet the pattern gauge.

Abbreviations

Blo – Back Loop Only

Ch – Chain

Dc – Double Crochet

Pm – Place Marker

Rep – Repeat

RS – Right Side

Sc – Single Crochet

Sk – Skip

Sl St – Slip Stitch

Sp(s) – Space(s)

St(s) – Stitch(es)

WS – Wrong Side

( ) – Work step in parentheses in indicated stitch

[ ] – Work step in brackets number of times indicated

Special Stitches

Linked Double Crochet (dc): Ch 3 (counts as first dc), pick up a loop in the 2nd ch from hook, leave on the hook, pick up a loop in next st (3 loops on hook), [yo, draw through 2 loops] twice. Pick up a loop in the 2nd bar on side of dc, pick up a loop in the next st (3 loops on the hook), [yo, draw through 2 loops] twice.

Video for the Peek a Boo Crochet Cardigan

In this video, we will guide you through each step of the pattern so you can create your very own beautiful cardigan.

Peek a Boo Crochet Cardigan Pattern (Crop Length)

COPYRIGHT

The Peek a Boo Crop Cardigan and its contents are fully owned and copyrighted by MJ’s Off The Hook Designs Inc., and all rights are reserved. This pattern is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws and may not be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, screenshots, printing or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written consent of the author, except in the case of permitted sharing on social media platforms.

Any unauthorized distribution or reproduction of this pattern or elements of the instructions is strictly prohibited and may result in civil or criminal penalties. This free crochet pattern is intended for personal viewing on the blog only. By accessing this pattern, you acknowledge and agree to comply with these copyright terms and conditions.

If you have any questions regarding this copyright notice or the use of the pattern outlined within, please contact MJ’s Off The Hook Designs Inc. in writing.

Thank you for respecting the author’s intellectual property and hard work!

Pattern Support

Additionally, please note that the only pattern support offered for this pattern is available on our Facebook community group and through the YouTube tutorial. The modifications given in the PDF are the only ones included, so if you choose to modify the pattern or use a different yarn weight, you will need to figure out the modifications on your own.

We appreciate your understanding and hope that you have a fantastic experience creating this pattern. Please feel free to lend support to fellow members of the community group as we work together to create beautiful crochet projects.

Increase Rows

Row 1:

Ch 1, 2 sc in first 2 sts, 3 sc in ch-3 sp, *1 sc in next 2 sts, 3 sc in ch-3 sp; rep from * across ending with 1 sc in turning ch, turn —84 (89, 94, 99, 104, 109, 114, 119, 124) sts.

Row 2:

Ch 3, sk first st, work 1 linked dc in next st, *ch 3, sk next 3 sts, 1 dc in next st, 1 linked dc in next st; rep from * across to last 2 sts, ch 3, sk st, work 1 dc and 1 linked dc in last st, turn—87 (92, 97, 102, 107, 112, 117, 122, 127) sts.

Row 3:

Ch 1, 1 sc in first 2 sts, *3 sc in ch-3 sp, 1 sc in next 2 sts; rep from * across ending with 1 sc in turning ch, turn—87 (92, 97, 102, 107, 112, 117, 122, 127) sts.

Row 4:

Ch 3, sk first st, work 1 linked dc in next st, *ch 3, sk next 3 sts, 1 dc in next st, 1 linked dc in next st; rep from * across, turn—87 (92, 97, 102, 107, 112, 117, 122, 127) sts.

Rows 5-8:

Rep rows 3 & 4 [2 times]—87 (92, 97, 102, 107, 112, 117, 122, 127) sts.

Rows 9 & 10:

Rep increase rows 1 & 2 ending with—92 (97, 102, 107, 112, 117, 122, 127, 132) sts. Don’t fasten off, continue to Front Left panel.

Mark Body

From sleeve edge count over 12 ch-3 sps, pm in next st.

Front Left Panel

Row 1(RS):

Ch 1, 1 sc in first 2 sts, *3 sc in ch-3 sp, 1 sc in next 2 sts; rep from * across to marked st (leave sleeve unworked), turn—32 (37, 42, 47, 52, 57, 62, 67, 72) sts.

Row 2 (WS):

Ch 3, sk first st, work 1 linked dc in next st, *ch 3, sk next 3 sts, 1 dc in next st, 1 linked dc in next st; rep from * across, turn—32 (37, 42, 47, 52, 57, 62, 67, 72) sts.

Rows 3-16:

Rep rows 1 & 2—32 (37, 42, 47, 52, 57, 62, 67, 72) sts.

Row 17 (base row):

Ch 1, 1 sc in first 2 sts, *3 sc in ch-3 sp, 1 sc in next 2 sts; rep from * across ending with 1 sc in turning ch, turn—32 (37, 42, 47, 52, 57, 62, 67, 72) sts. Last Row change to smaller hook.

Band

Work the same as Front Right.

Blocking:

Wet the entire garment in lukewarm water with a small amount of dish soap or woolwash. Allow soaking for around 30 min. Squeeze out as much water as possible. Wrap the garment in a towel to press out the excess water. Lay the garment out on blocking mats and pin it to the schematic measurements. Allow the garment to dry thoroughly.

Seaming:

Repeat for the Left and Right Sides.

Fold garment RS facing lining up sides and sleeves (make sure the mesh pattern is lined up). With yarn needle and yarn, whip stitch sleeve and side together. Weave in ends.

Sleeve Cuff:

Repeat for left and right sleeves.

Sleeve Edge:

With RS facing and the smaller hook join yarn to the edge of sleeve, ch 1, work sc sts around the sleeve edge, 34 (38, 42, 46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66) sts.

Band

The band is joined as you go to the sleeve edge.

Row 1:

Ch 11, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, sk first st at the sleeve edge, sl st in next 2 sts (sleeve edge), turn—10 sts.

Row 2:

Sk sl sts, 1 sc in the blo of each st across, turn—10 sts.

Row 3:

Ch 1, work 1 sc in the blo of each st across, sl st in next 2 sts (sleeve edge), turn—10 sts.

Rows 4- 34 (38, 42, 46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66):

Rep Row 2 & 3 ending on Row 2. After the last row, ch 1, with RS facing sl st band together by going through the starting ch and blo. Fasten off and weave in tails.

Edging / Buttonholes:

Row 1:

With the smaller hook join yarn to front right panel edge with a sl st, ch 1, work 1 sc evenly across the band and front right panel, (approx 2 sts for dc row and 1 st for sc row), sc across the neck opening (3 sc in ch-3 sp, 1 sc in each dc st), sc evenly across the front left panel and band. Don’t fasten off and proceed to Collar.

Mark Buttonholes:

Watch the tutorial for directions

With RS facing at the front right side, count 4 sts from the bottom edge, pm in the 5th st, *count 10 sts, pm in 11th st; rep from * [one more time] For large 35mm buttons, the buttonhole will be 4 sts.

Buttonhole Row:

Ch 1, work 1 sc in the blo 3 sts, ch 4, sk 4 sts, 1 sc in last 3 sts.

Next Row:

Ch 1, work 1 sc in the blo 3 sts, 4 sc in ch-4 sp, 1 sc in last 3 sts.

Collar

The collar is joined as you go to the edging.

Row 1:

Ch 11, 1 sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, sk first st at the edge, sl st in next 2 sts, turn—10 sts.

Row 2:

Sk sl sts, 1 sc in the blo of each st across, turn—10 sts.

Row 3:

Ch 1, work 1 sc in the blo of each st across, sl st in next 2 sts, turn—10 sts.

Rep Row 2 & 3 for the entire edge of cardigan working buttonhole row at each marked st. Fasten off and weave in tails. Sew buttons opposite the buttonholes.

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For more crochet patterns by MJ’s Off The Hook Designs see our Ravelry, Etsy, LoveCrafts, WeCrochet or Ribblr Shop. Check out our Facebook and Instagram for daily inspiration!