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27 Free Cardigan Knitting Patterns For Summer

THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS THAT SUPPORT HANDY LITTLE ME CONTENT AND FREE PATTERNS.

In this post, you will see 27 free cardigan knitting patterns for summer.

Cardigans are an all-season wardrobe stable.

Bulky and warm cardigans are ideal for the winter, but lighter, airier cardigans made with other materials are perfect for spring and summer.

Scroll down to see beautiful summer cardigan patterns.

27 Free Cardigan Knitting Patterns For Summer

27 Free Cardigan Knitting Patterns

It’s the perfect time of year to pick up the needles and make hand-knit cardigans! 

Get the best summer cardigan knitting patterns here.

Knit A Light Summer Cardigan

Summer comes with hot days and sometimes cool summer nights and a light cardigan can be the ideal garment.

It can be paired with all your outfits: dresses, skirts, jean shorts, and sweaters. 

oversized cardigan knit in cotton yarn

Knit Your Own Cardigan

And if you are a knitter and love making your own clothes, a summer cardigan is a great project.

Crafting your own garments instead of simply buying them online or in stores is fun and gives you a sense of accomplishment, but also lets your creativity run wild.

There are so many free cardigan knitting patterns to choose from!

summer cardigan from drops design - free cardigan knitting patterns
Summer Cardigan from Drops Design (Link in the list below)

Create A Unique Cardigan

You can knit a unique cardigan made with your favorite yarn, taking into mind your personal style and your body type.

There are so many free knitting patterns or paid ones available online that you can follow to make your cardigan.

You can modify the details to fit your style.

For example, you can choose a simple cardigan or a more complicated design (that depends on your skill level, too).

Then make some decisions about the design; You will decide if you want sleeves, long sleeves, short sleeves, a belt or no belt, buttons or no buttons.

summer cardigan - free cardigan knitting patterns
Summer Cardigan from Drops Design (Link in the list below)

Choosing The Perfect Yarn

Winter cardigans are made with bulky yarn or DK weight yarn to keep you warm and toasty.

So, when choosing the ideal yarn weight for your summer cardigan, you will need lightweight yarn.

Like cotton, Aran weight yarn, worsted weight yarn, or, if you are brave enough, lace.

To make sure you have the right yarn, it’s always a good idea to make a gauge swatch and adjust. 

Grab your yarn weights Ebook here.

rico creative cotton aran in nature

Choosing The Perfect Stitches

Another thing you need to consider when knitting your summer cardigan is the stitch pattern you will choose.

Some knitting stitches create a tighter fabric that’s perfect for winter but not so much for summer, so you need to gravitate more toward knitting stitches for all skill levels that create an airy fabric that allows air to flow. 

Related Post: 12 Simple Knitting Stitches For Beginners

knitted summer cardigan - free cardigan knitting patterns
Summer Cardigan from Drops Design (Link in the list below)

How Do You Measure For A Summer Cardigan? 

To measure for a summer cardigan, follow these steps:

  1. Bust Circumference: Wrap the measuring tape around the fullest part of your bust, ensuring it’s parallel to the ground and not too tight. This measurement will determine the size of the cardigan’s bust area.
  2. Underarm: Measure from your underarm down to where you want the bottom edge of the cardigan to sit. This measurement helps determine the length of the cardigan from the underarm down.
  3. Cuff Circumference: Measure around the widest part of your wrist or where you want the cuffs to sit. This measurement will help ensure that the cuffs are neither too tight nor too loose.
  4. Sleeve Length: Measure from the top of your shoulder down to your wrist, with your arm slightly bent. This measurement helps determine the desired length of the sleeves.
  5. Shoulder Width: Measure from the outer edge of one shoulder to the outer edge of the other shoulder across your back. This measurement helps ensure that the cardigan fits comfortably across your shoulders.
  6. Back Width: Measure across your back from one underarm to the other. This measurement helps determine the width of the cardigan across the back.
  7. Body Length: Measure from the base of your neck down to where you want the bottom edge of the cardigan to sit. Therefore, this measurement helps determine the overall length of the cardigan.

By taking these measurements, you’ll have a good idea of your body proportions and can select or adjust the pattern for your summer cardigan accordingly. 

Finally, if you’re following a knitting pattern, you can compare your measurements to the pattern’s size chart to choose the appropriate size or make adjustments as needed for a customized fit.

Knitting Lessons

If you are a new knitter and need help with the knitting basics, check out these posts here and be your own knitting instructor – Knitting Lessons (With Video Tutorials).

There, you will find step-by-step tutorials for all the different knitting techniques a newbie needs to know.

Including how to cast on, how to bind off, how to knit the basic knit stitches, how to knit the knit stitch, how to knit the purl stitch, the stockinette stitch, the seed stitch, the rib stitch, the garter stitch, the mattress stitch, short rows, how to yarn over(yo), how to measure gauge, how to fix knitting mistakes, how to make knitting increases and decreases, and a list of knitting abbreviations (UK + US terms), and more.

For an easy level knitting pattern, check out this pattern category for more recommendations.

There, you will find a range of knitting patterns – Beginner Knitters.

And if you need more video tutorials to help you practice your basic knitting skills, check out my YouTube channel here Handy Little Me – YouTube.

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