As I said in my Snowflake sweater instructions I have more sweaters coming and this cozy night in cardigan is perfect for snuggling down and hiding inside from the coming snow. I was going for blanket like. I would say that this sweater size as is– is easily a medium/large. I am 5 foot 4 and 140 pounds and can roll the sleeve up for a cuff and it fits loosely everywhere else. If you are blessed to be under 140 or taller than 5’4 you’ll have to do some adjusting! For a smaller size decrease the width in the back piece (larger increase) and adjust the number of rows to your height. It all starts with the back piece and you’ll build onto it from there.

I say instructions because I am not a pattern writer– but I’ll work on getting better at it for those of you who make these for yourselves. My next sweater, which I’ll be adding within the week, is a fitted amethyst cardigan. Back to this cardigan for now though.

Back piece and sleeves are crochet in a I/9 5.25 and the front is J/10 5.75 pattern can also be found on my Ravelry page

I started with the back piece of this cardigan by chaining 53, HDC in second chain from hook and across, chain two and turn. Work 3 rows of HDC (always chaining 2 and turning at the end). Then work one row (4th row in pattern) 1 HDC, chain one, skip one, 1 HDC across, ending with HDC (in some rows I ended with 2 HDC). I continued this pattern for 52 rows and that is it for the back.

I moved onto the sleeves from there. Chain 29 in second chain from hook HDC, HDC across, chain two and turn. Rows 2-11 HDC (Chaining two and turning at the end of each row). Row 12 Increase row– this increase row and all increase rows are the same: HDC one, 2 HDC in the next, HDC across to the 2nd from the end HDC2, HDC 1, chain two and turn. The rest goes as follows:

13-16 HDC rows

17 Increase row

18-20 HDC

21 Increase row

22-25 HDC

26 Increase row

27-30 HDC

31 Increase row

32-35 HDC

36 Increase row

37-40 HDC

41 Increase row

42-45 HDC

46 Increase row

47-49 HDC

Make two.

Now with the back and the sleeves done you’ll start the front by chaining 218. Rows 1 and 2 are HDC rows, chaining two and turning at the end of row. Row 3 is an increase row: HDC 1, 2HDC in next, HDC across to 2nd from end-2HDC, 1 HDC, chain two and turn. Row 4 is a HDC, chain 1, skip one HDC across. After this 4th row I clipped a safety pin in my work so it didn’t unravel and I attached the sleeves, back and front.

This is a little “tricky” or maybe “odd” is the right word either way, here we go.

The back and front seam of this sweater are not going to be at the top of the shoulders. It will be more at the shoulder blades and to do this you will piece it as shown here– with only a small portion of the sleeves attached to the back. Normally when attaching sleeves you want the middle of your sleeve to be a the shoulder seam, but this has no shoulder seam. I did my sleeves ten rows down the back piece. You may have to adjust this a little depending on the adjustments you made to the back piece for your size but this is a very forgiving pattern so it doesn’t have to be exact. DO NOT ATTACH SLEEVES YET. I am mentioning this here- with the photo because it is easier to see. You will like up center seams of the front piece and the back and attach the front to the back first– then you sew the sleeves on.

After centering and attaching the front to the back you will add the sleeves as stated above– with more of the sleeve attached to the front piece than the back piece.

I am standing on the back piece– the front is just the strip we started which is only 4 rows. At the top of the photo you can see one of the sleeves (if you are looking at this on a tablet or smartphone the sleeve may be flipped to the right and not on the top of the photo). Note that only a few inches of sleeve is attached to the back piece. Below in the photo I have high lighted the back seam line in white of the finished sweater. My favorite thing to pin my pieces together with when joining is bobby pins, if you haven’t tried using bobby pins for holding your work while you join, I suggest you do!

With the front attached to the back and then both sleeves you will return to crocheting the front of the piece working in the same pattern as before, 3 rows of HDC and one row of HDC, Ch one Skip one. But you will also be working increase rows as follows:

Row 5 (the first row back to working on the front) 1 HDC, (2 HDC in next, HDC 5) 5 times. HDC to sleeves at the sleeves (on both sides) you will mark one stitch in the front, one in the back and you will HDC2Tog at these shoulder seams. This will help shape your sweater to curve your sleeves. This does not have to be exact and you do not have to decrease in the exact same stitch every time, but in the same area. HDC around and increase the other side of the sweater front as you did in the start of this row.

Row 6 Repeat row five

Row 7 Repeat row 5

Row 8 Is a HDC, Ch one skip one row (DO NOT increase or decrease this row just crochet across in pattern)

Row 9 and 10 HDC 1, 2 HDC in next, (6 HDC, 2 HDC in next)5 times. HDC around and repeat increase for other side of sweater.

Row 11 HDC around decreasing in the 4 selected shoulder decrease stitches.

The pattern is 3 HDC rows and the 4th row being the, chain one- skip one, row. Hopefully to make what I wrote above easier what you’re doing is increasing the front lower portion of the sweater on rows one and two of the pattern, and on row three you are decreasing at the shoulders and the 4th row is just crocheting across.

Row 12 and 13 1HDC, (HDC 2 in next, 10 HDC) Five times, HDC around and repeat increase on other side of front.

Row 14 HDC across, decreasing one stitch at each of the four selected shoulder seams.

Row 15 Work 1 HDC, chain one- skip one, HDC across. Some of my rows ended with the last stitch being one HDC and some rows I had to end with the last two stitches being HDC.

Row 16 and 17 1HDC (HDC 2 in next, 15 HDC) 5 times, HDC around and repeat increase on other side of front.

Row 18 HDC to the first selected shoulder decrease stitch- decrease as before. In between your front and back selected shoulder decrease seams you will decrease one stitch in the middle, then decrease the back as you come to it. Decrease one stitch every 6 HDC across the back, at your back selected shoulder seam on the other sleeve, one in between the font and back and then decrease the front selected shoulder seam. HDC across (always chaining two and turning the work).

The next Nine rows just work the pattern with no increases or decreases.

Row 27 you will decrease 1 HDC, HDC2Tog, HDC 18, HDC2Tog, HDC around and repeat decrease for other side of front.

Continue in pattern until you have 39 or so rows (from row one of front piece). Try it on as you go along, adjusting the shoulder stitches as needed, continue to decrease at the shoulders on the 3rd row of pattern as needed/ if needed. This is a very forgiving pattern.



