Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Free(ish) Pattern: Mardi Cardighan

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pickles mardi cardiThis is, apparently, the week of adorable cardigans (wish someone had told me!), because I found another one for you. The Mardi Cardi from Pickles is a really cute basic raglan cardigan with a few twists.

It’s worked from the bottom up in the round with a steek, which is sort of strange for a project that’s a single color (you could always work it flat as well, though it might be good steeking practice if you’ve never done it before).

Also the pattern is written by someone who’s not a native speaker of English, so some of the terms are a little strange, but with a pattern this simple I think you can handle it.

I say it’s freeish because only the instructions for the large size are given; other sizes can be purchased for $8 and the pattern is available as a PDF. But if you’re a large, you’re in luck!

[Photo by Pickles.]

Looking for more knitting patterns for knitted Cardigans? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

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Comments

  2. I”m with Kathleen, no link, and do you know how many ‘Pickles’ websites there are? None showing knitting patterns. LOL…besides I need the large size pattern, am a bit like an over stuffed chair.

Have you read?

Book Review: The Wandering Knitter

Knitting and travel are two hobbies that are highly compatible. Travel often involves waiting or time spent on planes, trains, boats, etc., time that can easily be filled by knitting, a portable and productive craft you can do most anywhere (and yes, you can take your knitting on a plane most of the time). 

Krista Ann combines knitting and traveling regularly and ended up visiting every continent in 2022 with her knitting needles along for the ride. The Wandering Knitter explores travel, knitting and learning new knitting skills no matter where you are. 

This isn’t a book for beginners, but if you’ve wanted to learn techniques like brioche, cables, lace, colorwork, mitered squares and short rows, there’s a set of more beginner level patterns followed by ones that are bigger, more detailed or required a little more skill. For example a brioche washcloth is the beginner pattern, while a brioche sweater (with unexplained exceptionally long sleeves) is the stepped up project. A basic mesh lace scarf becomes a more complex lace kerchief. A giant mitered square cowl graduates to a mitered square tote bag. 

Interspersed among the patterns are essays about traveling to different continents and what she saw there. There are also tips for traveling with your knitting and tips for reading charts, but no tutorials for knitting skills (other than a written explanation of how mosaic knitting works). 

Some of the projects would be useful to have when traveling, such as fingerless gloves, a warm headband or a colorwork hat. The travel angle is an interesting hook for a book, but I would have enjoyed essays more about specific incidents or shopping for yarn in a different country or something more than the general essays about things she’s liked and places she’d like to go back to. 

Still, if you’re looking for a skill building book that doesn’t focus on the basics but gives you some wearable, attractive accessories, this book is a good one to check out. Just maybe make the sleeves shorter if you knit the sweater. 

About the book: 128 pages, paperback, 20 patterns. Published 2026 by Quarry Books. Suggested retail price $24.99.