Knit a Simple Cropped Cardigan with Poufy Sleeves

I think it’s the colors, but this cardigan knitting pattern reminds me a little bit of a school uniform, only clearly a lot more fun.

The Samara from Berroco was designed by Åsa Buchta and uses bulky yarn. It’s mostly a simple, cropped cardigan, but with balloon sleeves and a touch of colorwork on those sleeves and the patch pockets. Even better, those bands of colorwork are also worked in a simple textured stitch pattern, which makes them stand out even more.

This cardigan is worked in pieces and seamed, and the pockets are also knit separately and sewn on. Pieces are worked flat from the bottom up.

It calls for Berroco Ultra Wool Chunky, which is a superwash wool yarn, making the cardigan as easy to care for as it is to wear. But use any chunky yarn of your choice, of course!

There are nine sizes available, ranging from a bust measurement (with the cardigan buttoned) of 36.75 to 71 inches. The length ranges from 22 to 24.25 inches, but you can always make it longer if you like, bearing in mind that you will need more yarn if you do. You might also want to adjust the placement of the pockets if you change the length. As written it needs six buttons, but, again, if you want to make it longer you might want to add another button or two.

The patter is available free from Berroco.

Looking for more great cardigan knitting patterns? I have a collection of summer cardigan knitting patterns for folks on the side of the world who are heading into that season. And for those of us who are heading into the colder part of the year, I have a collection of cozy cardigan knitting patterns you’ll want to keep handy for cool weather. There’s a cardigan to knit for every time of year!

[Photo: Berroco]

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Many times when I write these posts I will say something like “you can use any yarn you want” or “this would be a great stash-busting project.” That’s just how my mind works. And my stash, too, since I probably have sweater quantity of two or three yarns at most, but tons of singles and odd balls and leftovers.

Blankets are generally a really good way to use up those bits, but in this case, I think you’re going to want to plan it out a bit better.

Looking at photos of the Color Study Blanket from Purl Soho, it looks like it’s made with two yarns held together, and that block in the center is worked with one of each color from the adjoining sides to make a mixed up color.

But that’s not actually how it’s done. This is three separate colors (four, really, with the neutrals in the corners) chosen form a yarn with an expansive palette so they play off each other. The project calls for a worsted weight superwash wool, which is a great choice for a blanket that’s both warm and washable.

This pattern was originally designed by Laura Ferguson and was updated by Hiromi Glover. It is worked in one piece in garter stitch intarsia, which is a great way to learn the intarsia technique if you don’t already know it. It comes in crib or throw sizes.

Despite the introduction to this post, I am going to go ahead and say that, yes, of course you could do this blanket with scraps or odd balls or even just choose five colors that don’t blend together so easily. But I really do love the look of the color play, and I think it would be worth your time to find colors that play well together to get a similar effect.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]

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