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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Knitters are always looking for ways to continue to knit and to wear their knits even when it’s hot outside, so there are tots of great T0shirt knitting patterns to choose from. I love knitting short-sleeved shirts because they feel so much faster than sweaters, and you can wear them on top of dresses or even longer-sleeved items when it gets cooler.

There are lots of different styles of knit tops, from the basic to the more detailed. On the more basic side are things like the Perfect T-Shirt from Originally Lovely, a basic raglan tee with nine sizes and worked in worsted weight yarn; Paper Bloom by Yvonne Hugo (free on Ravelry), available in six sizes and worked with cotton and silk yarn for extra coolness; or Iris H’s Amelia Top, also on Ravelry, a slim fit, DK weight top with nine size.

Jazz it up with a bit of lace like on the Athens Lace Hem top by Sarah Hatton (Ravelry). This otherwise simple project has a bit of lace at the bottom, which is an easy way to make a project more interesting without a ton of work. This one uses fingering weight yarn and comes in nine sizes.

Another simple embellishment is to emphasize the lines of your top with different stitches. The Spring Lines top uses twisted ribbing at the center front and V-neck and along the raglan lines to give it a slimmer fit and more interest. This design from Turquoise Toque Designs has 11 size options and is available on Ravelry.

Silfurberg by Joji Locatelli uses both of these elements, with lace panels at the center front and back and purl ridges throughout to make it a little more fun to knit and to wear. The pattern uses fingering weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes. Learn more on Ravelry.

Keep it simple or add puffed sleeves (and/or long sleeves) to the slim fit Knitty Committee top by Lily Kate France. This one has two length options, waist shaping and optional bust darts to fulfill all your curvy top dreams, and it comes in nine sizes. You’ll find it on Ravelry.

Take it even more romantic with the Daphne Top from Friday Knits, which has puffed sleeves and applied I-cord to emphasize the bust and sweetheart neckline. It comes in eight sizes and uses DK weight yarn.

Or add some sweet flowers with the Gigio pattern from Emilie Luis. This pretty pattern found on Ravelry has cable panels running up the front with the option for adding sweet embroidered flowers. You can also add decorative buttons if you like. It comes in 11 sizes and calls for sport weight yarn.

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