Marley is a moss stitch crochet cardigan free pattern with balloon sleeves and a classic fit to make it a wardrobe favorite year after year! Pair it with jeans, over a flowy dress or over leggings (do the see-through test first of course!) for a layering piece that goes with everything.
Made with soft, acrylic aran or worsted yarn for a cozy but not too bulky look, it works up really quickly too. The moss stitch might be the quickest stitch ever!
The cardigan has been made by lots of crocheters who were completely new to garment making, so don’t worry if that’s you. It’s a beginner friendly cardigan pattern, the stitches are simple and there is minimal shaping and construction.
The pattern is written for a classic fit with 2″ of positive ease and sitting slightly below the waist, the sleeves are designed for a loose, balloon style fit. Size up for a more oversized or slouchy cardigan!
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More Free Crochet Patterns
This ad-free, printable PDF includes a written pattern in sizes XS-5XL with options to customize sweater for your body type, and is easy to follow with colour coded sizes.
Moss Stitch Crochet Cardigan Pattern
You will need:
- Aran/worsted weight yarn
- 5mm/H and 6mm/J hooks
- Scissors and needle for finishing
Size & yarn guide
Size — dress size bust — yarn (yards) / (grams)
XS — 30″ — 903 / 421
S — 34″ — 998 / 465
M — 38″ — 1067 / 498
L — 42″ — 1164 / 543
XL — 46″ — 1237 / 577
2X — 50″ — 1322 / 617
3X — 54″ — 1392 / 649
4X — 58″ — 1460 / 681
5X — 62″ — 1538 / 717
Concentration Level
Beginner – intermediate level garment pattern as gauge is important, but minimal increase and decrease stitches.
Stitch terms & abbreviations
Pattern is written in US terms
Chain – ch
Slip Stitch – sl st
Stitch(es) – st(s)
Skip – sk
Half Double Crochet – hdc
Single Crochet – sc
Special stitches:
Moss Stitch:
Row 1: *sc, ch1* repeat * to the end
Row 2: *ch1, sc* repeat * to the end. You will have a sc in each ch sp and a ch1 over each sc
Repeat Row 2
Gauge
- Using moss stitch and 6mm hook, 14 rows of 17 sts in 4″x4″
- Using sc blo ribbing and 5mm hook, 8 rows of 8 sts in 2″x2″ (no of stitches less important than rows)
- Sizing is based on moss stitch gauge so matching this is the priority if struggling to meet both
Notes
- Stitch counts will be in brackets at the end of each row in the format (XS, S, M, L)(XL, 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X)
- Starting chs do not count as a stitch, the chs made as part of the moss stitch pattern do count as a stitch
- Pattern is worked flat in rows, with a turn at the end of every row
- Moss stitch will always start with sc unless specified otherwise, and will sometimes mean working the first stitch into a sc from the previous row rather than ch1 sp. In this case, sc in the sc from prev row, then sc again into ch1 sp and continue as normal.
Moss Stitch Crochet Cardigan – Free Pattern
Back Panel
Ribbing using 5mm hook
Row 1: ch9, sc in 2nd ch from hook and to the end (8)
Row 2: ch1, turn, sc in the back loop of each st (8) Try working the last sc in both loops as this can be neater for some.
Repeat Row 2 until you have (68, 76, 85, 93)(102, 111, 119, 128, 136) rows.
Move to body and don’t fasten off.
Body using 6mm hook
Row 1: Now working horizontally across the top of ribbing, ch1, sc in the top of each ribbing row from the previous step (68, 76, 85, 93)(102, 111, 119, 128, 136)
Row 2: ch1, turn, complete a row of moss stitch, starting and finishing on sc (68, 76, 85, 93)(102, 111, 119, 128, 136)
Repeat Row 2 for a further (33, 33, 32, 32)(30, 30, 28, 28, 26) rows (+ or – 10 rows at this stage for a more cropped or a longer length before the rows that follow).
We will now indent on both sides to allow more space for the sleeves
Indented rows
For all sizes, ss across 7 sts. Ch1, sc, work moss stitch until your stitch count is (54, 62, 71, 79)(88, 97, 105, 114, 122), leaving 7 unused stitches and still finishing with an extra sc if needed,
Ch1, turn, complete a row of moss stitch starting and finishing on sc (54, 62, 71, 79)(88, 97, 105, 114, 122)
Repeat the previous row for a further (24, 26, 28, 29)(32, 33, 35, 36, 38) rows.
The back panel should total (61, 63, 64, 65)(66, 67, 67, 68, 68) rows (+ or – 10 for cropped or full length), excluding ribbing. Fasten off yarn.
Front Panel (make two, both sides start the same way with left and right separation later)
Bottom Ribbing using 5mm hook
Row 1: ch9, sc in 2nd ch from hook and to the end (8)
Row 2: ch1, turn, sc in the back loop of each st (8) Try working the last sc in both loops as this can be neater for some.
Repeat Row 2 until you have (26, 30, 34, 38)(42, 47, 51, 55, 60) rows.
Move to body and don’t fasten off.
Body using 6mm hook
Row 1: Now working horizontally across the top of ribbing, ch1, sc in the top of each ribbing row from the previous step (26, 30, 34, 38)(42, 47, 51, 55, 60)
Row 2: ch1, turn, complete a row of moss stitch, starting and finishing on sc (26, 30, 34, 38)(42, 47, 51, 55, 60)
Repeat Row 2 for a further (33, 33, 32, 31)(30, 30, 28, 28, 26) rows (+ or – 10 rows at this stage for a more cropped or a longer length before the rows that follow).
We will now indent to allow more space for the sleeves
Indented rows
Left hand side
Ch1, sc, work moss stitch until there are 7 sts remaining, still finishing with an extra sc if needed. Leave the 7 sts free (19, 23, 27, 31)(35, 40, 44, 48, 53)
Ch1, turn, complete a row of moss stitch starting and finishing on sc (19, 23, 27, 31)(35, 40, 44, 48, 53)
Repeat the previous row for a further (7, 9, 11, 13)(13, 15, 17, 19, 21) rows.
Move to neckline decrease.
Right hand side
For all sizes, ss across 7 sts. Ch1, sc, work moss stitch until the end, still finishing with an extra sc if needed (19, 23, 27, 31)(35, 40, 44, 48, 53)
Ch1, turn, complete a row of moss stitch starting and finishing on sc (19, 23, 27, 31)(35, 40, 44, 48, 53)
Repeat the previous row for a further (7, 9, 11, 13)(13, 15, 17, 19, 21) rows.
Neckline decrease
Left hand side
Row (1): ch1, sc2tog, work moss stitch for the rest of the row. The row will start with the sc2tog and end with 2 sc sts (18, 22, 26, 30)(34, 39, 43, 47, 52)
Row (2): ch1, work moss stitch for the rest of the row. The row will start with 2 sc sts and end with a sc (18, 22, 26, 30)(34, 39, 43, 47, 52)
Right hand side
Row (1): ch1, work moss stitch until you have 2 sc remaining, sc2tog. The row will start with 2 sc sts and end on a sc2tog (18, 22, 26, 30)(34, 39, 43, 47, 52)
Row (2): ch1, work moss stitch for the rest of the row. The row will start with a sc and end with 2 sc sts (18, 22, 26, 30)(34, 39, 43, 47, 52)
For both sides, repeat rows 1 and 2 until you have 18 rows of repeats and a st count of (9, 13, 17, 21)(24, 30, 34, 38, 43).
Seaming
With the right side facing out, join the front and back panels by using a whip stitch to join across the shoulders and down the sides, lining up from the bottom of the ribbing to the start of the underarm indent. The leftover stitches will be worked into for the sleeves.
Front Ribbing
Using 5mm hook
With the front of your work facing out, join yarn to the bottom corner of the left hand panel.
Row 1: ch9, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and each ch towards the body (8)
Row 2: sl st into the next st/row along, turn, sc in blo of each st (8)
Row 3: ch1, turn, sc in blo of each st (8)
Repeat Rows 2 and 3 along the left front panel, across the back of the neck and down the right front panel. When working into the ribbing or the back of the neck, sl st into the next stitch along. When working into the rows of the front panel, sl st into the next row along.
Sleeves (x2)
Using 6mm hook
Row 1: With right side facing out, join yarn to the underarm at the end of the seam point, ch1 and sc in each st and row of the arm hole. Sl st into the first sc (66, 70, 74, 78)(82, 84, 88, 90, 94)
Row 2: ch1, work a row of moss stitch starting with sc, sl st, turn (66, 70, 74, 78)(82, 84, 88, 90, 94)
Repeat Row 2 for (61, 63, 63, 65)(65, 67, 67, 68, 68) rows in total.
Decrease Rows
Dec: pull up a loop from the 1st ch sp, sk next sc, pull up a loop from the 2nd ch sp, yarn over and pull through both loops
Row 1: ch1, work a row of dec sts, sl st (33, 35, 37, 36)(41, 42, 44, 45, 47)
Row 2: ch1, sc in each dec st, sl st (33, 35, 37, 36)(41, 42, 44, 45, 47)
Ribbing
Using 5mm hook
Row 1: ch9, sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and each ch towards the body (8)
Row 2: sl st into the next st along, turn, sc in blo of each st (8)
Row 3: ch1, turn, sc in blo of each st (8)
Repeat Rows 2 and 3 around the cuff of the sleeve, join your first and last rows with a whip stitch or slip stitches.
Weave in all ends to finish!
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