A chunky knitted cardigan perfect for beginner knitters

Welcome to the Seaside chunky knitted cardigan pattern. I knitted this whilst on a trip to the Jurassic Coast and it will always remind me of Durdle Door and Weymouth where I spent a lot of time as a child. It is designed to be worn open and slightly oversized and the size is easily adjustable if you’re tall, short or just fancy something a little off-piste.

This cardigan is super cosy, chunky and perfect for beginner knitters.

Difficulty - Advanced beginner (Can you knit a hat? If so, you can make this cardi!)

Techniques used

1) Knit
2) Purl
3) Knit two together decrease (K2TOG)
4) Pick up stitches
5) Cast on
6) Cast off
7) Mattress stitch and perpendicular and horizontal seaming
8) 1 x 1 rib (knit one, purl one)

Needles required - 10 mm and 12 mm straight knitting needles

Suggested yarn -

John Lewis 100 % wool chunky yarn (shop here) knitted together with Rowan Alpaca Classic DK yarn (shop here).
Note: This yarn was a payday treat and fairly expensive but it is lovely, soft and squishy. I’ve listed some suitable alternatives below but please do check tension if using a different yarn!

Alternative yarns -
Paintbox Yarns Simply Super Chunky 100 % acrylic (click here)
Rowan Big Wool 100 % Merino wool (click here)
Rico Essentials Super Super Chunky 50 % acrylic 50 % wool (click here)

This pattern currently has not been tested for all sizes. I made mine in a size medium and scaled it up and down with some simple maths therefore yardage is approximate. If you have any comments or feedback of this pattern I would love to hear from you!

Please note: I have tried to cover a range of sizes however if you feel none of these are right for you, please do contact me and I'd be happy to work out stitch counts and yardage so you can enjoy this pattern! Writing patterns is still new to me so this is very much a learning process.

The cardigan is knitted up flat on straight needles in five parts and sewn together using mattress stitch. Stitches are then picked up along the fronts and neckline and knitted in 1 x 1 rib. As it is knitted flat, the size is very easily adjustable.

Measurements and stitch counts are indicated as below - Stitch counts are indicated in size order so make sure to follow your size.

Sizes:

XS, (S), M, (L), XL, (2XL), 3XL

Measurements:

Measurements are all in cm
A - Cardigan length - 48, (50), 52, (54), 56, (58), 60 (If you want your cardigan slightly shorter or longer, simply knit more or fewer rows. Remember to knit the same number of rows for the front panels).
B - Width across the back piece - 56, (65), 74, (82), 92, (100), 110
C - Arm length - 30, (30), 32, (32), 34, (34), 36
D - Width of front panel - 15.5, (19), 22.5, (25), 28, (31), 34
E - Circumference of sleeve at top of arm - 37.5, (40), 42.5, (45), 47.5, (50), 52.5

Tension:

For 10 cm x 10 cm - 8 stitches x 10 rows (Please check tension!!)

Yarnage:

355 m, (400 m), 450 m, (520 m), 580 m, (620 m), 670 m of super chunky yarn using 12 mm needles.

These are approximate - if you need to increase the length of the body or sleeves, you’ll need more yarn.

Back

1) Cast on 38, (44), 50, (56), 62, (68) 74 stitches using the 12 mm needles.
2) Knit one row.
3) Purl one row.
4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have 48, (50), 52, (54), 56, (58), 60 rows. If you want your cardigan to be longer, keep knitting but please note the number of extra rows to make sure your front pieces are the same length as the back. Yarnage will also need to be increased.
5) Knit 6 rows in 1 x 1 rib (This is to knit one stitch, purl one stitch and repeat until end). As you have an even number of stitches you should always start these rows with a knit stitch.
6) Cast off.

Front (make two):

1) Cast on 10, (12), 14, (16), 18, (20), 22 stitches.
2) Knit one row.
3) Purl one row.
4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have 48, (50), 52, (54), 56, (58), 60 rows.
5) Knit 6 rows in 1 x 1 rib.
6) Cast off.

Arms (make two)

1) Cast on 30, (32), 34, (36), 38, (40), 42 stitches.
2) Knit one row.
3) Purl one row.
4) Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have 30, (30), 32, (32), 34, (34), 36 rows. Please note the decreases below.

Decreases: Knit the 2nd and 3rd stitches and then the 3rd and 2nd stitches from the end of the row together.

XS and S: Decrease on rows 5, 11, 17 and 21.
M and L: Decrease on rows 5, 11, 13, 17, 21 and 27.
XL: Decrease on rows 5, 11, 13, 17, 22, 27 and 31.
2XL and 3XL: Decrease on rows 5, 11, 13, 17, 19, 21, 27 and 33.

5) Knit two stitches, K2TOG until the end of the row.

You now have 22, (24), 22, (24), 24, (24), 26 stitches.

6) Using 10 mm needles, Knit 6 rows of 1 x 1 rib.
7) Cast off.

Stitching together

The cardigan is sewn together using mattress stitch, the perpendicular and horizontal seaming technique. Check out my post (here) about the best tutorials I’ve found for help!

1) Starting from the edges, sew the back and the two front pieces together using the horizontal seaming technique.
2) Lining up the stitches carefully, sew the top of the arm to the back and body pieces using the perpendicular seaming technique. Repeat for both arms.
3) Starting at the 1 x 1 rib at the wrist sew up the arm and down the body using mattress stitch.
4) Repeat for both arms.

Front ribbing

1) Starting at the bottom of the right front panel (the right as if you were wearing the cardigan), pick up every other stitch with your 12 mm needle. Make sure you pick up the last stitch of the left front panel even if it’s not ‘the other stitch’.
2) Knit 3 rows in 1 x 1 rib.
3) Cast off.

Weave in all ends and block if necessary.

I added three buttons just for effect however as the knit is chunky, buttons should fit in between the stitches so button holes are not required.

All done!

Congrats on finishing your seaside chunky knit cardigan! I hope you enjoyed this pattern and if you have any questions or get stuck at any point, please do message me either at abbieknits@gmail.com or on instagram @abbieknits.

Please do tag me in anything you make - I’d love to see your Seaside Cardigans out in the wild!

Abbie xo