Hi everyone!
I am so beyond excited to share the Body Language Cardigan with you!
Before we begin, here are some quick links for you:
- Find this pattern on Ravelry, my website, Etsy or keep reading for tester photos and more information!
- This pattern is available as a crochet kit with Lion Brand here if you’d prefer to get your yarn + pattern all in one place.
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About
This design is a sister pattern to the Body Language Sweater (a pullover version), which has been one of my top-performing patterns since its release in early 2020! I was so happy to see so many people make their own versions in a variety of yarns, lengths, and modifications to create something that you love. The name Body Language was given to this sweater because it laid on the body in such a lovely way that wasn’t too form-fitting or too baggy, and I just felt like it looked wonderful on all shapes and sizes.
Here we are, one year later, with a cardigan version of this design and it’s actually one of my first casual cardigan patterns that I’ve released!
This design is the most comfortable cardigan you might ever make, worked up in the super popular Lion Brand – Feels Like Butta yarn (it truly does feel as soft as butter) which is 100% polyester and 100% amazing. This is the same yarn as I used in the pullover version.
Construction
There is nothing complicated about this beginner-friendly design; it’s actually comprised of only one stitch – the half double crochet stitch – to bring the most scrumptious texture to this everyday piece. To make this cardigan, the we start with the bottom hem on the back panel, and work our way up until reaching our desired length. Next, we do the same thing for two front panels. Once we’ve completed our three body pieces, we seam them at the shoulders and up the sides, leaving space for the sleeves to be attached later on. Then, we create the sleeve cuff, and begin working the sleeve until the desired sleeve length before sewing it in place. There are optional pockets as well, which are worked the exact same way as all of the previous pieces you’ve worked up until this point. The collar is also just half double crochet! So no matter your skill level, it’s totally doable, and there are photo tutorials to help you along the way in case you’re more of a visual learner.
Yarn
I used Lion Brand Feels Like Butta for this design in the colour Pale Grey. This is a worsted weight, category #4 yarn, but it seems to lean towards the lighter side of a category #4 yarn. Testers subbed in other worsted weight yarns and also matched gauge with DK weight yarns. I would recommend using a light worsted or a DK for this project.
Yardage: 9 (9, 10, 11, 12) (12, 14, 14, 15) skeins of Feels Like Butta (regular size skeins; not bonus bundles – if you use bonus bundles, make sure to double check yardage!)
Or 1875 (1950, 2050, 2300, 2450) (2575, 2875, 3000, 3125) yds [1715 (1784, 1875, 2104, 2241) (2355, 2629, 2744, 2858) m] of another worsted weight, category #4 yarn that matches gauge.
Testers also used:
- Lion Brand Jeans
- Paintbox Simply DK
- Yarn Bee Breathe Deep
- Red Heart
This version uses the colourway Pale Grey.
Sizing
This is a size-inclusive pattern, written for 9 sizes: XS (S, M, L, XL)(2X, 3X, 4X, 5X) to fit bust sizes 28-30 (32-34, 36-38, 40-42, 44-46) (48-50, 52-54, 56-58, 60-62)“ based on the CYC sizing standards. There is also 9-11″ (23-28 cm) of positive ease built in to the sweater, and while this may seem like a lot, the sleeves are written to be less oversized to bring a more polished look to the sweater. Since the sleeves are worked separately from the body, you can make any size of sleeve if you think the measurements of another size will give you a better fit.
When choosing a size, choose a garment bust size that is 9-11″ (23-28 cm) larger than your actual bust measurement, depending on how much positive ease you would like in your sweater. Model has 34″ bust and is wearing a size small with a garment bust measurement of 43″ (109 cm) with 9″ (23 cm) of positive ease.
Tester Photos
Here are some photos from my testers as well as the yarn they used! I think it’s really helpful to see other versions made in different materials on different bodies, so here’s some really lovely photos my testers took! I included everybody’s Instagram handle in case you want to check out some more of their work. I wanted to include this section here so you can see how truly versatile one pattern can be! Each different fiber used gives the sweater a whole new vibe. And you can see how each person made it their own! Keep scrolling to see how the Body Language Cardigan looks on all of these beautiful folks!
I hope you enjoyed seeing all of those different versions of the Body Language Cardigan! I’m over the moon with how it turned out and I know you’ll love this design! 🙂
Find the full crochet kit here.
Shop Feels Like Butta here.
Shop the pattern on my website here.
Shop the pattern on Ravelry.
Shop the pattern on Etsy here.
Use the code PATTERN10 for 10% off your pattern purchase!
I can’t wait to see your WIPs! Make sure to tag me @knitsnknotswpg and use the pattern hashtag #BodyLanguageCardigan so that everyone can see your projects!
Happy crocheting,
Janine xx
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