10 Crochet Cardigan Patterns for Babies and Kids

Baby's First Crochet Cardigan Free Pattern

This is designed as baby's first crochet cardigan because the smallest size will fit a newborn. However, it's also designed to be your first cardigan; it's really easy to make so a beginner crocheter can tackle this pattern. You'll crochet it in five sections, all single crochet, then seam them up and add some buttons.

If you love it, make more of them. There are four additional sizes up through age one so you can keep baby warm all through that first year.

Girl's Crochet Cardigan Pattern

Mon Petit Violon has several great children's crochet cardigan designs. This one is a great example. It's available in six sizes from age six months through ten years, making it a highly versatile design.

This is a unique design. It's a seamless top-down crochet cardigan worked horizontally at first and then turned to wor the body vertically. It has cute bell sleeves that give a sense of flair. It closes shut with a single button.

Baby and Toddler Crochet Cardigan Free Pattern

This free crochet cardigan pattern is sized for three months up through 4T. It comes with video tutorial instruction to help you learn about shaping and stitches. The texture of some of the smart stitch choices is what really makes this one stand out from the pack. You'll use puff stitch, and you'll also use a fun variation on the puff stitch called the bead stitch. The result is beautiful fabric that's dense enough to be very cozy and warm. It closes with a single button in the center.

Crochet Cardigan For Almost All Kids

This crochet cardigan pattern is from the same designer as the textured one above. It's a completely different deisgn, though, showcasing the designer's skill. It uses crossed double crochet stitches to create a sophisticated print that closes with buttons all down the front.

This pattern is available in six sizes from newborn through age 14. It's also a fairly unisex design. Therefore, you can make this crochet sweater for almost any child that you know.

Lacy Crochet Cardigan Pattern

This kids crochet cardigan has two very distinct textures. At the top is solid fabric. The rest, including most of each sleeve, is an openwork design featuring large shells or fans. This is perfect for the kind of weather where you need a light extra layer but nothing too dense. If it's too warm for a blanket but too chilly for a t-shirt then this is the cardigan that you want for your baby. The pattern is available in five sizes from newborn through age eight.

Reversible Crochet Cardigan for Kids

The magic of this crochet cardigan is that it's reversible. It's not that the fabric is reversible (there's a clear right side and wrong side as with most crochet.) It's that the cardigan can be worn with the opening in the front or the back. Worn open in the front, it's a classic cardigan. Worn open in the back, it has more contemporary style that older kids will adore.

This crochet pattern is available in sizes from 6 months to 10 years. It closes with a single button at the top. It's a beginner-friendly design worked in half double crochet.

Crochet Animal Cardigan Patterns (Panda and Unicorn)

Make a warm winter cardigan that looks a little bit like a costume using this crochet pattern. The basic design is the same - a white crochet cardigan with heart appliques on the front. This is a hooded cardigan, and the hood is what defines the design - ears for the panda and a floral horn for the unicorn.

This crochet pattern is designed for six sizes age newborn through six years. Young kids will particularly love the whimsy of these designs. This may become your child's favorite thing to wear.

This designer also has a lot of other cute kids' crochet patterns including several different cardigans. Check out the full shop for more options.

Bobble-Trim Crochet Cardigan for Kids

One of the best things about crochet is how many different textures you can create using simple stitches. In this one, the bulk of the crochet sweater is made from simple single crochet. However, you add strategically-placed bobbles at the sleeves and bottom to create highly textured trim. You don't have to change colors and still it packs a big design punch.

This one is sized age newborn to eight years. It's available for sale on Ravelry, and you can get a 10% discount by sending a Facebook message to the designer.

Bomber-Style Crochet Cardigan

This crochet cardigan is a bomber-style, which means that it's shorter than average. It fits right in with the trend towards cropped tops, which is perfect if you make it for older kids. It's available in seven sizes from ages three months to 14 years. There's also a matching crochet pattern for adults. This would make a great mommy-and-me set and would be perfect for all of the women in a family to wear for a portrait. You can add a zipper or closure of your choosing.

Crochet Cardigan for (Almost) Every Size

If you're really looking for a crochet cardigan pattern that will fit everyone in your family then this is the one that you want. It's a simple pattern worked in single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet stitches. Sometimes you'll work in the back loop only. It's available in size newborn all the way up through women's 2XL. Although it's intended as a women's design, it's very neutral and should work well for most boys in the family, too.