Linneacardi Knitting Pattern – Free Cropped Cardigan Sweater
There is something deeply satisfying about casting on a new sweater project, especially when the pattern is both approachable and stylish. The Linneacardi is exactly that kind of knit — a cropped cardigan sweater that blends the relaxed comfort of a sweatshirt with the refined look of a classic open-front cardigan. Whether you are a seasoned knitter looking for a quick weekend project or an adventurous intermediate knitter ready to try something new, this free pattern is designed to become one of your most-reached-for wardrobe staples.
In this post, you will find everything you need to cast on your own Linneacardi, from the full free pattern and materials list to helpful tips for sizing, yarn substitutions, and finishing. Let’s dive in.
What Is the Linneacardi?
The Linneacardi is a cropped, open-front cardigan worked in a relaxed, slightly oversized silhouette. Its name nods to a Scandinavian-inspired sensibility — clean lines, functional style, and the kind of effortless elegance you want in an everyday knit. The design features a simple drop-shoulder construction, minimal seaming, and a wide band of ribbing at the hem and cuffs that gives it that coveted sweatshirt-like coziness.
What makes this cardigan truly special is its versatility. Throw it over a flowy dress for a layered autumn look, pair it with high-waisted jeans and a fitted tank, or wear it around the house as a soft, enveloping layer on slow mornings. The cropped length hits just at or slightly below the natural waist, making it flattering on a wide range of body types and easy to style with both high-waisted and mid-rise bottoms.
The construction is straightforward: you knit the back flat, knit each front panel flat, seam the shoulders, pick up stitches for the sleeves, and then seam the sides and sleeves. If you are comfortable with basic shaping, reading a simple chart or written instructions, and finishing techniques like seaming and picking up stitches, you are absolutely ready to tackle this pattern.
Materials and Yarn
Yarn: You will need a worsted weight yarn with approximately 1,000–1,400 yards depending on your size. The Linneacardi is designed for a smooth or semi-smooth yarn that shows stitch definition well, so wool, wool blends, or wool-cotton blends are ideal choices. Avoid highly textured or fuzzy yarns for your first make if you want the ribbing and subtle texture details to read clearly.
Some excellent yarn choices include:
Malabrigo Rios — A superwash merino that is incredibly soft, comes in a stunning range of colors, and has beautiful stitch definition. It is machine washable, which makes this cardigan much easier to care for in everyday wear.
Cascade 220 Superwash — A budget-friendly, reliably consistent worsted weight that is widely available and washes beautifully. Perfect if you want a durable, everyday cardigan.
Lion Brand Wool-Ease — A classic acrylic-wool blend that is accessible, affordable, and machine washable. Great for knitters who want a low-maintenance finished object.
Paintbox Yarns Simply Aran — Technically a light aran that works beautifully at worsted gauge. It is affordable, comes in a wide palette of solid colors, and is fully machine washable.
Needles: US size 8 (5.0 mm) circular needle, 32 inches or longer (for flat knitting with the option to use the circular length for ease of holding stitches). You will also want a US size 7 (4.5 mm) needle for the ribbing at the cuffs and hem, or you can work the ribbing on the same needle if you prefer a slightly looser rib.
Notions: Stitch markers, tapestry needle for seaming and weaving in ends, locking stitch markers or scrap yarn for holding stitches, and scissors.
Gauge: 18 stitches and 24 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on US size 8 needles, blocked. Always, always knit a gauge swatch. This is not optional advice here — the difference between a cardigan that fits and one that swims on you or barely buttons comes down entirely to gauge. Wash and block your swatch before measuring it, since many yarns relax significantly after their first wash.
Sizing
The Linneacardi is offered in sizes to fit a range of chest measurements. The pattern is written for a generous, slightly oversized fit, meaning you should choose your size based on your actual bust measurement plus the desired ease. The suggested positive ease for this design is 4–6 inches.
Sizes (finished chest measurement): 34 (38, 42, 46, 50, 54) inches
Finished length (hem to shoulder): 17 (17.5, 18, 18.5, 18.5, 19) inches
Sleeve length: 17 (17, 17.5, 17.5, 18, 18) inches
For reference, the sample shown in most project photos is the size 38, knit with 4 inches of positive ease on a 34-inch bust. If you are between sizes or prefer a more relaxed fit, size up. If you like your cropped cardigans to have a more tailored drape, go with the smaller size.
Abbreviations
k — knit
p — purl
k2tog — knit two stitches together (right-leaning decrease)
ssk — slip, slip, knit (left-leaning decrease)
st(s) — stitch(es)
RS — right side
WS — wrong side
CO — cast on
BO — bind off
pm — place marker
sm — slip marker
rep — repeat
The Pattern
Back Panel
Using your larger needles, CO 78 (86, 96, 104, 114, 122) sts.
Set-up row (WS): Purl across.
Work in stockinette stitch (knit on RS, purl on WS) until piece measures 10 (10.5, 10.5, 11, 11, 11.5) inches from cast-on edge, ending with a WS row.
Armhole shaping:
BO 4 (4, 5, 5, 6, 6) sts at the beginning of the next 2 rows. — 70 (78, 86, 94, 102, 110) sts remain.
Continue in stockinette until armhole measures 7 (7, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5) inches, ending with a WS row.
Shoulder shaping:
BO 10 (12, 13, 14, 15, 17) sts at the beginning of the next 4 rows.
Place remaining 30 (30, 34, 38, 42, 42) sts on a holder for the back neck.
Right Front Panel
Using your larger needles, CO 39 (43, 48, 52, 57, 61) sts.
Set-up row (WS): Purl across.
Work in stockinette until piece measures 10 (10.5, 10.5, 11, 11, 11.5) inches from cast-on edge, ending with a WS row.
Armhole shaping (at beginning of RS row):
BO 4 (4, 5, 5, 6, 6) sts, knit to end. — 35 (39, 43, 47, 51, 55) sts.
Continue in stockinette until armhole measures 4.5 (4.5, 5, 5, 5, 5) inches, ending with a RS row.
Neck shaping:
On a WS row, BO 10 (10, 11, 13, 14, 14) sts at the beginning of the row (neck edge), purl to end. — 25 (29, 32, 34, 37, 41) sts.
Next RS row: Knit to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.
Next WS row: Purl across.
Repeat these 2 rows 4 (4, 5, 5, 6, 6) more times. — 20 (24, 26, 28, 30, 34) sts.
Continue even until armhole measures 7 (7, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5, 7.5) inches, ending with a WS row.
Shoulder shaping:
BO 10 (12, 13, 14, 15, 17) sts at the beginning of the next RS row.
Work 1 WS row.
BO remaining 10 (12, 13, 14, 15, 17) sts.
Left Front Panel
Work as for Right Front Panel, reversing all shaping. This means the armhole bind-off happens at the beginning of a WS row, and the neck shaping happens at the beginning of a RS row with decreases worked as k1, ssk rather than k2tog, k1.
Seaming the Shoulders
Seam the shoulders using Kitchener stitch if you prefer an invisible join, or a three-needle bind-off if you would like a decorative seam on the right side. Both methods work beautifully for this style of cardigan.
Sleeves (Worked Top-Down from Armhole)
With RS facing and using your larger needles, begin at the underarm seam and pick up and knit approximately 64 (64, 68, 68, 72, 72) sts evenly around the armhole opening. The exact stitch count can vary slightly based on your row gauge — aim for a smooth, even pickup without puckers or gaps.
Join for working in the round if you prefer seamless sleeves, or work back and forth and seam the underarm at the end.
Sleeve shaping:
Work 8 (8, 6, 6, 4, 4) rounds in stockinette.
Decrease round: K1, k2tog, knit to last 3 sts, ssk, k1. — 2 sts decreased.
Repeat the decrease round every 8 (8, 6, 6, 5, 5) rounds 8 (8, 10, 10, 12, 12) more times total. — 46 (46, 46, 46, 46, 46) sts.
Continue even until sleeve measures 14.5 (14.5, 15, 15, 15.5, 15.5) inches from pickup row, or until approximately 2.5 inches remain for the cuff.
Switch to smaller needles.
Cuff ribbing:
Work k2, p2 ribbing for 2.5 inches.
BO loosely in pattern.
Hem Ribbing
With RS facing and smaller needles, pick up and knit stitches along the entire bottom edge of the cardigan, working across the right front, back, and left front in one continuous pass. Pick up approximately 3 stitches for every 4 rows along the side edges, and pick up 1 stitch for each stitch along the straight cast-on edges.
Work k2, p2 ribbing for 2 inches.
BO loosely in pattern.
Front Band and Collar
With RS facing and smaller needles, begin at the lower right front edge and pick up and knit stitches up the right front opening, around the back neck, and down the left front opening. Pick up approximately 3 stitches for every 4 rows along the vertical edges, and use the held back neck stitches directly.
Work k2, p2 ribbing for 1.5 inches.
BO loosely in pattern.
This band gives the cardigan its clean, structured edge without any buttons or closures — part of what makes the Linneacardi so effortlessly wearable. The cardigan simply drapes open, making it easy to layer over anything.
Finishing
Weave in all ends. Seam the sleeves and sides if worked flat. Block the finished cardigan by soaking it in cool water with a small amount of wool wash, pressing out excess water without wringing, and laying it flat on a blocking mat to the finished measurements. Pin the edges straight and allow it to dry fully before wearing.
Blocking is the step that transforms a hand knit from “homemade” to truly polished. The ribbing will relax and bloom, the stockinette will even out, and the whole garment will settle into its correct shape and drape beautifully.
Tips for Success
Swatch seriously. As mentioned above, gauge is everything in garment knitting. A swatch worked in the same yarn, on the same needles, in the same stitch pattern will tell you whether you need to go up or down a needle size before you commit to 1,200 yards of yarn and several hours of knitting.
Read through the whole pattern before casting on. The Linneacardi is not complex, but reading through once helps you visualize the construction order, flag any abbreviations you need to look up, and mentally prepare for shaping sections so they do not catch you off guard mid-row.
Use stitch markers generously. Placing markers at the armhole shaping points and at regular intervals along the sleeve makes it easier to count rows accurately and spot mistakes early.
Take your time with the pickup row for the sleeves. Picking up stitches evenly around an armhole is one of those skills that improves dramatically with practice. Work slowly, spacing your pickups evenly, and don’t be afraid to rip back and redo it if the result looks puckered or uneven on the first try.
Try on as you go. Because this cardigan is worked in pieces, you can hold the back panel up to your body to check the length before you begin armhole shaping. A few extra rows or a few rows fewer can make a significant difference in the final fit, especially if your torso length differs from the standard.
Yarn Substitution Notes
If the suggested yarns are not available in your area or you have something beautiful already in your stash, any smooth to semi-smooth worsted weight yarn will work for this pattern. The most important factors are gauge (aim for 18 sts / 4 inches in stockinette) and fiber content (choose something with enough drape to fall nicely in the open front panels — 100% acrylic tends to be a bit stiff, while a wool or wool blend will drape much more elegantly).
Avoid very dense, tightly twisted yarns that resist blocking, and avoid heavily plied yarns with very high twist if you want the ribbing to look relaxed rather than structured. A 2-ply or 3-ply worsted with moderate twist is the sweet spot.
Modifications to Consider
Longer length: If you prefer a longer cardigan, simply work more rows before beginning the armhole shaping. Add rows in equal amounts to the front and back panels. Just keep in mind that extra length will add to your yarn requirement.
Pockets: You can add inseam pockets at the side seams by picking up stitches along the seam opening and knitting pocket linings before seaming. There are many tutorials online for adding pockets after the fact to any seamed garment.
Different ribbing: The k2, p2 ribbing called for in this pattern is a great choice for structure and elasticity, but you could substitute 1×1 ribbing for a tighter, more refined look, or even seed stitch for a more textured edge.
Colorwork bands: If you are feeling adventurous, work the cuffs and hem in a contrasting color for a sporty, retro-inspired effect. Simply cut the yarn and join the new color when you switch to the smaller needles for the ribbing.
A Final Note
The Linneacardi is the kind of pattern that rewards you for the time you put into it. It is not a fast knit in the sense of being mindless, but every step is purposeful, and the result is a garment that genuinely earns a permanent place in your wardrobe. Knitters who have made it report wearing it constantly — to the farmers market, to work over a silk blouse, on weekend hikes layered over a hoodie, and curled up on the couch with a book.
Once you finish your first one, you will
