Crochet Baby Cardigan Pattern — The Mustard Daisy Cardigan

I love a baby cardigan that looks like it will be handed down, and this mustard daisy cardigan is exactly that kind of piece! We will work it top-down in one seamless raglan piece, in a warm mustard gold with plump cream daisies scattered across the front, a sweet scalloped hem, and a single button at the neck.

The body uses an easy, dense half double crochet fabric that keeps its shape through real baby life, and the daisies are made separately and sewn on at the end, so we can place them wherever they look happiest. The scalloped hem is one quick final row that finishes the whole cardigan like a ribbon on a gift.

It is written for 6 to 12 months. The stitches themselves are simple, but gauge matters and the raglan increases ask us to count, so I would call this one Intermediate. Worked in soft washable yarn, it comes together over a few evenings.

Materials

• 260 to 320 yards DK or light worsted (number 3) soft, machine-washable acrylic or cotton blend yarn in mustard gold
• Under 25 yards of the same yarn in cream or off-white, for the daisies
• US G/6 (4.0 mm) crochet hook, or size needed to meet gauge
• 1 button, approximately 3/4 inch (15 to 18 mm)
• 4 stitch markers, for the raglan corners
• Yarn needle, for assembly and weaving in ends
• Sewing thread, for reinforcing the button
• Scissors
• Measuring tape

Abbreviations

• ch: chain
• sc: single crochet
• hdc: half double crochet
• dc: double crochet
• sl st: slip stitch
• st/sts: stitch / stitches
• sp: space
• MR: magic ring
• rep: repeat

Gauge & Size

• Gauge: 14 hdc and 11 rows = 4 inches (10 cm). Make a swatch before starting, because a garment that misses gauge misses the baby
• Finished size: 6 to 12 months, finished chest approximately 19 inches (48 cm), giving 1 to 2 inches of ease; body length approximately 10.5 inches from shoulder; sleeve approximately 6 inches from underarm
• Construction: top-down in one piece as a seamless raglan, worked back and forth in rows; each row begins with ch 1, which does not count as a stitch; daisies made separately and sewn on
• Skill level: Intermediate

Yoke Pattern

We start at the neckline and increase at four marked corners until the yoke is deep enough, then we split for the body and sleeves. Stitch counts appear at the end of each row.

Foundation: With mustard, ch 41.

Row 1 (setup): Starting in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in each ch across, turn. (40 sts)

Now divide the row in your mind: 6 sts (right front), 8 sts (sleeve), 12 sts (back), 8 sts (sleeve), 6 sts (left front). Place a marker between each section. These four points are your raglan corners.

Row 2 (increase row): Ch 1, hdc to 1 st before the first marker, work 2 hdc in the st before the marker and 2 hdc in the st after it; rep at each of the 4 markers; hdc to end, turn. (48 sts)

Each increase row adds 8 stitches, 2 at every raglan corner. Move your markers up as you go, keeping them at the center of each corner.

Rows 3 to 9: Rep Row 2. Every row is an increase row. (Row 3: 56 sts, Row 4: 64 sts, Row 5: 72 sts, Row 6: 80 sts, Row 7: 88 sts, Row 8: 96 sts, Row 9: 104 sts)

After Row 9 your sections are: fronts 14 sts each, sleeves 24 sts each, back 28 sts. The yoke should measure about 4.5 inches (11.5 cm) deep, and the corners should reach the underarm.

Body Pattern

Row 10 (dividing row): Ch 1, hdc across the 14 right-front sts; ch 2 and skip the entire 24-st sleeve section (the ch-2 bridges the underarm); hdc across the 28 back sts; ch 2, skip the second 24-st sleeve; hdc across the 14 left-front sts, turn. (56 hdc + 4 underarm ch = 60 sts)

Rows 11 to 26: Ch 1, hdc in each st across (working 1 hdc into each underarm ch on Row 11), turn. (60 sts)

Work until the body measures about 6 inches (15 cm) from the underarm split, or your desired length, ending ready for the hem.

Scalloped Hem

Hem row: Ch 1, sc in first st, sk 1 st, 5 dc in next st, sk 1 st, sc in next st; rep across, ending with sc in the last st. (about 14 scallops)

Fasten off.

Sleeve Pattern

Make 2 sleeves the same way.

Round 1: Join mustard at the center of one underarm ch-2. Work hdc around the 24 sleeve sts plus 2 sts in the underarm chs, joining or working in a seamless spiral. (26 sts)

Rounds 2 to 18: Hdc in each st around. (26 sts)

Work until the sleeve measures about 5.5 to 6 inches (14 to 15 cm) from the underarm.

Cuff round: Sc in each st around, sl st to join. Fasten off. Rep for the second sleeve.

Neck Edge & Button Loop

With the right side facing, join mustard at one top front corner. Sc evenly across the neckline to the other corner. At the top of one front edge, ch 5 and sl st back into the same spot to form a button loop. Fasten off.

Sew the button opposite the loop, reinforced with doubled sewing thread.

Daisy Pattern

Make 5 daisies.

Round 1: With cream, MR, ch 1, 6 sc into the ring, pull closed, join. (6 sts)

Round 2 (petals): (Ch 2, 2 dc in next st, ch 2, sl st in same st), sl st in next st; rep around for 6 plump rounded petals. (6 petals)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. For a raised center, embroider a small cluster of French knots in the middle, or leave the ring plain for a flatter daisy.

Finishing & Assembly

Weave in all ends securely. Garment ends take stress, so weave each tail in two directions before trimming.

Pin the 5 daisies across the fronts with the cardigan buttoned (three on one side, two on the other, or to taste) and sew each one firmly with its tail, anchoring the center and the petal tips so little fingers cannot find a flippable edge.

For button safety on a baby garment, sew the button on with sewing thread doubled and knotted repeatedly, and tug-test it hard, harder than a baby would. Then tug again, and check it regularly.

Gently wash and block flat to the finished measurements: chest 19 inches, body length approximately 10.5 inches from shoulder, sleeve approximately 6 inches from underarm.

Tips

Swatch first, truly. Four inches of hdc takes ten minutes and saves a cardigan. If your swatch is too big, go down a hook size; too small, go up.

Trust the markers, not your memory. Move all four markers every single row and the yoke stays perfectly symmetrical.

Before dividing, drape the yoke over a similar-size baby garment to confirm the underarm depth. It is the one measurement that is annoying to fix later.

To size up or down, use the raglan formula: for 0 to 6 months, start with a shorter neck chain (about 36) and work one fewer increase row; for 12 to 24 months, add 4 to 6 chains and 1 to 2 more increase rows, then lengthen the body and sleeves. Always check against a real chest measurement plus 1 to 2 inches of ease.