Usually we knit for the people we love a few small, new things to wear as they head back to school or work, but every year we try to knit ourselves at least one larger thing, like a nice sweater! Last year, we made a very thick, warm pullovers and those are still stylish and in great condition, so this year we’re thinking about making something a little bit lighter. That’s how we’ve found ourselves looking up all different light cardigan patterns that we can wear in the beginning of fall and even around the end of summer.
1. Honeybee Cardigan
Are you an experienced knitter who lives in quite a warm place, so you’re looking for something lighter and a little more on the summery side but that’s also a little more intricate looking or a bit of a challenge? In that case, we think perhaps we’ve already found the perfect pattern for you, fresh out of the gates! Take a look at Craftsy to learn more about this fantastically woven looking cropped sweater with three quarter length sleeves.
2. Banff oversized cardigan
Are you actually much more a fan of oversized sweaters and the way something a little bigger fits because you love being able to wrap a cozy garment around you while you curl up with a book and a good fall latte the moment autumn weather arrives… even though you still need it to be at least a little bit light so you don’t start melting too soon? Then we think perhaps you’d much prefer this fantastic, purposely oversized pattern featured on The Blue Mouse!
3. Mountain Everlasting Sweater
If you’re looking for light, then there’s nothing better than a lace weight yarn to work with because it lets you create paper thin sections, some with a wonderfully soft halo if you use something like a mohair. That’s why we love the way Little Theorem held their lace weight together with something thicker for parts of this awesome striped sweater and left it single for other parts to create super light meshy effect that’s perfect for the end of summer and beginning of fall.
4. Mercy Cardigan
Are you the kind of knitter who adores something with a little bit of visual detail so that you can enjoy knitting it with relative simplicity but still stay interested and be very satisfied indeed when you’re all done? Then we’d absolutely suggest taking a look at how DROPS Designs made this lovely eyelet pattern that features triangular layers towards the bottom with eyelets up the bodice and leading down from the shoulders.
5. Le Sacre Bleu Cardigan
If you’re going to go to the trouble of knitting yourself an entire cardigan from scratch and putting all that time, work, and effort in, would you rather create something with a bit of a colour variation? Well, whether your personal preferences are a little more dark and neutral like the photo you see here or perhaps a little brighter and more contrasting, we have a feeling you’ll love the way this pattern from La Maison Rililie faces and stripes subtly from one colour, through a second, cuffing off at the sleeves in a third.
6. Leaf Lace Cardigan
Have the ideas that have caught your eye the best so far been the ones that are created specifically for ongoing warmer weather but that have also involved some kind of wonderful visual detail? Well, if you’ve ever been a fan of short sleeved patterns, then we’d definitely suggest taking a look at how Craftsy created this beautiful leaf and weaving vine pattern that continues from shoulders to hem.
7. Vintage Cotton Cardigan
Whether you’re actually going knit this pattern in cotton or in another kind of fibre using the same weight suggested, this awesome t-shirt cardigan is a fantastic way to keep just your core warm while making sure you’re not too warm elsewhere as well. Besides that, this fantastic pattern from Kraftling is a great example of simple colour work all across the bottom half.
8. Estuary Two Toned Cardigan
Were you very interested indeed when we started talking about the idea of cardigan patterns that involve some kind of colour change but you’re just not sure your rather freshly learned knitting skills are quite ready for things like subtle striping and several colour changes at once? Then perhaps you’d prefer to make one simple, clean change for a cool blocking effect contrast instead! This pattern from Knitting Bee is an awesome, simple design for cardigan beginners.
9. Marlon Cardigan
What if you’ve been scrolling through our list so far and finding yourself more and more enamoured with the idea of knitting a striped cardigan with every pattern we’ve shown you? Then we have a feeling this awesome pattern from La Maison Rililie that is basically a stripe-fest at every step might be right up your alley! We love the fact that you get to choose more than one accent colour and, even though we adore this cream and neutrals version, we could also picture this pattern being very cool indeed in bright colours.
10. Knit Ribbed Cardigan
Have you actually been scrolling through our list so far appreciating what you’ve seen but also kind of hoping to find an option that has a little bit more unique of a construction or a stylish flair, even though you still want to keep things decently simple since you don’t feel you’re quite an “advanced” knitter yet? In that case, we’d certainly encourage you to take a look at the way Knitting Bee made this fantastic cut-sleeve, A-line cardigan with a high neck and a wonderfully ribbed texture.
11. Peggy Sue Cardigan
In all the time we’ve been linking you to cute cardigans, there has been one particular feature missing that experienced knitters know is really a staple in the world of sweaters: cables! Now, this is primarily because lighter patterns don’t tend to feature cables as heavily since they appear best when they’re quite large, making thicker, heavier sweaters a better opportunity for them, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ever make smaller cables for a stunning, more detailed look! We simply adore this small cabled short-sleeved sweater from Love Knitting, for example.
12. Camille Cardigan
Would you actually prefer to make yourself something that’s a little more straight forward in its actual construction but still has some kind of stitch pattern or subtle definition to keep the eye interested as you go about your day? Then we think perhaps this sort of waffle stitch pattern found in Oenling‘s ong fall cardigan would be a great option for you! We adore the contrast between the main body and the seed stitch border around the edge and at the button band.
13. Gaia Cardigan
Are you actually the kid of knitter who loves a small challenge and you’ve been thinking about tackling lace lately, even though you’re still a little bit intimidated by the idea? Well, just because you’d like to include lace in a pattern doesn’t mean the entire thing has to be complicated lace all the way up and down! We’re actually huge fans of the way Annie’s Catalog gave you a simple lace repeat around the bust and top back but left the rest in perfectly complementing stockinette stitch.
14. Queen’s Park Cardigan
Just in case you haven’t quite seen one that has kept your attention entirely, here’s another fantastic option for the light weight yarn lovers out there! Rather than striping horizontally like most of the patterns we’ve shown you so far, this pattern featured on Little Theorem shows you how to do some vertical striping that alternates from solid stockinette stitch to a lacy inspired eyelet column, rather than striping from colour to colour like most of the patterns we’ve shown you so far.
15. Fleur Cardigan
Has the pattern element that has actually caught your attention the best so far been the one that included a seed stitch border and button band all the way around, but you actually found yourself enjoying it so much that you’d prefer to let it shine centre stage against some simple stockinette rather than trying to fight for the spotlight against the waffle pattern we showed you earlier? In that case, we have a feeling this looser, open cardigan from Annie’s Catalog that features a much larger seed stitch band all the way around the edge might actually be just what you’re looking for.
Have you knit other stunning, light, and impressive fall cardigans before that you absolutely love wearing or gifted to a loved one who was very happy with it, but you don’t see that pattern on our list? Tell us where to find it or link us to photos of your finished cardigan in the comments section!
