Addison Cardigan Crochet Pattern: An Oversized Button-Up Cardigan

The Addison Cardigan is an original Crochet Tutorial design built for cozy, oversized layering, a drapey, button-front cardigan with a soft, textured body and ribbed cuffs, hem, and trim. It’s worked up in super bulky yarn (or two strands of worsted weight held together), so it grows quickly, and the relaxed, oversized fit makes it endlessly wearable over everything from t-shirts to sweaters.

Ready to make your own? Get the Addison Cardigan digital pattern on CrochetTutorial.net.

Whether you make it in one solid color or in two contrasting colors, a cream body with a grey ribbing, for example, or a rich red throughout, the Addison Cardigan has the kind of chunky, statement texture that looks just as good thrown over jeans as it does dressed up for a cold-weather photo.

About This Crochet Project

The Addison Cardigan is built from five main pieces: a back panel, two front panels, and two sleeves, each worked bottom-up starting with a ribbed section before transitioning into the cardigan’s signature textured body. That body is worked in groups of three double crochet, tucked into the spaces between stitches from the row below, which creates a soft, clustered, almost basket-weave texture with plenty of drape.

It’s designed as an oversized piece from the ground up, the finished cardigan is meant to have that relaxed, cocoon-like fit, so there’s no need to worry about a snug, fitted silhouette here. The pattern also includes a buttonhole trim worked directly along the front edges and back neckline, finished off with three buttons.

Skill Level

This pattern is best suited to confident beginners and intermediate crocheters who are comfortable working with garment pieces rather than a single flat panel. You’ll be using single crochet, back loop only single crochet (for the ribbing), and double crochet worked in repeated groups of three, no unusual or advanced stitches, but the pattern does ask you to:

• Work from a multi-size pattern, tracking your size’s numbers through parentheses
• Build ribbing using back loop only single crochet (BLSC)
• Read and repeat a “groups of 3 double crochet” stitch pattern across multiple rows
• Follow written increase rows to shape the sleeves and widen the panels
• Seam multiple pieces together (shoulders, sleeves, and side seams)
• Work a buttonhole row using chain spaces

None of these skills are difficult on their own, but there are several pieces to keep track of, a back panel, two front panels, and two sleeves, which makes this a great next step up from single-panel projects.

Materials and Tools

The Addison Cardigan gives you flexibility in yarn choice: you can work it in a single strand of super bulky (#6) yarn, or hold two strands of worsted/medium weight (#4) yarn together for the same effect. Yardage varies by size and by whether you’re making a one-color or two-color version:

• Super bulky (#6) yarn, one color: 980–1500 yds depending on size
• Super bulky (#6) yarn, two colors: 785–1200 yds main color, plus 195–300 yds contrast color
• Or, two strands of worsted/medium (#4) yarn held together, one color: 1960–3000 yds depending on size
• Or, two strands of worsted/medium (#4) yarn held together, two colors: 1570–2400 yds main color, plus 390–600 yds contrast color
• Crochet hook, size U.S. L/11 (8mm)
• Tapestry needle, for seaming
• 3 buttons (1 inch)

The sample versions were made with Camden Wool Big (a super bulky #6 yarn) for the red, one-color cardigan, and a doubled strand of Bernat Premium (worsted #4) for the cream-and-grey two-color version, so you can see how both yarn options play out in the finished piece.

Gauge: 5 groups of 3 double crochet = 6.5 inches, using the U.S. L/11 (8mm) hook.

Sizing and Finished Measurements

This is an intentionally oversized cardigan, so sizing is based on your actual bust measurement rather than your usual garment size. The pattern is written for five sizes: XS/S, M/L, XL/2XL, and 3XL/4XL, covering a bust range of roughly 31–50 inches (78–130 cm).

The back panel width alone ranges from about 22 inches for the smallest size up to about 36.5 inches for the largest, which gives you a sense of just how much relaxed, drapey ease is built into the design. The pattern also includes an option to add extra rows if you’d like a longer body, you’ll just need to add matching rows to the front panels to keep everything even. The pattern is written using US crochet terminology throughout.

Construction Overview

The Addison Cardigan comes together in five pieces, all worked the same basic way before being seamed:

The back panel starts with a strip of back loop only single crochet, worked back and forth to form a ribbed band. Once the ribbing is the right length, you turn the corner and work directly off the top edge of that strip, building the textured body of the panel upward in rows of double crochet worked in groups of three, tucked into the gaps left by the row before.

The two front panels are worked the same way, ribbing first, then the clustered double crochet body, just narrower than the back panel and with fewer body rows, since they only need to cover half the front of the cardigan each.

The two sleeves follow the same ribbing-then-body construction, but with built-in increase rows worked periodically up the sleeve. Extra groups of three double crochet are added at each increase row, gradually widening the sleeve as it’s worked toward the shoulder.

Once all five pieces are made, the shoulders are sewn together first, then the sleeves are pinned and sewn in place so the shoulder seam lines up with the center of each sleeve. From there, the cardigan is folded and the sleeve and side seams are sewn in one continuous line from cuff to underarm to hem.

The final step is the trim: a single crochet border worked up one front panel, across the back neckline, and down the other front panel, with a buttonhole row built in partway through using evenly spaced chain-2 spaces. The three buttons are sewn on last, lined up with the buttonholes.

Key Crochet Techniques

Back loop only single crochet ribbing creates the stretchy, textured ribbed bands at the cuffs, hem, and front edges of each panel, giving the cardigan that classic ribbed-cuff look before transitioning into the main body texture.

Ready to make your own? Get the Addison Cardigan digital pattern on CrochetTutorial.net.

Groups of 3 double crochet are the signature stitch of this pattern. Worked into the spaces between the groups from the previous row, they build a soft, clustered texture with noticeably more drape and dimension than a plain double crochet fabric.

Turning the corner from ribbing to body is a construction technique rather than a single stitch, instead of working ribbing all the way up a panel, you work a shorter ribbed strip, then rotate and work the body rows directly off its top edge, which is what keeps the ribbing at the correct width relative to the body above it.

Sleeve increases are worked by adding extra groups of three double crochet within an increase row, rather than by increasing stitch by stitch, which keeps the cluster texture consistent even as the sleeve widens.

Chain-space buttonholes are worked directly into the single crochet trim, using evenly spaced chain-2 gaps that are then single crocheted back over on the following row, leaving clean, finished buttonholes without any extra reinforcement needed.

Customization Ideas

• Work it in a single color for a more streamlined, monochrome look
• Choose a contrasting ribbing color for the two-color version to add a color-blocked detail at the cuffs, hem, and trim
• Add extra body rows to the back and front panels for a longer, duster-style cardigan
• Swap in a fuzzy or brushed yarn for extra texture and warmth
• Choose statement buttons instead of classic wood or neutral tones for a bit of personality

Because the pattern is written with clear repeats for both the ribbing and the clustered body rows, most of these changes can be made without disrupting the overall construction.

Who Is This Pattern Perfect For?

• Crocheters who want a cozy, wearable, everyday layering piece
• Anyone who loves oversized, relaxed-fit garments over fitted sweaters
• Crocheters ready to move from single-panel projects into multi-piece garment construction
• Gift makers looking for a chunky, quick-to-grow handmade sweater
• Fall and winter wardrobe refreshes

Helpful Tips Before You Start

• Read through the whole pattern once before starting, and circle your size’s numbers throughout so they’re easy to find as you go
• Work a gauge swatch first, since the cardigan is worked in chunky yarn at a specific gauge, a swatch check up front saves you from an unexpectedly oversized (or undersized) finished piece
• Keep a notepad or stitch counter handy for tracking your row count as you repeat the clustered body pattern
• Pin your pieces together before sewing the shoulders, sleeves, and side seams, so the panels stay aligned while you work
• Take your time with the buttonhole row, even spacing here makes the biggest difference in how polished the finished button band looks

Final Thoughts

The Addison Cardigan is a satisfying next-level project for anyone ready to move from flat crochet pieces into a full garment. Between the textured clustered stitch, the ribbed trim details, and the straightforward panel-and-seam construction, it’s a pattern that builds real garment-making skills while producing a cardigan you’ll genuinely want to wear on repeat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this crochet pattern beginner friendly?

It’s best suited to confident beginners or intermediate crocheters. The stitches themselves (single crochet, back loop only single crochet, and double crochet) are approachable, but working across five separate pieces and seaming them together does take some prior experience with garment-style construction.

What yarn weight does this project use?

You can work the Addison Cardigan in a single strand of super bulky (#6) yarn, or hold two strands of worsted/medium (#4) yarn together for the same effect, both options are included in the pattern with their own yardage requirements.

What hook size is recommended?

A U.S. size L/11 (8mm) crochet hook is used throughout the pattern.

What sizes does this pattern include?

The pattern is written for five sizes, XS/S, M/L, XL/2XL, and 3XL/4XL, covering a bust range of roughly 31 to 50 inches (78 to 130 cm). It’s designed as an oversized cardigan, so there’s generous ease built into every size.

Is this a digital or physical product?

This is a digital crochet pattern (PDF) that you can download and follow at your own pace, no physical item is shipped.

What crochet terms are used in this pattern?

The pattern is written using US crochet terminology.

Can I make the cardigan longer?

Yes, the pattern includes an option to repeat extra rows on the back panel before tying off if you’d like a longer body, as long as you add the same number of rows to the front panels to keep everything even.