Sunflower Granny Square Cardigan: Free Crochet Pattern

This sunflower cardigan looks like a big project, but it is built from one simple motif: a sunflower granny square, made 54 times and joined into five flat panels. There is no shaping, no armhole decreases and no sleeve caps — if you can make one square, you can make the whole cardigan.

The full pattern is free below, step by step with photos, in US crochet terms. Prefer to crochet from paper? The printable, ad-free PDF is available in my Etsy shop.

What You Need

• Aran / worsted weight (4) cotton yarn in 4 colors: soil brown (centers), mustard yellow (inner petals), bright yellow (outer petals) and cream (border, joining and ribbing)
• 5 mm (US H-8) crochet hook — see my hook sizes chart for UK sizes
• Yarn needle and scissors
• 3–5 buttons
• Stitch markers (helpful) and a tape measure

Skill level: easy. Size: S–M. You will make 54 sunflower squares.

Special Stitches

Puff stitch: yarn over, insert the hook in the stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop. Repeat 2 more times in the same stitch (7 loops on the hook). Yarn over and pull through all loops, then ch 1 to close.

4-dc bobble: work 4 dc in the same space, keeping the last loop of each on the hook (5 loops). Yarn over and pull through all 5.

New to abbreviations? My guide on how to read a crochet pattern explains every one.

Steps 1–3: The Sunflower Center

Round 1 (soil brown): Make a magic ring. Ch 3 (counts as your first dc), then work 15 dc into the ring. Pull the tail to close the ring and sl st to the top of the ch-3. Fasten off. (16 stitches)

Round 2 (mustard yellow): Join the mustard in any stitch. Ch 2 (does not count as a stitch). Work 1 puff stitch in each stitch around. Sl st to the top of the first puff and fasten off. (16 puffs)

Step 4: The Yellow Petals

Round 3 (bright yellow): Join the bright yellow in any space between two puffs. Ch 2 (does not count as a stitch). Work a 4-dc bobble in each space between the puffs. Sl st to the top of the first bobble and fasten off. (16 bobbles)

Count to 16 after every round — it saves a lot of unravelling later.

Step 5: The Square Border

Round 4 (cream):

1. Join the cream in any space between two bobbles. This is your first corner.
2. Ch 4 (counts as the first tr), then work 2 tr in the same space.
3. *3 dc in the next space, 3 hdc in the next space, 3 dc in the next space, then (3 tr, ch 3, 3 tr) in the next space for a corner.* Repeat from * to * 2 more times.
4. 3 dc in the next space, 3 hdc in the next space, 3 dc in the next space.
5. 3 tr in the first space, ch 3, and sl st to the top of the ch-4. Fasten off and weave in the ends. (4 corners)

Step 6: Make 54 Squares

Repeat steps 1 to 5 until you have 54 squares. Then block them all: wet them, pin them square and let them dry. Squares that are all the same size are what make the panels lie flat.

Step 7: Arrange the Panels

Lay all 54 squares on the floor before joining and arrange them into 5 panels:

• Back: 5 squares wide, 4 squares tall (20 squares)
• Left front: 2 wide, 4 tall (8 squares)
• Right front: 2 wide, 4 tall (8 squares)
• Sleeves: 3 wide, 3 tall (9 squares each, make 2)

Steps 8–9: Join and Assemble

Join the squares: hold two squares together and join them with sl st through the outer loops only. This leaves a soft raised ridge around every square. Join the squares into the 5 panels.

Assemble the cardigan (keep the work wrong side out and use the same sl st join):

1. Shoulders: lay the back flat with a front on each side. Join each front to the back along the shoulder edge.
2. Sleeves: starting where the front and back meet at the shoulder, join the top edge of each sleeve across the armhole.
3. Sleeve seams: fold each sleeve in half and join its long edge from the cuff up to the underarm.
4. Side seams: join the side edges of the fronts and back, from the underarm down to the hem.
5. Try it on: turn it right side out and check the fit before adding the ribbing.

Step 10: Ribbing and Front Band

Make 4 strips: one for the hem, one for each cuff, and one long strip for the front band and neckline.

1. Ch the width you want for the ribbing, plus 1.
2. Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across.
3. Ch 1, turn. Sc in the back loop only of each stitch across.
4. Repeat step 3 until the strip reaches all the way around its edge, stretched very slightly. Fasten off.
5. Make the front band narrower than the cuffs and hem.
6. Join each strip with sl st from the inside, through both loops, for a smooth, flat seam.

Finishing

Sew on the buttons, using the gaps between the stitches as buttonholes. Weave in all the ends, then block the cardigan one more time and let it dry flat.

Get the Printable PDF

Want to crochet from paper, without ads? The Sunflower Granny Square Cardigan PDF has every step with large photos, laid out to print and keep beside you while you work.

👉 Get the printable PDF pattern on Etsy

You are welcome to sell the cardigans you make — please credit Crochet Henouda.