Rowing Blazer Baby Cardigan Free Pattern: Preppy Crochet Cardigan with Navy Cuff Stripes

Rowing Blazer Baby Cardigan: A Preppy Little Cardigan You Can Actually Make

If you have never picked up a crochet hook before, this is the project that will make you fall in love with making clothes. The Rowing Blazer Baby Cardigan is a tiny, tailored-looking sweater inspired by classic rowing-club blazers: soft cream yarn, crisp navy stripes on the cuffs, and a neat two-button front that looks like it came from a fancy boutique. The finished piece is a dense, even, slightly ridged fabric with straight sides, a simple round neckline, and little sleeve tubes that end in striped cuffs about 1.5 inches deep. It is perfect for a brand-new baby, a baby shower gift, or a first grandchild, and it is built from just a handful of beginner stitches worked in a flat rectangle and simple tubes. Every single step is spelled out below, so you can make this even if this is the very first thing you have ever crocheted.

Materials Needed

• Yarn (main color, "MC"): Worsted weight (#4) acrylic or cotton-acrylic blend, approximately 300 (350, 420) yards of cream. The sample uses a smooth, soft baby acrylic.
• Yarn (contrast color, "CC"): Same worsted weight (#4) yarn, approximately 60 (70, 80) yards of navy.
• Main hook: US G/6 (4.0 mm) crochet hook, or whatever size gets you the gauge below.
• Smaller hook: US F/5 (3.75 mm) crochet hook for the cuffs and the front edging.
• Stitch markers: At least 4 (small safety pins or scrap yarn work too).
• Yarn needle (tapestry needle): A blunt, large-eyed needle for seaming and weaving in ends.
• Scissors: Any sharp pair.
• Two buttons: 5/8 inch (16 mm) round buttons.
• Measuring tape and a ruler for checking gauge.

Finished sizes: 0–3 (6–12, 18–24) months. Finished chest circumference: 20 (22, 24) inches [51 (56, 61) cm]. Finished body length from shoulder: 10 (11, 12) inches [25.5 (28, 30.5) cm]. Finished sleeve length from underarm: 5 (5.5, 6) inches [12.5 (14, 15) cm].

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

• ch – chain. Make a loop of yarn on your hook, wrap yarn over the hook, and pull it through the loop. That is one chain. A row of chains is your starting "foundation."
• sl st – slip stitch. Insert your hook into the stitch, wrap yarn over, and pull it through both the stitch and the loop on your hook at once. It makes a nearly invisible join.
• sc – single crochet. Insert hook into stitch, wrap yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), wrap yarn over again, pull through both loops. One loop remains. This is the shortest, tightest basic stitch.
• hdc – half double crochet. Wrap yarn over the hook before inserting it, insert into stitch, wrap yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), wrap yarn over, pull through all 3 loops at once. This is the main stitch of the body: slightly taller and softer than sc.
• hdc2tog – half double crochet two together. A decrease that turns 2 stitches into 1. (Wrap yarn over, insert into first stitch, pull up a loop; wrap yarn over, insert into next stitch, pull up a loop; wrap yarn over, pull through all loops on hook.) Note: this pattern does not use it — the sleeve increases are written out in full instead — but it is listed so you recognize it if you see it elsewhere.
• st / sts – stitch / stitches.
• MC – main color (cream). CC – contrast color (navy).
• RS – right side. The "public" side of the fabric that faces out when worn.
• WS – wrong side. The inside of the fabric.
• BLO – back loop only. Each stitch top has two loops (front and back). Working BLO means you insert your hook only under the loop farther from you.
• Turn – flip your work over so you can work back across the row you just finished.
• Work even – work the same stitch in every stitch with no increases or decreases.
• 2 hdc in next st – an increase: work two complete hdc stitches into the same stitch, making the row one stitch wider.
• Join with sl st – after working in a circle, slip stitch into the first stitch of the round to close the circle.
• Fasten off – cut the yarn a few inches from your work and pull the tail all the way through the last loop to lock it.

Gauge

16 hdc x 12 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) with the US G/6 (4.0 mm) hook.

Why gauge matters: Gauge is how many stitches and rows fit into 4 inches of your fabric. If your stitches are bigger than the pattern's, the cardigan will come out too wide and long for a newborn; if smaller, it may not fit at all. Because this sweater is worked to measurements rather than to a stitch count alone, matching gauge is what makes the finished chest of 20 (22, 24) inches come out right.

How to make a gauge swatch: With your G/6 hook and cream yarn, chain 24. Work hdc in the 3rd chain from the hook and in each chain across (22 hdc). Work 14 rows of hdc, turning at the end of each row. Lay the swatch flat without stretching it and measure a 4-inch section in the middle with a ruler. Count the stitches across and the rows up. If you have more than 16 stitches in 4 inches, your stitches are too small — try a larger hook. If you have fewer, your stitches are too big — try a smaller hook. Change hook size and swatch again until it matches.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Count every row. This pattern gives you a stitch count in parentheses at the end of each row. Count your stitches before you turn. If the number is off, fix it on that row — it is much easier than discovering it ten rows later.
• Use stitch markers to track your rounds. On the sleeves, place a marker in the first stitch of each round so you always know where the round begins and ends.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Tension is the number one beginner problem. Hold the yarn loosely and let the hook do the work. Tight stitches make a stiff, small cardigan that is hard to seam.
• Keep your turning chain consistent. The "ch 2" at the start of each hdc row does not count as a stitch here. Always make your first hdc in the very first stitch of the row, or your sides will slant.
• Read the whole pattern once before you start. It is short, and knowing where the sleeves and edging come in will make the whole project feel calm instead of confusing.
• Leave long tails. When you fasten off, leave at least a 6-inch tail (12 inches on the sleeves). You will need them for seaming and weaving in.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Body

Worked flat, back and forth, from the bottom edge up to the shoulders. The body is one rectangle; the armholes are formed later by seaming, not by decreasing.

With MC and the G/6 (4.0 mm) hook, ch 82 (90, 98).

Row 1 (RS): Hdc in the 3rd ch from the hook and in each ch across. (80 (88, 96) hdc) Turn.

Row 2: Ch 2 (does not count as a st), hdc in each st across. (80 (88, 96) sts) Turn.

Rows 3–6: Repeat Row 2 four times. (80 (88, 96) sts) Piece now measures about 2 inches (5 cm) from the foundation chain. This is the lower band.

Row 7: Ch 2, hdc in each st across. (80 (88, 96) sts) Turn.

Rows 8–30 (8–33, 8–36): Repeat Row 7, working even. (80 (88, 96) sts) Piece measures about 10 (11, 12) inches [25.5 (28, 30.5) cm] from the foundation, ending with a WS row. Do not fasten off.

Shoulder Seam and Neck Opening

Fold the body in half widthwise with RS together, matching the two short side edges. Mark the center 24 (26, 28) sts along the top edge — this is the back neck opening and stays unseamed. The stitches on either side of that center section form the shoulders.

Join shoulders: With RS together, using MC and the G/6 hook, sl st (or sc) seam the outer 16 (18, 20) sts of each shoulder edge together. Fasten off. Turn the piece RS out. The center 24 (26, 28) sts remain open for the neckline.

Sleeves (make 2)

Worked in turned rounds as a tube. You join at the end of each round and then turn, so the seam line stays straight.

With MC and the G/6 hook, ch 30 (34, 38). Join with sl st to the first ch to form a ring, being careful not to twist the chain.

Round 1 (RS): Ch 2, hdc in each ch around. Join with sl st to the first hdc. (30 (34, 38) hdc) Turn.

Round 2 (WS): Ch 2, hdc in each st around. Join with sl st. (30 (34, 38) sts) Turn.

Rounds 3–4: Repeat Round 2 twice. (30 (34, 38) sts)

Round 5 (increase round): Ch 2, hdc in first st, 2 hdc in next st, hdc in each st to the last 2 sts, 2 hdc in next st, hdc in last st. Join with sl st. Turn. (32 (36, 40) sts)

Rounds 6–9: Work even in hdc, joining and turning each round. (32 (36, 40) sts)

Round 10: Repeat Round 5. (34 (38, 42) sts)

Rounds 11–14: Work even. (34 (38, 42) sts)

Round 15: Repeat Round 5. (36 (40, 44) sts)

Rounds 16–18 (16–20, 16–22): Work even. (36 (40, 44) sts) Sleeve measures about 5 (5.5, 6) inches [12.5 (14, 15) cm] from the beginning. Fasten off, leaving a 12-inch (30 cm) tail for seaming.

Cuff Stripes

Worked at the lower edge of each sleeve with the smaller hook, in turned rounds of single crochet. The sequence is navy, navy, cream, cream, navy, navy — two navy stripes separated by a cream stripe.

With CC and the F/5 (3.75 mm) hook, join CC with a sl st to any st at the lower edge of the sleeve.

Round 1 (RS): Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join with sl st to first sc. Turn. (36 (40, 44) sc)

Round 2 (WS): Ch 1, sc in each st around. Join with sl st. Turn. (36 (40, 44) sc)

Round 3: Change to MC, ch 1, sc in each st around. Join with sl st. Turn. (36 (40, 44) sc)

Round 4: With MC, ch 1, sc in each st around. Join with sl st. Turn. (36 (40, 44) sc)

Round 5: Change to CC, ch 1, sc in each st around. Join with sl st. Turn. (36 (40, 44) sc)

Round 6: With CC, ch 1, sc in each st around. Join with sl st. Fasten off. Weave in ends. (36 (40, 44) sc) Cuff measures about 1.5 inches (4 cm) deep. Repeat for the second sleeve.

Set-In Sleeves

Turn the body WS out. Pin one sleeve into an armhole with RS together, matching the sleeve seam to the underarm and centering the sleeve cap along the armhole edge. Using MC and the yarn needle, whipstitch (or sc seam) the sleeve to the body all the way around the armhole. Repeat for the second sleeve. Fasten off and weave in ends. Turn RS out.

Placket and Neckline Edging

Worked with the smaller hook in single crochet around the entire front opening and neckline, in one continuous path.

With MC and the F/5 hook, join yarn at the bottom right front corner with RS facing.

Row 1: Ch 1, sc evenly up the right front edge, around the neckline (work 1 sc in each st and 1 sc in each row-end), and down the left front edge to the bottom left corner. Turn. (Even, unbroken sc edge — no need to count; just keep the stitches evenly spaced.)

Row 2: Ch 1, sc in each sc around. Turn.

Row 3 (buttonhole row — right front for a girl, left front for a boy): Ch 1, sc in each sc up the front edge to the neckline, working 2 buttonholes evenly spaced: ch 2, skip 2 sc, sc in next sc. Continue sc around the neckline and down the opposite front edge. Turn.

Row 4: Ch 1, sc in each sc and in each ch-2 space around. Fasten off. Weave in ends.

Buttons

Sew the two 5/8 inch (16 mm) buttons opposite the buttonholes on the front band. Weave in all remaining ends and block lightly to measurements.

Assembly and Finishing

Seaming: All seams in this pattern are worked with the right sides together so the seam allowance hides inside. For the shoulders, hold the two shoulder edges together and work a slip stitch (or single crochet) through both layers at once, one stitch into each matching stitch. For the sleeves, pin first and check that the sleeve seam sits at the underarm before you sew — pinning is what keeps the sleeve from twisting. Whipstitch means passing the needle through both layers in small, even stitches about 1/4 inch apart.

Weaving in ends: Thread each tail onto the yarn needle and run it through the back of several stitches (about 2 inches), then reverse direction and run it back through a few more. This locks it so it will not work loose in the wash. Trim close to the fabric.

Blocking: Lightly mist the finished cardigan with cool water (or soak it for 10 minutes and gently press out the water in a towel — never wring). Lay it flat on a towel and pat it into the finished measurements: 20 (22, 24) inches across the chest and 10 (11, 12) inches from shoulder to hem. Pin the front edges straight and let it dry completely, away from direct heat. Blocking relaxes the stitches, evens out the fabric, and makes the placket lie flat.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors: Swap the cream for pale gray, butter yellow, or soft pink, and the navy for forest green or burgundy. Keep one color light and one dark so the cuff stripes still read clearly.
• Adjust the size: To make the next size up, add 8 chains to the body foundation (that adds about 2 inches of chest) and work 3 more body rows. For the sleeves, add 4 chains to the starting ring and 2 more even rounds before the cuff.
• Substitute yarn: A cotton-acrylic blend gives crisp stitch definition; a soft acrylic is easiest on baby skin. Always swatch again with a new yarn — even the same weight can change your gauge.
• Make it a cardigan for every season: Work the body in a lighter cotton for spring, or add a third navy stripe to the cuff for a bolder rowing-club look. You can also work the placket in navy for a contrast border.