There is something so quietly clever about a cardigan that closes with a tie instead of buttons or a zip, and the crochet front tie cardigan is my favourite version of that idea. You pull the two front edges together, knot the ties at the centre, and suddenly an open layer becomes a finished outfit — no buttonholes to line up, no hardware digging in when you sit down, just a soft bow or knot that you can loosen the moment the sun comes out. It is the layer I reach for over dresses that deserve to stay visible, over camisoles on breezy evenings, and over plain tees when jeans alone feel a little unfinished.
So here are twenty genuinely free front tie cardigan designs for you, in every mood from lacy beach cover-ups to chunky dusters. To be completely plain about what you are getting: eight of these are full written patterns you can read on the designer's blog, two are free downloads, and ten are labelled video tutorials where you follow along on screen. I have noted the sizing, the yarn and the honest little details for each one as we go, including the ones that are made to measure rather than sized, so you always know exactly what kind of pattern you are opening. Pick your favourite tie, raid the yarn stash, and let's find your next go-to layer.
1. A Sweet Bow in Fine Fingering Yarn
We are starting with the prettiest little bow in the whole collection: the Lilith Cardigan from Stitchberry, worked in fine fingering yarn with a small 3.50 mm hook so the fabric stays light and drapey rather than bulky. The cardigan is made from five panels worked flat from the top down and seamed together, in sizes from XS all the way to 3X, and the designer places stitch markers six inches up from the bottom so you know exactly where the two ties belong. Each tie is a simple chain worked back with slip stitches until it measures about nine inches, and tied together they make a sweet bow right at the front. One note so nobody gets confused: this is a completely different pattern, designer and garment from a Lilith top tutorial by another maker, Made by BJax, which is a sleeveless top video rather than this seamed cardigan.
Pattern: Lilith Cardigan by Stitchberry (Grace) — Get the free pattern
2. Three Removable Ties, Nine Sizes
If you like your closures to feel properly engineered, the Triple Tie Cardi from Cozy Nooks Designs is the one to study first. Instead of a single bow, this drop-shoulder design uses three removable half-i-cord tie closures, with matching tie buttonholes worked into both front bands, so you can fasten it at three points or leave the top one open for a relaxed V. It is worked in one piece with only shoulder seams, the sleeves are crocheted in the round, and it comes in nine sizes from XS to 5X in a soft DK yarn with 5.0 mm and 4.0 mm hooks. There is also a full video tutorial if you like to watch a technique first, but the written pattern on the designer's blog is the free pattern to follow.
Pattern: Triple Tie Cardi by Rachel Alford at Cozy Nooks Designs — Get the free pattern
3. Four Cords on a Classic DROPS Cardigan
DROPS patterns are famous for their precise instructions, and the Shell Seeker Cardigan is a wonderful example of that calm, thorough style. The body is worked back and forth from the bottom up, the sleeves are worked the same way, and the whole thing is made in DROPS Belle yarn with a 4 mm hook in sizes from S to XXXL. The front closes with four chain cords about sixty centimetres long with knotted ends: one cord is doubled and looped through the top of the right front piece, a second sits ten to twelve centimetres below it, and two more fasten to the left front piece. Do note the name carefully, because this is a different pattern from the Shell Seeker sweater in the same DROPS family, which carries a different pattern number and is a pullover rather than this open cardigan.
Pattern: Shell Seeker Cardigan (DROPS 240-4) by DROPS Design — Get the free pattern
4. A Mesh Beach Cardigan as a Free Download
For a breezy cover-up that still feels polished, the Patons Mesh Beachside Cardigan is hard to beat, and it comes as a free download with no sign-up required. The fabric is a treble crochet cross-stitch mesh, the sleeves are short and worked separately, and the sizes run from XS/S right up to 4/5XL in a linen-blend yarn. The designer describes it plainly: a tie-front closure and single-crochet edges give the garment a polished look, and that is exactly what you get — a light, airy layer that ties neatly at the front instead of flapping open in the wind. One honest detail: the product page does not state one main hook size, and its accessories list mentions D, E and G hooks, so check the downloaded PDF for the hook before you start rather than guessing.
Pattern: Patons Crochet Mesh Beachside Cardigan by Patons at Yarnspirations — Get the free pattern
5. Granny Stitch in Rainbow Colour
Granny stitch always makes me smile, and Briana K's Rainbow Hues cardigan uses it in the most joyful way, with a soft moonbeam shade paired with a gently shifting ombre yarn. The cardigan is worked bottom-up in granny stitch with the sleeves made separately and attached, it comes in sizes from XS to 5X with a relaxed oversized fit and five to seven inches of ease, and it uses a 5.0 mm hook. The finishing touch is exactly what this collection is about: a simple i-cord tie for the centre front, so the whole rainbow of a cardigan gathers into one neat knot. The full pattern is free to read on the designer's blog, unlocked with a free email sign-up, while the ad-free PDF version is a separate paid item and is not the free pattern here. A small background note: this design was once noted in another unpublished collection and passed over there because its colours read as gradient rather than stripes, but it is counted here for its tie front, freshly verified. Wear it over black jeans and a white tee and let the colours do all the talking.
Pattern: Rainbow Hues Granny Stitch Cardigan by Briana K Designs — Get the free pattern
6. A Charming Little Tie by the Sea
Rachel Misner at Evelyn and Peter Crochet calls the closure on this one a charming tie, and she is not exaggerating: the Ocean Tied Cardi is a soft, coastal layer with a little tie in the front that feels like the finishing touch on a beach outfit. It is built from separate panels worked bottom-up with a drop shoulder, in sizes from XS to 5X, using a light cotton DK yarn and a 3.5 mm hook. After the trim is worked around the front opening, you make one tie per front panel in a mesh stitch that tapers down to two double crochets, so the ties themselves become part of the design rather than an afterthought. The full written pattern is free on the designer's own blog, which is the place to follow it from.
Pattern: Ocean Tied Cardi by Rachel Misner at Evelyn and Peter Crochet — Get the free pattern
7. Lover's Knot, Called a Jacket
Here is a pattern with a romantic stitch and an honest labelling note: Red Heart's Tie-Front Lover's Knot Jacket is called a jacket by its designer, not a cardigan, but it is counted here because it is an unstructured open-front layer that works exactly like a cardigan, with its tie-front finish as the defining feature. The stitch itself is the beautiful lover's knot, worked in a soft unforgettable yarn with a 3.25 mm hook, and the fit is long and flattering in sizes from XS/S up to 4/5XL. It comes as a free download with no sign-up required, so you can save the PDF and start straight away. The elongated shape makes it wonderful over leggings and a long tunic top, tied at the front to pull the whole outfit together.
Pattern: Red Heart Tie-Front Lover’s Knot Jacket by Red Heart at Yarnspirations — Get the free pattern
8. Two Styles, One Tie-Front Favourite
Michelle Moore at MJ's Off The Hook Designs gives you a choice with her V-Stitch Summer Cardigan, and the choice matters, so read this one carefully. The design is offered in two styles: a chic three-quarter-sleeve tie-front cardigan and a long-sleeve version with a ribbed edge, and the version counted here is the three-quarter tie-front style with the tie edging, made with soft fingering yarn and 3.5 mm and 4.5 mm hooks in sizes from XS to 5X. It is worked seamlessly from the top down, which means very little sewing, and the V-stitch fabric keeps it light enough for warm weather while still looking like a proper layer. The full text is free on the designer's blog, and the pattern was once noted in another unpublished collection for its long-sleeve version, but it belongs here for its tie-front style, freshly verified. Over a sundress or a cami and denim skirt, the tied front turns a simple summer outfit into something considered.
Pattern: V-Stitch Summer Cardigan by Michelle Moore at MJ’s Off The Hook Designs — Get the free pattern
9. Daisy Mesh You Follow on Video
Our first labelled video tutorial comes from Chenda DIY, and it is a delight: a daisy mesh cardigan scattered with little puff flowers, finished with a bottom ruffle and a front tie chapter you can jump straight to. Because this is a video tutorial rather than a written pattern, you watch each section as it is demonstrated, which suits the mesh and flower attachment steps beautifully, and the yarn is a milk cotton in five ply, about three hundred and fifty grams. One honest detail to know before you start: this tutorial is made to measure, with no fixed size range, so you will shape it to your own measurements as you follow along. That flexibility is actually a gift if you are between sizes or making it for a friend, and the daisy mesh looks wonderful over a plain white dress where the flowers can show.
Pattern: Daisy Mesh Cardigan Tutorial by Chenda DIY — Get the free pattern
10. Crop Lace With Bell Sleeves, Also on Video
Chenda DIY returns with a second labelled video tutorial, this time a cropped lace cardigan with pretty bell sleeves and a front tie chapter near the end of the tutorial. The yarn is a fine mercerised cotton in lace weight, about four hundred and fifty grams, which gives the lace a crisp, clean drape that suits the cropped length perfectly. Like the daisy mesh tutorial, this one is made to measure, so you shape it to your own body as you crochet rather than following a fixed size chart. A background note worth keeping: this same video was once counted in another unpublished collection for its bell sleeves, where no finished article was ever written, and it is counted here for its front tie chapter, freshly verified. Cropped and tied, it is made for high-waisted jeans and a tucked-in cami, or over a summer dress when you want your waistline to stay visible.
Pattern: Crop Lace Cardigan / Bell Sleeves Cardigan by Chenda DIY — Get the free pattern
11. A Shaped-Waist Duster on Video
TCDDIY's Front Tie Duster Cardigan is a labelled video tutorial with real shaping: the description promises a cardigan with a shaped waist and a simple front tie, and there is a dedicated front tie chapter so you can find the closure steps without hunting. The stitch is basketweave, which gives the long duster length a lovely woven texture, and it uses a medium weight yarn, about six hundred and eighty grams, with a 4 mm hook. One important note: the pattern link in the video description points to a paid listing, so follow the free video tutorial itself and never the paid PDF, which is a separate item. A duster like this transforms the simplest outfit, worn open and flowing over a column dress or tied at the waist over leggings and a long top.
Pattern: Front Tie Duster Cardigan, Pattern & Tutorial #644 by TCDDIY — Get the free pattern
12. Cropped, Textured and Playfully Tied
The second TCDDIY entry in this collection is another labelled video tutorial, a cropped front tie cardigan with a textured Suzette stitch body, ribbed three-quarter sleeves and what the description calls a playful front tie. It is cropped rather than long, which makes it a lovely partner for high-rise trousers and dresses with a defined waist, and it is made with made-to-measure flexibility around a small sample size, so you adjust it to your own measurements as you follow along. As with the duster above, the free video tutorial is the pattern to follow, not any paid PDF linked from it. The Suzette stitch gives the fabric a dense, pebbly texture that holds its shape beautifully, and the cropped length means it never overwhelms a petite frame.
Pattern: Cropped Front Tie Cardigan Sweater / Long Sleeve Shrug by TCDDIY — Get the free pattern
13. A Mesh Cardi You Size Yourself
Mahum Crochets opens her mesh front-tie cardi tutorial with a promise that is music to a crocheter's ears: learn how to crochet a mesh front-tie cardi, in full length or cropped, with short, midi or long sleeves. This labelled video tutorial is made to measure, so you work to your own measurements with the help of a measurement guide on the maker's blog, and there is a dedicated bow front tie chapter to guide the closure. One framing note, stated plainly: the video description calls this garment a cardigan/top, but the finished piece is a sleeved open-front layer with a front tie, which is why it is counted here as a cardigan. A background note too: this video was only ever mentioned, never counted, in other unpublished collections where it was set aside for not being a sweater, and it belongs here under its front-tie cardigan framing, freshly verified. In a soft sage mesh over a slip dress, it is the definition of easy summer layering.
Pattern: Mesh Front-Tie Cardi by Mahum Crochets — Get the free pattern
14. A Bow Cardigan in Any Size
Mahum Crochets returns with a second labelled video tutorial, and it is a different garment from the mesh cardi above: this is an easy cardigan in any size, built around a front-tie bow design that you work step by step on screen. It is one hundred percent made to measure, so there is no fixed size range to worry about, and there is a dedicated bow chapter that walks you through the closure itself. Because it is a video tutorial, you can pause, rewind and check your bow against the demonstrator's before you move on, which is genuinely helpful for a feature that sits right at the centre of the outfit. The bow version is softer and more romantic than the mesh version, and it looks wonderful over a floral dress where the bow echoes the print.
Pattern: Easy Cardigan (Any Size!), Bow Cardigan by Mahum Crochets — Get the free pattern
15. Y2K Mesh With a Front Tie Chapter
For a throwback that still feels current, Brittany Alice's Y2K mesh front tie cardigan tutorial is a labelled video tutorial in diamond mesh made from chains and single crochets, pitched at an advanced beginner level. There is a dedicated front tie chapter in the tutorial, so the closure is taught as a real step rather than left to guesswork, and the mesh fabric keeps the whole layer light enough for festivals, holidays and warm evenings. One note on crediting: the maker's shop sells ad-free written PDFs, but those are paid items, so the free video tutorial is the pattern to follow here, and mirror sites carrying the same tutorial are not the source to use. The Y2K spirit means cropped lengths, low-rise jeans and a tiny top underneath, with the tied front doing the work of keeping everything modest and styled.
Pattern: Y2K Crochet Mesh Front Tie Cardigan Tutorial by Brittany Alice — Get the free pattern
16. Ruffles and a Title That Needs a Note
Crochet With Hannah's Ruffle Front Tie Cardigan is a labelled video tutorial for summer and autumn, made in milk cotton five ply, about three hundred grams, with 3.5 mm and 4 mm hooks, and it has a ruffle detail that makes the front feel properly dressed up. I must state one flag plainly, because honesty matters more than a tidy list: the video title calls this piece a front tie top, while the description and tags call it a cardigan, and it is counted here because the description, the tags and the finished garment itself are a cardigan, a sleeved open-front layer, rather than a sleeveless top. The tutorial includes a strings-and-finishing chapter, so the ties are taught as part of making the garment, not added as decoration afterwards. Ruffles plus a front tie is a romantic combination, and it looks beautiful over a plain midi dress in cream or dusty pink. Just be sure you are following the cardigan version described, and you will love the result.
Pattern: Ruffle Front Tie Cardigan by Crochet With Hannah — Get the free pattern
17. A Ribbon Tie You Measure Yourself
Alexa Brown's ribbon tie front cardigan tutorial is a labelled video tutorial with a slightly different closure idea: instead of crocheted ties, you make a ribbon tie front, which gives the cardigan a soft, almost dressy finish. The tutorial uses worsted weight yarn with 5.5 mm and 6 mm hooks, and it gives real measurements to work from, about twenty inches from shoulders down, twenty-one inches across the chest, a seven-inch armhole and sleeves around nineteen inches long. It is made to measure in the sense that those measurements are given rather than a fixed size range, so check them against your own body before you begin. A ribbon tie is a lovely change from a yarn tie because it sits flatter and can be swapped for a different colour ribbon whenever your mood changes.
Pattern: Ribbon Tie Front Cardigan Tutorial by Alexa Brown — Get the free pattern
18. A Cropped Cardigan Identified Step by Step
Dana B's cropped crochet cardigan tutorial needs its identification chain stated plainly, because that chain is how we know it belongs in this collection. A crochet roundup entry describes it as a lightweight crochet cropped cardigan with a tie front, and the video itself, by Dana B, carries auto-generated chapters that end with a ties chapter after the bottom section, which fits ties as the final construction step closing the garment. It is a labelled video tutorial, and the size given by that roundup entry is small, with a light DK yarn and a 4 mm hook, and I am not claiming any yarn or hook detail beyond that roundup's DK and 4 mm note. One more plain note: the video description points to a written pattern on a membership platform, so follow the free video tutorial only and never the membership pattern. Cropped and tied, this is the cardigan for high-waisted skirts and jeans, where a short layer keeps your proportions neat and the tie adds a handmade finish.
Pattern: Cropped Crochet Cardigan Tutorial by Dana B — Get the free pattern
19. Fifty Squares, One Size, Two Cords
The Garden Wedding Cardigan from DROPS is the most traditional design in this collection, and it comes with three disclosures stated plainly. First, it is one size only, with a finished measurement of about one hundred and forty centimetres, so it is a generous, flowing layer rather than a fitted one. Second, the designer calls it a jacket, in the same spirit as the lover's knot entry above, but the credited assembly here is the cardigan assembly of fifty squares, as opposed to the sweater assembly of fifty-two squares from the same squares. Third, the ties are two chain-stitch cords of about fifty centimetres each in double yarn, fastened one on each side of the mid front at the top of the fourth square from the bottom, which is exactly the front closure this collection celebrates. It is worked in mercerised cotton with a 4 mm hook, each square measuring about twelve centimetres, and the sleeves grow from the squares upward. Over a wedding-guest dress or a long summer skirt, this is heirloom crochet at its most romantic.
Pattern: Garden Wedding Cardigan (DROPS 65-9) by DROPS Design — Get the free pattern
20. Four Neck Ties in Sunset Colours
We finish with Bohemian Sunset from DROPS, a cardigan in warm rust, light plum, raspberry and dark orange with a touch of dark lilac chenille, and a tie arrangement with real symmetry. The fronts are made with squares while the sleeves, back and sides are crocheted in stripes, in sizes from S/M to XL, using mercerised cotton with a 4 mm hook. The neck ties are the star: make two chains about thirty centimetres long, fasten one tie at each side of the centre front where the neck shaping starts, then make two more ties and fasten them one square below the first pair, giving four ties in two pairs down the centre front. One preservation note, kept here on purpose: this same DROPS pattern is also listed as an entry in another unpublished collection for a different garment family, where no finished article was ever written, and it is counted here under the rule that an unpublished pool entry is not a spent credit, so that a coordinator can arbitrate later if that other collection is ever drafted. In sunset colours over cream trousers, this is the cardigan that ends the outfit conversation.
Pattern: Bohemian Sunset (DROPS 68-21) by DROPS Design — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
Twenty front tie cardigans, twenty different ways to finish an outfit with a knot instead of a button, and not one of them asking you to pay for the pattern itself. Whether you loved the fine bow cardigan at the start, the long basketweave duster in the middle, or the sunset squares at the end, the lesson is the same: a tie front forgives fitting worries, flatters every body because you control how tightly it closes, and turns even a plain tee and jeans into something that looks considered. My practical tip is to make your ties a little longer than you think you need, because a generous tie knots more beautifully and gives you the option of a bow on dressier days and a simple knot on everyday ones.
Now tell me, which of these twenty would you crochet first, and would you tie it in a bow or a knot? Share your pick in the comments below, I read every single one.
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