If I had to pick one handmade layer that never, ever goes out of style, it would be the crochet granny square cardigan. There is something so joyful about it — all those little squares, each one a tiny burst of colour, joined together into a garment that looks like a hug you can wear. It is the ultimate stash-busting project too, because every leftover ball of yarn in your basket can find a home in a square somewhere.
So here are twenty of my favourite granny square and granny motif cardigans for you, and every single one is genuinely free. You will find classic patchwork squares sewn into proper tailored shapes, pretty flower motifs joined as you go, one giant square folded into a cocoon, and the famous two-hexagon cardigans that practically assemble themselves. I have noted the sizes, the yarn and the honest little details for each one as we go — pick your favourite, pull out the yarn basket, and let us get you started.
1. The Classic Patchwork, Properly Sized
We are starting with the cardigan most of us picture when someone says "granny square cardigan": Janne Kleivset's design for Joy of Motion Crochet, built from traditional granny squares joined into a real, shaped garment. The full pattern is free on her site in sizes XS to 5XL, rated Easy, and it includes a clear layout schematic and photos showing exactly where every square goes, so the patchwork never feels like a puzzle. Because each square is small and portable, this is the perfect project to carry around in a tote bag and work on in spare moments. Her sample mixes colours the joyful, scrappy way, but a two-colour version in cream and one accent shade looks surprisingly modern. An optional paid PDF is offered if you want a printable copy, but everything you need is written out on the page.
Pattern: Granny Square Cardigan by Janne Kleivset at Joy of Motion Crochet — Get the free pattern
2. Chunky Panels with a Clever Granny Twist
Anna Wilkinson's cardigan for Simply Yarn begins in the most satisfying way: each front panel starts life as the corner of a giant granny square, with the classic clusters turning the corner, and then finishes in straight rows — so you get the granny look with a beautifully clean, tailored edge. The complete pattern is free on the Simply Yarn site, worked in super-chunky DMC Natura XL cotton on a 7 mm hook, which means it grows wonderfully fast for a garment. It is written in one size, to fit a bust up to about 104 cm (41 inches) with a finished length of 50 cm, and it uses UK crochet terms, so trebles where US readers expect doubles. The oversized fit and soft cotton make it a perfect throw-on layer over dresses and tees alike. If you love the granny aesthetic but want something a little more structured, this is your pattern.
Pattern: Granny Square Cardigan by Anna Wilkinson at Simply Yarn — Get the free pattern
3. A Whole Meadow of Flower Motifs
The Meadows cardigan from Stitch and Hound is built from the prettiest little motif: a puff-stitch flower sitting inside a granny-style square, and when dozens of them join together the whole cardigan looks like a wildflower field. The entire pattern is written out free on the blog post — motif instructions, a flat slip-stitch join, borders, back-loop ribbing, cuffs and proper button instructions are all there. It is a family pattern, sized from toddler 2T right up to adult 5XL, so the women's sizes are fully covered; depending on size you will make anywhere from 69 to 304 motifs with a 4.5 mm hook, which makes it a marvellous long, meditative project. Work each flower centre in a different colour for full cottage-garden charm, or keep the centres uniform for a calmer look. Either way, the finished cardigan is pure handmade heirloom.
Pattern: Meadows Granny Square Cardigan by Stitch and Hound — Get the free pattern
4. Twelve Colourways of Patchwork Joy
DROPS Design's Garden Squares Cardigan — pattern DROPS 241-27 — is patchwork at its most playful: twelve different colour-combination squares, mixed and arranged into one glorious cardigan. The full pattern is free on the Garnstudio site, as DROPS patterns always are, and you will crochet somewhere between 68 and 88 squares of about 11 cm each, depending on your size, which runs from S to XXXL. The squares themselves are chart-based (charts A.1 to A.6), so this is one for makers who enjoy reading a diagram, and the pattern walks you through assembly, the neck, sides, sleeves, edge and the sweet little front ties. It is worked in DROPS Paris, a matte cotton that shows off colour beautifully and keeps the cardigan wearable all year. This is the design to reach for when your stash is full of half-balls begging to be used together.
Pattern: Garden Squares Cardigan (DROPS 241-27) by DROPS Design — Get the free pattern
5. Join-As-You-Go Flowers, No Seaming Mountain
Marly Bird's Granny Square Motif Cardigan solves the one thing that puts people off motif garments — the sewing — by joining every motif as you go. Each little square has a floral centre with a delicate picot edge, and you connect them on the final round into one big rectangle of 66, 91 or 120 motifs, which then folds into a drapey cocoon cardigan with cuffs and a collar. The free pattern is published in three parts on her blog — construction, edging, then collar and finishing — with charts and videos to help, in sizes S/M, L/XL and 2X/3X. Her sample uses Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable in the blue-teal Regatta colourway on a 4 mm hook, and those slow colour changes do half the styling work for you. Weave in ends as you go, as Marly insists, and the finishing will feel almost disappointingly easy.
Pattern: Granny Square Motif Cardigan by Marly Bird — Get the free pattern
6. One Giant Square, One Gorgeous Cocoon
Here is the cleverest shortcut in the whole collection: SeeLoveShare's cardigan is quite literally one enormous granny square, worked round and round until each side measures about 40 inches, then folded and seamed at the sides to create the arm openings. A three-round double crochet border around the front and armholes turns that humble square into a genuinely elegant, drapey cardi. The complete written pattern is free on the page, in one size that fits most — and because it is just one square, adjusting is easy: add rounds for a bigger, cosier fit or stop early for a smaller one. It is worked in worsted weight yarn with a 5.5 mm hook, and her sample uses a mulberry yak wool with the most beautiful drape, though any soft worsted with some give will do. An optional paid PDF exists, but the free page version is the whole pattern.
Pattern: Granny Square Cardigan by SeeLoveShare — Get the free pattern
7. Hexagons in Front, Granny Squares Down the Back
Alyssia Stacey-Orchard's design at Alyssia Creates is the best of both worlds: two granny-stitch hexagons form the body and sleeves, and then a panel of classic granny squares runs down the centre back like a decorative spine. The detailed pattern is free on her blog, covering the hexagons, the sleeves, attaching the square back panel, assembly and the ribbing, all in US terms at an easy, advanced-beginner level. Your size is set simply by how many five-inch granny squares you use along the back — three, four or five — which makes this one of the most adjustable designs in the list. Her sample is worked in Caron Blossom Cakes, a medium cotton-acrylic with gentle self-striping colour, on a 6 mm hook. If plain hexagon cardigans feel a little plain to you, that patchwork back panel is exactly the detail you have been waiting for.
Pattern: Crochet Hexagon Cardigan with Granny Squares along the Back by Alyssia Stacey-Orchard at Alyssia Creates — Get the free pattern
8. The Size-Inclusive Hexagon Staple
Sarah Maker's Granny Hexagon Cardigan is the pattern I would hand to anyone making their very first hexagon cardigan, because everything is thought through for you. The full pattern is free on her site in sizes XS to 5XL, including the sleeve decreases that stop the arms ballooning, extra width and length rows, the joining, sleeve extensions and a neat single-crochet back-loop ribbing to finish. It is worked in DK weight yarn — her sample uses Lion Brand Mandala Baby in the Echo Caves colourway — with a 5.5 mm hook, so the fabric stays light and drapey rather than bulky. The gentle colour changes of a cake yarn make two simple hexagons look far more impressive than the effort involved. An optional ad-free PDF is available if you like printing, but the complete pattern is right there on the page.
Pattern: Granny Hexagon Cardigan by Sarah Maker — Get the free pattern
9. A Book-Worthy Hexagon in Ten Colours
Lynne Rowe's Hexagon Cardigan, published free on her Knit Crochet Create site, is actually an extract from her book The Granny Square Crochet Bible, shared with the publisher's permission — and it shows in the polish of the instructions. The complete pattern is on the page in US terms: hexagon body rounds, folding, lengthening and widening, a centre-back widening section, edging, sleeves and proper ribbed cuffs. It comes in six sizes to fit chest measurements from 32 to 54 inches, worked in DK weight Scheepjes Scrumptious across ten delicious colours with a 4 mm hook, so each hexagon becomes a soft rainbow of granny clusters. Because the sizing and finishing are so well explained, this is a wonderful first "real garment" project. It looks like something from a boutique rail, and nobody needs to know it was two hexagons and a quiet weekend.
Pattern: Hexagon Cardigan by Lynne Rowe at Knit Crochet Create — Get the free pattern
10. Candy Colours, Sized by Simply Adding Rounds
Jenny and Teddy's Candy Pop Hexagon Cardigan is pure confectionery: two granny-stitch hexagons in sweet shop colours, folded and joined into a cardigan with the happiest handmade look. The full pattern is free on their site, with the hexagon rounds and the complete assembly written out, plus a video tutorial if you like to watch before you stitch. There are no fixed sizes to wrestle with — it is made to measure, so you simply keep adding rounds to each hexagon until the fit is right on your own body, which makes it wonderfully beginner friendly. Their sample uses a sport weight cotton, Hobbii Rainbow 8/6, with a 4.0 mm hook, giving a light cardigan that is perfect over summer dresses. Work it in pastel stripes for the full candy effect, or in two alternating colours for something a little calmer.
Pattern: Candy Pop Hexagon Cardigan by Jenny and Teddy — Get the free pattern
11. Orchid Softness with Tapered Sleeves
Selina Veronique's Lucienne cardigan might be the most elegant hexagon design in this collection, worked in Caron Simply Soft in a gentle Orchid shade that flatters just about everyone. The complete pattern is free on her page — hexagon rounds given for every size, assembly, a bottom edging, tapered sleeve cuffs that give the arms a lovely shape, and the front and neck edging to finish. Sizes run from S to XXXL, and she uses a 5 mm hook for the body with a 4.5 mm for the finer work, so the details stay crisp. The tapered cuffs are the detail I love most, because they take the cardigan from "cosy layer" to "proper outfit" in one small step. An ad-free paid PDF is offered on Etsy and Ravelry, but the free blog version contains the entire pattern.
Pattern: The Lucienne Hexagon Cardigan by Selina Veronique — Get the free pattern
12. Super-Chunky and Finished by the Weekend
When you want a granny cardigan and you want it soon, Selina Veronique's Sapphire is the answer: two hexagons worked in super-chunky yarn on a big 9 mm hook, so the whole garment races along. The full pattern is free on her site, with all eighteen hexagon rounds written out for sizes S/M, L/XL and XXL/XXXL, followed by the assembly, a simple edging and the cuffs. Her sample uses Scheepjes Silvi in shade 41, a deep sapphire blue that makes the granny clusters look like little jewels, and the chunky weight gives the cardigan real warmth and structure. Because each hexagon is only eighteen rounds, this is also a brilliant introduction to the construction before you commit to a finer-weight version. As with her other designs, an optional paid PDF exists, but the pattern on the page is complete and free.
Pattern: Sapphire Hexagon Cardigan by Selina Veronique — Get the free pattern
13. Lilac Boho with a Chain-Arch Edge
Selina Veronique's Lavender cardigan is the boho romantic of the family: two granny-stitch hexagons in soft lilac chunky yarn, finished with a delicate chain-arch edging along the front and hem that looks like lace trim. The whole pattern is free on the page, from the hexagon rounds through assembly to the sleeve cuffs, which are worked in front and back post double crochet for a beautiful ribbed effect. It is sized S/M, L/XL and XXL/XXXL in Paintbox Simply Chunky, shade Pale Lilac, using 5 mm and 6.5 mm hooks, and there is a video tutorial alongside the written instructions. The slightly oversized fit, tapered sleeves and that pretty edging make it perfect over floaty dresses and festival outfits. An optional ad-free PDF is available, as usual entirely optional — the free version is the full pattern.
Pattern: Lavender Hexagon Cardigan by Selina Veronique — Get the free pattern
14. Made-to-Measure in Ocean Blues
Sharon Goodwin's Ocean Hues cardigan, published on Jera's Jamboree, alternates three rounds of classic granny trebles with one airy mesh round, and that simple rhythm gives the fabric a lovely wave-like texture. The complete pattern is free on the page in both UK and US terms, and it is genuinely made to measure — you can use any yarn you love and simply work until the hexagons fit you, with her guidance throughout. Her sample uses Hobbii Carnival in the Copenhagen colourway, an aran weight yarn worked with a 6 mm hook for the body and 4 mm for the edging, and the sleeves are finished as gentle balloons with decrease rounds and ribbed cuffs. It is the perfect design for that one special variegated yarn in your stash that deserves to be a whole garment. Personal use note aside, the instructions themselves are generous, clear and completely free.
Pattern: Ocean Hues Hexagon Cardigan by Sharon Goodwin at Jera’s Jamboree — Get the free pattern
15. The One with Granny Square Pockets
Sharon Goodwin's Ella cardigan, also on Jera's Jamboree, had me at one detail: the optional pockets are little seven-round granny squares, stitched onto the finished cardigan like tiny patchwork badges. The full pattern is free on the page in US terms, built from granny-stitch hexagons with extension rows, in sizes S to 3X, worked in DK yarn with a main colour plus contrast shades for the details. You can choose short sleeves and three body lengths — cropped, standard or tunic — so one pattern gives you a whole family of cardigans, and the extensions mean the fit is easy to fine-tune as you go. Her sample pairs a soft main shade with cheerful contrast cuffs and pockets, which is exactly how I would make it. An optional paid PDF upgrade exists, but everything needed is written out free on the page.
Pattern: Ella Hexagon Cardigan by Sharon Goodwin at Jera’s Jamboree — Get the free pattern
16. The Beginner-Friendly Two-Tone Hexi
Hayhay Crochet's Easy Granny Hexagon Cardigan is the one I send to nervous first-timers, because she explains the construction so calmly and the sizing is simply "keep going until it fits". The complete pattern is free on her page: the hexagon rounds with a simple repeat, how to fold and seam, and a pretty scallop edging to finish, with a video tutorial as backup. It is fully customisable — her samples of around twenty to twenty-one rounds fit roughly S to XL — and worked in worsted weight yarn with a 5.00 mm hook, so most stash yarns qualify. She shows both a two-tone version, where alternating rounds make the hexagon geometry sing, and a solid version that looks clean and modern. If hexagon cardigans have ever felt mysterious to you, twenty minutes with this pattern will fix that for good.
Pattern: Easy Crochet Granny Hexagon Cardigan by Hayhay Crochet — Get the free pattern
17. Cropped, Tie-Front and Totally Custom
For a younger, cropped take on the hexagon cardigan, Hayhay Crochet's Classic Cropped version is adorable — it sits higher on the waist, with optional chain ties at the front that bow sweetly over dresses. The main pattern is written out in full on the page: the hexagon rounds, how to try the folded pieces on and check the fit, the seaming, optional extra width rows, sleeve-length rounds and the tie instructions. You can use any yarn and gauge you like; her sample is DK weight DROPS Cotton Merino in a soft lilac, seventeen rounds for an XS/S, worked with a 4.5 mm hook, and there is a video tutorial walking through the whole make. One honest note: the optional scallop edging is demonstrated in her video rather than written on the page, but the cardigan itself is complete without it. Cropped cardigans over high-waisted jeans and sundresses — this is the one.
Pattern: Classic Cropped Granny Hexagon Cardigan by Hayhay Crochet — Get the free pattern
18. Puff-Stitch Hexagons with a Boutique Finish
Jess Coppom's Mezzo Cardigan at Make and Do Crew takes the hexagon idea somewhere more refined: the two hexagons are worked in solid double crochet with decorative puff-stitch rounds, so the finished cardigan has a smooth, almost knitted look with little textured polka dots of puff. The free pattern is published in parts on her blog — the hexagons first, then the finishing parts — in sizes S to 4X, worked in Lion Brand Coboo, a light DK cotton-bamboo blend with beautiful drape, on a 6.0 mm hook. Because the hexagons are solid rather than lacy, this is the warmest, most substantial hexagon cardigan in the collection, and it layers like a proper jacket. An email sign-up banner appears partway down the page, but the free pattern text continues below it, and there is an optional complete printable PDF if you prefer everything in one document. It is a hexagon-motif cardigan rather than classic granny clusters — and all the prettier for it.
Pattern: The Mezzo Cardigan by Jess Coppom at Make and Do Crew — Get the free pattern
19. Moss Stitch, Cotton and Sunshine Stripes
Zamiguz's Gabriela cardigan swaps the usual granny clusters for moss stitch — that lovely linen-like texture of chains and single crochets — worked into two big hexagons that fold into a fresh, modern cardigan. The pattern on the blog is detailed and completely free for sizes S, M and L, with step-by-step hexagon rounds, folding and assembly guidance, schematics and plenty of customisation advice for adjusting the fit. Her sample uses Lion Brand 24/7, a mercerised cotton, in aqua and lemon stripes with a 5 mm hook, and the cotton makes it a perfect spring and summer layer that breathes. One honest detail: if you want the extended size range — the paid PDF covers XS to 5XL plus children's sizes — that version is sold separately, but the three adult sizes on the blog are the full, free pattern. The moss stitch texture photographs beautifully, too.
Pattern: The Gabriela Crochet Hexagon Cardigan by Zamiguz — Get the free pattern
20. The Recipe Cardi You Adjust as You Go
We are finishing with the most relaxed approach of all: the Cozy Oversized Hexi Cardi shared on Crochet Craft Gossip, which is written as an adjustable recipe rather than a rigid pattern. The full written instructions are free on the page — the hexagon rounds and their repeat, how to fold and check the fit against your own body (around twenty to twenty-one rounds makes the adult samples), seaming, length adjustments, and a scallop border with matching scalloped sleeve edges. It is worked in worsted weight yarn with a 5 mm hook, so it is another wonderful stash-friendly project, and the oversized, slouchy fit is exactly what you want over leggings and a long tee. The page notes the design was inspired by a popular hexagon tutorial, with the instructions clarified and written out in full here. If fixed sizes and gauge maths make you sigh, this friendly, flexible recipe is your perfect final pick.
Pattern: Cozy Oversized Hexi Cardi by Crochet Craft Gossip — Get the free pattern
Conclusion
And that is twenty granny square cardigans, my friend — true patchwork squares, flower motifs joined as you go, one giant square folded into a cocoon, and a whole family of clever two-hexagon designs, every single one free. If you are new to garments, start with the Hayhay classic, the Candy Pop or the SeeLoveShare giant square; if you are ready for a project to savour, the Meadows flowers or the DROPS Garden Squares will keep your hook happily busy for weeks. Whichever you choose, remember the granny square golden rule: block your squares or hexagons before joining, and the whole cardigan will thank you for it.
Now tell me — are you team classic patchwork squares or team clever hexagon, and which of these twenty is going on your hook first? I read every comment, and I cannot wait to see your makes!
