9 rounds · filed under ridge · 2 of them
Cardigans · added 17 Oct 2026
Burnt orange granny square hooded cardigan pattern
3-dc clusters build a thick, nubby bulky fabric in this oversized hooded cardigan with ribbed cuffs, open front, and a cream border.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 40-55 hours
- Hook
- 10 mm
- Yarn
- Bulky
- Rounds
- 5
About this pattern
Under the hand, this fabric is dense and nubby, built from 3-dc clusters worked into open ch-2 corner spaces and ch-1 side spaces around a small foundation ring. Bulky weight yarn on an N/P-15 hook turns each cluster into a raised ridge, so the surface has clear texture and small visible gaps rather than a smooth face. Blocked to a true 5 inch square, every motif settles flat and holds its shape without going stiff. The result feels substantial in the hand, warm, and solid, but still pliable enough to fold.
Seventy-eight squares join into panels that seam together into an oversized hood cardigan with no front closure, so the two halves hang open rather than pull closed. Ribbed cuffs and hem pull the loose body in at the wrists and waist, while a cream border runs up the front edges and around the hood to frame the opening. Wear it loose over a sweater as an outer layer, since the open front and roomy chest leave space to layer underneath without binding at the shoulders or sleeves.
The swatch in numbers
- Rounds
- 5
- Parts
- 4
- Level
- Intermediate
- Time
- 40-55 hours
- Hook
- 10 mm
- Yarn
- Bulky
The yarn and the hook
- You’ll need bulky weight yarn (weight 5) in three colors:
- Color A (Burnt Orange): 900 yards / 823 meters
- Color B (Dark Chocolate Brown): 450 yards / 411 meters
- Color C (Cream/Off-White): 300 yards / 274 meters
- Total approximate yardage: 1650 yards / 1508 meters
- Option 1: Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick and Quick (80% acrylic, 20% wool), 6 oz / 170 g, 106 yards / 97 m per skein. Purchase 9 skeins Color A, 5 skeins Color B, 3 skeins Color C. This yarn gives excellent stitch definition for granny squares and blocks beautifully.
- Option 2: Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky (100% acrylic), 3.5 oz / 100 g, 137 yards / 125 m per skein. Purchase 7 skeins Color A, 4 skeins Color B, 3 skeins Color C. Affordable, widely available, and consistent in tension.
- Option 3: Malabrigo Chunky (100% merino wool), 3.5 oz / 100 g, 104 yards / 95 m per skein. Purchase 9 skeins Color A, 5 skeins Color B, 3 skeins Color C. Luxurious hand and beautiful stitch definition. Requires gentle blocking.
Substitution Note
- Choose any bulky weight yarn that achieves the stated gauge. Avoid yarns with a lot of halo like mohair blends, as they obscure the granny square structure. Always check gauge before beginning.
- US N/P-15 (10 mm) for granny squares and body
- US M/N-13 (9 mm) for ribbing
- Yarn needle for weaving ends and seaming
- Scissors
- Locking stitch markers (at least 8)
- Blocking mats and pins
Stitches, spelled out
ch (chain) The foundation stitch. Yarn over, pull through loop on hook.; sl st (slip stitch) Insert hook, yarn over, pull through stitch and loop on hook in one motion.; sc (single crochet) Insert hook, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, pull through both loops.Dense; dc (double crochet) Yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull up loop, (yarn over, pull through 2 loops) twice.Drape; hdc (half double crochet) Yarn over, insert hook, yarn over, pull up loop, yarn over, pull through all 3 loops.Dense; ch-sp (chain space) The gap created by a chain in the previous row/round.Lace; rep (repeat); pm (place marker); RS (right side); WS (wrong side); blo (back loop only) Working into only the back loop of a stitch instead of both loops.Ridge; yo (yarn over); sk (skip); cont (continue); approx (approximately); rem (remaining); tog (together); dc2tog (double crochet 2 together) A decrease stitch explained in detail below.Drape.
Tension and hand-feel
After completing the first full granny square, lay it flat and measure corner to corner before blocking, then again once pinned and blocked: it should read close to 5 inches by 5 inches, matching the 8-dc-to-4-inch stitch gauge the pattern is built on.
Foundation
Ch 7.
The ribbing adds approximately 3 in / 7.6 cm to the bottom length, bringing total garment length to approximately 28 in / 71 cm .
Front Border
With N/P-15 hook and Color C, starting at the bottom right front hem corner:
Foundation Ring
Step by step: Ch 7.
Ch 4, sl st to first ch to form ring. (4-ch ring)
Join Color A with sl st to any ch-2 corner sp. Ch 3, work 3-dc cluster into same corner sp, ch 2, work 3-dc cluster into same corner sp (corner), ch 1, (work 3-dc cluster into next ch-1 sp, ch 1) twice, (work 3-dc cluster into next corner sp, ch 2, work 3-dc cluster into same corner sp, ch 1, (work 3-dc cluster into next ch-1 sp, ch 1) twice) 3 times, sl st to top of first cluster. Fasten off Color A.
Step by step: You now have 16 clusters: 2 per corner plus 2 per side. 4 ch-2 corner sps. 12 ch-1 sps; Block each square to 5 in x 5 in / 12.7 cm x 12.7 cm. Pin corners firmly.
Checkpoint
Each blocked square should measure exactly 5 in x 5 in. Along each side you will count 2 clusters flanking each corner sp and 2 clusters in the side with ch-1 sps between each cluster. If your square is smaller than 5 in, go up a hook size. If larger, go down a hook size.
How the texture is built
- The ribbed cuff and hem strips are worked flat, row by row in back-loop-only single crochet, then the short ends are seamed into a ring and attached to the sleeve or body edge; working flat first lets the ridge lines run around the wrist and waist rather than along it, which is what gives the ribbing its stretch at the opening.
- Each granny square concentrates structure at its four corners: the foundation round sets a 4-ch ring, and the second round adds 2 clusters at every ch-2 corner space plus a single cluster at each ch-1 side space, so the square's shape builds outward from the corners rather than from the center.
- The front border's pick-up row works one sc per cluster-top or joining point rather than one sc per row-end, which ties the border's stitch count directly to the square grid underneath, so the edge follows the actual seams of the 78 joined squares instead of running independent of them.
Putting the pieces together
If you swap the yarn
| 100% cotton, bulky weight | Corners stay crisp and the granny squares hold their shape with very little slouch, but the fabric loses stretch and gains weight, so the finished cardigan hangs heavier on the shoulders; keep the same N/P-15 hook and check gauge, since cotton tends to grow less when blocked. |
|---|---|
| alpaca and merino wool blend, bulky weight | Drape increases noticeably, so the squares soften at the corners and the body sways more at the hem instead of holding a crisp square grid; size down the hook slightly if the fabric feels too loose, and block gently since this blend can relax further than the pattern's stated gauge. |
| acrylic chenille, bulky weight | The cluster stitches blur into a softer, less defined texture, hiding the open ch-1 and ch-2 spaces that give the granny squares their look; this trades stitch definition for a plush hand, so it suits the sweater better than the front border, where sharper stitches read more clearly. |
Colorways
- Sunset Center Color A (Burnt Orange) fills the foundation ring and the round 1 clusters of every square, Color B (Dark Chocolate Brown) works the round 2 outer corner clusters, and Color C (Cream) is reserved for the front border pick-up rows and the hood edge.
- Chocolate Frame Color B (Dark Chocolate Brown) works the foundation ring and round 1 of every square, Color A (Burnt Orange) takes the round 2 outer clusters, and Color C (Cream) works both the front border rows and the border's second cluster round.
Washing and blocking
Hand wash in lukewarm water with a wool wash, since the materials list includes wool and wool-blend options that can felt or shrink under agitation or hot water.
Press out excess water in a towel without wringing, then lay flat on blocking mats and pin to the finished measurements, allowing 24 to 48 hours to dry completely before handling the ribbing or squares.
Store folded rather than hung, since the bulky weight yarn and the weight of 78 joined squares will stretch the shoulders and front border out of shape on a hanger over time.
When it does not look right
- A granny square won't lie flat and the corners cup upward.
- Round 2 corner clusters are pulled too tight, or the hook is undersized for the yarn; check against the 5 inch by 5 inch blocked measurement, go up a hook size if needed, and pin corners firmly while blocking.
- The ribbed cuff or hem feels stiff instead of stretchy.
- The rows were worked into both loops instead of back loop only, which flattens the rib; frog back to the first flat row and work ch 1, sc in blo of each st across so the ridges stand up and give the band its stretch.
- The front border ripples or puckers instead of lying flat along the opening.
- The pick-up row has more or fewer stitches than one sc per cluster-top or joining point; recount against the approximate 74 sc total and adjust spacing before working rows 2 and 3, since an uneven pick-up count is what causes the ruffle.
Questions people ask
How many granny squares does this cardigan actually need?
The pattern calls for 78 squares, each blocked to 5 inches by 5 inches, which are joined into panels before the panels are seamed together into the finished body, sleeves, and hood.
Can one hook size be used for the whole project instead of two?
The pattern uses N/P-15 (10 mm) for the squares and body and the smaller M/N-13 (9 mm) for the ribbing. Using only the larger hook throughout will loosen the ribbing and reduce the stretch at the cuffs and hem, so it is worth keeping both sizes on hand.
Is this cardigan easy to resize smaller or larger?
As written it fits a Medium with a 44 inch chest and 28 inch length, and because the whole body is built from 5 inch squares, length and width change in square-sized increments. Adding or removing full squares per panel is more reliable here than adjusting stitch counts mid-square.
How long should this project realistically take?
Plan on roughly 40 to 55 hours for a Medium. With 78 squares to make plus panel seaming, ribbing, and border rounds, this is better treated as a multi-week project than a weekend one.
New patterns, as they are filed
One short email when a batch lands, with the feel of each.