This long, breezy cardigan was designed as a swimsuit coverup, but after finishing it, I’ve worn it almost everyday, swimming or not. Though the cotton/linen blend is somewhat heavy, it knits up into a very breathable fabric that doesn’t trap swampy, hot air, yet is great for covering your shoulders in an excessively air conditioned indoor space. Because of the chainette structure of the yarn, it doesn’t split while your knitting, and it avoids shedding, which can sometimes be a problem with linen yarns.

The garment is worked top-down, with an open front, and virtually no shaping. It’s basically just a giant rectangle. The actual sweater is about 36” wide and 35” long. Designed to be worn with significant positive ease, it can fit a range of bust sizes (pictured here with about 31” of ease). If you want to make it just a tad larger (or smaller), I’d recommend knitting at a slightly looser (or tighter) gauge than the one recommended. Alternately, you could cast on an additional 26 stitches onto the back, working an extra lace repeat here, and pick up an extra 13 stitches on each front, adding these to the panel of stockinette on the front.

This sweater features simple pockets that you will begin while you’re knitting the piece and finish after you complete the body of the sweater. Note that the pockets are the only portion of the sweater that require seams, so if you really hate seaming, just ignore the pocket instructions. :)

You can access the pattern for free on my linked blog, or you can purchase a printable PDF from my Ravelry shop.