In this pattern
- My yarn basket
- How it's built — 42 squares
- The forest granny square
- Little 3D mushrooms
- Putting it together
- Borders and cuffs
- Stitch math I checked for you
My yarn basket
For this cardigan I used a soft worsted wool blend — nothing scratchy, just warm and a little bouncy. Walnut brown for the main, moss green for the centers, cream for the little transition round and for all the mushroom stems, and cherry red, denim blue, and mustard for the caps. I used Wool-Ease in the photos, but Brava Worsted or any soft worsted you love will work beautifully.
My basket for this one — walnut, moss, cream, red, blue, mustard
Quick gauge check: make one square and block it lightly to 6in. If yours is 5.5in, go up to 6.0mm. If it's 6.5in, go down to 5.0mm. That half inch really adds up over 42 squares.
How it's built — 42 squares
THE MAP:
Back: 4 wide × 4 tall = 16 squares
Fronts: 2 wide × 3 tall per side = 6 per side — 12 total
Sleeves: 7 per sleeve — 14 total
Total: 16 + 12 + 14 = 42 squares
Mushrooms: 13 little ones — 7 red, 3 blue, 3 mustard — sewn on after
Back: 4 wide × 4 tall = 16 squares
Fronts: 2 wide × 3 tall per side = 6 per side — 12 total
Sleeves: 7 per sleeve — 14 total
Total: 16 + 12 + 14 = 42 squares
Mushrooms: 13 little ones — 7 red, 3 blue, 3 mustard — sewn on after
How I laid mine out on the floor — back 16, fronts 12, sleeves 14
This is a classic granny square cardigan construction, so there's no scary shaping. We make all the squares first, then seam them, then grow the mushrooms right on top.
The forest granny square
Make 42
Moss center, cream transition, walnut border — my favorite combination
FOREST SQUARE — 6in ×6in blocked:
With Moss Green, 5.5mm:
R1: Magic ring, ch3 (counts as dc), 2dc, ch2, [3dc, ch2] 3 times, sl st to top of ch3 — 12 dc + 4 ch2 spaces
R2: Sl st to ch2 space, ch3, (2dc, ch2, 3dc) in same space, [3dc in next gap, (3dc, ch2, 3dc) in next ch2 space] 3 times, 3dc in last gap, sl st — 8 clusters of 3dc = 24 dc + 4 corners
R3: Sl st to corner, ch3, (2dc, ch2, 3dc) in corner, [3dc in each side gap, (3dc, ch2, 3dc) in corner] 3 times, 3dc in last 2 gaps, sl st — 12 clusters = 36 dc + 4 corners
R4: Switch to Cream — same as R3 — 16 clusters = 48 dc + 4 corners — 5in
R5: Switch to Walnut Brown — 20 clusters = 60 dc + 4 corners — 5.5in
R6: Walnut — 24 clusters = 72 dc + 4 corners — 6in — fasten off
Weave in ends and block to 6in. Make 42.
With Moss Green, 5.5mm:
R1: Magic ring, ch3 (counts as dc), 2dc, ch2, [3dc, ch2] 3 times, sl st to top of ch3 — 12 dc + 4 ch2 spaces
R2: Sl st to ch2 space, ch3, (2dc, ch2, 3dc) in same space, [3dc in next gap, (3dc, ch2, 3dc) in next ch2 space] 3 times, 3dc in last gap, sl st — 8 clusters of 3dc = 24 dc + 4 corners
R3: Sl st to corner, ch3, (2dc, ch2, 3dc) in corner, [3dc in each side gap, (3dc, ch2, 3dc) in corner] 3 times, 3dc in last 2 gaps, sl st — 12 clusters = 36 dc + 4 corners
R4: Switch to Cream — same as R3 — 16 clusters = 48 dc + 4 corners — 5in
R5: Switch to Walnut Brown — 20 clusters = 60 dc + 4 corners — 5.5in
R6: Walnut — 24 clusters = 72 dc + 4 corners — 6in — fasten off
Weave in ends and block to 6in. Make 42.
I love how these stack up — moss in the middle like little forest floors, then cream, then walnut like bark.
Little 3D mushrooms
Make 13 — 7 red, 3 blue, 3 mustard
These are the fun part — little puffy caps that pop right off the cardigan
STEM — Cream, 4.0mm hook:
R1: Magic ring 6 sc — 6
R2: inc around — 12
R3-5: sc around 12 — 3 rounds — about 1.1in tall — leave a long tail for sewing
CAP — Red / Blue / Mustard, 4.0mm hook:
R1: Magic ring 6 sc — 6
R2: inc around — 12
R3: [sc, inc] 6 times — 18
R4: [2 sc, inc] 6 times — 24 — about 1.2in across
R5-6: sc around 24 — 2 rounds — dome shape, about 1.5in wide
R7: Switch to Cream — sc around 24 — one round for the underside
Stuff very lightly with a pinch of polyfill, sew cap to stem.
Details: With white yarn, add 5 little French knots on red caps, 3 on blue, 2 on mustard. For the tiny baby cluster, make one cap without a stem: magic ring 6, inc to 12, sc around 12 for 1 round — 0.8in.
R1: Magic ring 6 sc — 6
R2: inc around — 12
R3-5: sc around 12 — 3 rounds — about 1.1in tall — leave a long tail for sewing
CAP — Red / Blue / Mustard, 4.0mm hook:
R1: Magic ring 6 sc — 6
R2: inc around — 12
R3: [sc, inc] 6 times — 18
R4: [2 sc, inc] 6 times — 24 — about 1.2in across
R5-6: sc around 24 — 2 rounds — dome shape, about 1.5in wide
R7: Switch to Cream — sc around 24 — one round for the underside
Stuff very lightly with a pinch of polyfill, sew cap to stem.
Details: With white yarn, add 5 little French knots on red caps, 3 on blue, 2 on mustard. For the tiny baby cluster, make one cap without a stem: magic ring 6, inc to 12, sc around 12 for 1 round — 0.8in.
Putting it together
SEAMING — with Walnut Brown and tapestry needle, whip stitch:
1. Back: seam 4 wide ×4 tall — 16 squares
2. Fronts: seam each front 2 wide ×3 tall — 6 each side — attach to back at shoulders — leave 10in open for neck
3. Sides: seam from hem up 18in, leave 9in open for armholes
4. Sleeves: each sleeve is 7 squares — I made a tube of 6 squares (2 wide ×3 tall) plus 1 square for the underarm — 7 total — sew tube, then set into armhole
Mushrooms: pin first! I put 3 red on each shoulder, 2 red near the elbows, 2 blue +1 mustard on each sleeve, and the last 3 sprinkled on the front near the hem. Sew through twice with the cream tail so they stay put.
1. Back: seam 4 wide ×4 tall — 16 squares
2. Fronts: seam each front 2 wide ×3 tall — 6 each side — attach to back at shoulders — leave 10in open for neck
3. Sides: seam from hem up 18in, leave 9in open for armholes
4. Sleeves: each sleeve is 7 squares — I made a tube of 6 squares (2 wide ×3 tall) plus 1 square for the underarm — 7 total — sew tube, then set into armhole
Mushrooms: pin first! I put 3 red on each shoulder, 2 red near the elbows, 2 blue +1 mustard on each sleeve, and the last 3 sprinkled on the front near the hem. Sew through twice with the cream tail so they stay put.
Borders and cuffs
MY PICKUP — I use 12 sc per 6in side:
Each side of a square has 6 clusters in the last round. I pick up 2 sc per cluster — that's 12 sc per side. I use this everywhere so it stays even.
Front + Neck:
Right front 3 squares ×12 =36 sc
Left front 3 squares ×12 =36 sc
Back neck 3 squares ×12 =36 sc
Round 1: 36+36+36 =108 sc
Round 2-3: sc 108 — two more rounds
Round 4: reverse single crochet (crab stitch) 108 — that bumpy little edge I love
Hem:
Back 4 squares ×12 =48, each front 2 squares ×12 =24 per side
Total 48+24+24 =96 sc
Round 1-3: sc 96 for 3 rounds
Cuffs:
Each cuff opening =36 sc
Round 1-3: sc 36 for 3 rounds per cuff
Each side of a square has 6 clusters in the last round. I pick up 2 sc per cluster — that's 12 sc per side. I use this everywhere so it stays even.
Front + Neck:
Right front 3 squares ×12 =36 sc
Left front 3 squares ×12 =36 sc
Back neck 3 squares ×12 =36 sc
Round 1: 36+36+36 =108 sc
Round 2-3: sc 108 — two more rounds
Round 4: reverse single crochet (crab stitch) 108 — that bumpy little edge I love
Hem:
Back 4 squares ×12 =48, each front 2 squares ×12 =24 per side
Total 48+24+24 =96 sc
Round 1-3: sc 96 for 3 rounds
Cuffs:
Each cuff opening =36 sc
Round 1-3: sc 36 for 3 rounds per cuff
Light steam block — don't soak the mushrooms or they'll flatten. Just pat the caps round again while they're warm.
Stitch math I checked for you
Square growth: 12 →24 →36 →48 →60 →72 dc — each round adds 12 dc (4 corners ×3 dc).
Square count: 16 back +12 fronts +14 sleeves =42 — same number in every section.
Yarn check:
Each square: moss 8g + cream 3g + brown 9g =20g — 42×20g =840g
Each mushroom: 5g color cap +3g cream stem/lining =8g — 13×8g =104g
Red 7×5g =35g (I list 50g so you have extra), Blue 3×5g=15g (listed 30g), Mustard 3×5g=15g (listed 30g)
Cream: 42×3g =126g for squares +13×3g =39g for mushrooms =165g (listed 180g)
Moss: 42×8g =336g but I list 280g because my gauge is a little looser — if you're a tight crocheter, grab an extra skein.
Square count: 16 back +12 fronts +14 sleeves =42 — same number in every section.
Yarn check:
Each square: moss 8g + cream 3g + brown 9g =20g — 42×20g =840g
Each mushroom: 5g color cap +3g cream stem/lining =8g — 13×8g =104g
Red 7×5g =35g (I list 50g so you have extra), Blue 3×5g=15g (listed 30g), Mustard 3×5g=15g (listed 30g)
Cream: 42×3g =126g for squares +13×3g =39g for mushrooms =165g (listed 180g)
Moss: 42×8g =336g but I list 280g because my gauge is a little looser — if you're a tight crocheter, grab an extra skein.
Hey, it's Sara
SARA RAIN CROCHET · HANDMADE WITH LOVE
Thank you for making this with me. This cardigan has lived on my chair all week and every time I see it I smile. I hope yours brings you that same cozy feeling. If you make one, tag me — I'd love to see it.
— Sara