Ugly Christmas Crochet Sweater Pattern (Free)

I’m so excited to share this free crochet sweater pattern with you, my new Ugly Christmas Sweater. It’s my very first sweater and crochet garment. So this year, instead of buying an ugly holiday sweater at a box store, make one yourself that no one else will have. Be one of a kind and show off your crochet skills.

There are so many ways you can make crochet sweaters but this version was pretty easy to do especially since I was not using a pattern. Just basic crochet stitches including single crochet and double crochet stitches. It has a ribbed collar and ribbed sleeve cuffs, I’m in love! So if you need an Ugly Christmas Sweater for any holiday get together, why not make this free and easy crochet pattern.

Perfect for Work Parties

I’m planning our annual holiday party and the dress attire is to wear an ugly Christmas sweater. I don’t own any and thought it would be fun to finally try making one. It’s been on my bucket list for a long time. There are tons of “easy crochet sweater patterns” you can try making, some are paid patterns and some are free (like this one). But the key is to understand how to construct your sweater or just picking the method or combining different methods to meet your desired outcome.

This stitch pattern will look intimidating because it’s broken into lots of sections. Don’t let this scare you. I’ll also link YouTube tutorials that were really helpful to me. It is a simple sweater but because it was my first sweater project, it was a little intimidating because I wasn’t using a sweater crochet pattern. Now that it’s done, I feel really confident now and will definitely be making more handmade sweaters.  

This easy sweater pattern was made for my body type and size. I’m apple shaped and wear a Large but like an oversized sweater. If you want it more of a boyfriend cardigan, just adjust the width of your sweater and make it a little larger. The best yarn for me was just using what I had and not buying new yarn for this. This sweater was made with 4 ply worsted weight yarn and H crochet hook size.

Crochet Sweater Pattern – Instructions

Materials

You really don’t need much yarn for this project. I used my Red Heart and Caron worsted weight 4 ply yarns from my yarn stash. It’s a thick yarn and a bulky yarn when used in cardigan patterns. I used one skein of each to complete the whole sweater. I did not use cotton yarn or wool yarn but chose acrylic yarn because that’s what I had. 

Type of Yarn

Here are the yarns used in this sweater. There were four colors used but you can use whatever colors you want. That’s the beauty of handmade sweaters.

Red Heart Cherry Red and White

Caron One Pound Succulent and Off White

You will need a size H / 5.00 mm crochet hook and a yarn needle to weave in the yarn tails. 

Skill level is confident or intermediate beginner.

Stitch Knowledge

Sl St = Slip stitch

Dec = Decrease

SC = Single crochet

DC = Double crochet

SC2TOG = Single crochet 2 stitches together

SC3TOG = Single crochet 3 stitches together

​BLO = Back loop only

For a full list of crochet stitch abbreviations, click here.

Crochet Sweater Pattern – Stitch Pattern

Measure stomach or waist with soft tape measure, measure the spot that is the biggest. Divide measurement in half. Weave all tails as you go. Start front side to middle of chest. Start shoulders, head opening (14-17 sts), connect back at last row of shoulders. Sleeve width 27 sts. Sleeve length (stop 2.5″ from wrist for sleeve cuffs).You also want to crochet from the right side to the left side. You will also need to pay attention to pattern when it states what side of the sweater to work on. We will work on the front side and inside of sweater for this crochet garment.

I also used one of my store bought sweaters as a guide for this crochet sweater pattern. Laying my store bought sweater on my bed and making sure my handmade sweater was lining up with it. This was very helpful and I highly recommend.

Disclaimer: There is no such thing as a perfect pattern. Sweater designs need to be slightly modified to fit your likes and dislikes. If you have never made a crochet garment, this is a good one to try for beginner crocheters because you will understand the key measurements and info to customize this. It really is a simple construction once you understand the process. 

Sweater Pieces

1. Front/back (one piece)

2. Add neck collar

3. Add both sleeves

4. Sew sides together along both sides

5. Add sleeve cuffs

6. Add waist cuff (optional)

Now all this information means nothing unless you have the secret sauce or the magic numbers. There are a few. You could try to figure these numbers out on your own but by trial and error which takes a lot of time. I’ll give you these numbers when you download the free crochet sweater pattern below. These numbers include how many stitches for the head hole, sleeve width, collar and sleeve cuffs. I’ve done all the homework so you don’t have to! You’re welcome.

This sweater looks like an elf with candy cane sleeves and I love the way it turned out. I was really surprised it all came together and fits. Making a handmade sweater gave me such a sense of accomplishment and I’m planning my next one now.

Want the free pattern? Of course you do! You can get it here by signing up for the bi-monthly newsletter. Happy crocheting!

There were two YouTube videos that helped me make this sweater. This first one on how to crochet any sweater without a pattern was really good. This second one on is great for the ribbed cuffs but she makes then first and I made them last. Just watch if you have never done ribbing, it’s good.

New to crochet? Check out my Learn to Crochet for Beginners. The perfect place to start if you want to learn to crochet.

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ABOUT SEW NIKKI

If this is your first time stopping by, welcome! My name is Nikki. Long time crocheter and weekend quilter with a super small sewing space. Taught myself how to sew and quilt by watching YouTube videos! My blog has How-To’s, Free Patterns and Pattern Reviews. Read more about me here.

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Sew, quilt, crochet and repeat!