Seaside Bloom Cardi
- nataliapleshko
- May 31
- 4 min read
Boho style crochet lacy cardigan
The Seaside Bloom Cardi is a light, beachy layering piece with a relaxed boho feel and a touch of nautical style. It features airy openwork stitches that mix floral motifs with sections that look like netting. This cardigan is breezy and semi-sheer - great for warm days or layering at the coast. Soft white tones in the body contrast beautifully with deep blue sleeves and borders, reflecting the colors of the ocean. Whether you’re walking along the beach or enjoying your own seafarer’s garden, this cardigan adds an easygoing, coastal vibe to any outfit.
All the modeled photos provided by I Like Crochet magazine (Ampry Publishing)
Inspiration
Back in July 2024, I saw a call for submissions from I Like Crochet and I Like Knitting magazines. They were seeking several ideas in knit and crochet for their spring and summer issues. And the theme Floral Motif & Lace caught my attention. The moodboard had a few cardigans and tops, and I decided to go with an oversized cardigan for my design.
I started digging into some stitch dictionaries for fun and big floral motifs. After making a few samples, I settled on the motif named Barnacle. And because I was aiming for beach inspired cardigan, plus I needed something in between motifs, a simple net stitch was added to this design.
Yarn
Choosing the yarn is always an exciting and a little scary process. I don't have unlimited access to all the yarn that magazines are partnering with. Most of the time, in case of submission calls, I need to rely on online descriptions and previous experience.
This design is meant for spring and summer, and a little bit beach-oriented. I was looking for:
- not too thick or thin weight yarn, more like sport or DK weight;
- cotton, or cotton blend, maybe bamboo;
- soft to the skin;
- good fabric drape, but it needs some stability too;
- not variegated, selection of solid or tonal colors.
I found a couple of options, and after my proposal was accepted by the I Like Crochet magazine, we agreed on Berroco Modern Cotton DK.
Big thank you to Berroco for providing yarn for this design. Modern Cotton DK definitely covered all the checkmarks on my wish list. It was a pleasure to work with, hook slides nicely, very soft, great stitch definition, holds good in big motifs after blocking.
The content of the fiber: 60% cotton, 40% rayon. It is DK weight yarn with 335 yds (306 m)/100g. Overall, just a positive experience with this yarn.
Construction
The Seaside Bloom Cardi is a boxy cardigan with a drop shoulder, short sleeves, and a small V-neck.
First, you'll work on several big motifs, then connect them using the continuous method to make partial fronts and back. Depending on the size, will add mesh panels to the side of the fronts and/or back. Then will make sleeves, and finish with one big neck-buttons-hem border. Two side seams are also required to finish this project.
Stitch pattern
The main attraction in this design is big Barnacle motif. You'll make a full 8-point floral or star-like motif, and also need a few half motifs (for example, for the V-neck area). The pattern includes row-by-row instructions and charts for the motifs. In my opinion, charts are much easier for the motifs. If you are not chart-savvy yet, I have video tutorials on my YouTube channel @Natalia_Yarncarft on how to read charts, part 1 - flat crochet, part 2 - work in rounds.
The second stitch pattern used in this project is the Mesh stitch pattern, and here you'll work almost all chains and a few single crochet to connect chains to make a net-like look.
One more note about making stitches. Because of the size of big motifs and how they can fit into the garment depending on its size, I decided to go with 2 different hook sizes for different garment sizes. So you'll work with a smaller gauge for the smaller cardigan sizes, and with a bigger gauge for the larger sizes.
Skills needed to make the cardigan
The pattern difficulty is marked as Intermediate. You’ll need to know how to do basic crochet stitches (ch, sc, hdc, dc), how to work 2 stitches together. Also, you need to know how to make motifs and connect them together using the continuous method (diagram and full description included in the pattern). Make seams.
Sizes
The pattern is written for 5 sizes XS-S (M-L, XL-2X, 3X-4X, 5X-6X).
To fit bust 31 (39, 47, 55, 63)”/ 77.5 (97.5, 117.5, 137.5, 157.5) cm
4-5”/ 10-12.5 cm positive ease recommended
Finished measurements:
a - front/back width 18.5 (22.5, 25.5, 29.5, 34.5)”/ 46 (56, 64, 74, 86) cm
b - body length 22.5 (22.5, 25.5, 25.5, 25.5)”/ 56 (56, 64, 64, 64) cm
c - sleeve depth 7.25 (8.5, 9.25, 10.5, 11.25)”/ 18 (21, 23, 26, 28) cm
d - sleeve length 6.25 (6.25, 7.25, 7.25, 7.25)” / 16.75 (16.75, 18, 18, 18) cm
What do you need to make the cardigan
Yarn: DK weight yarn
Sample made with Berroco Modern Cotton DK, 60% Pima Cotton, 40% Modal Rayon, 335 yds (306 m)/3.5 oz (100 g), colors 6601 Sandy Point (MC) and 6690 India Point (CC)
MC: 2 (2, 2, 3, 3) skeins or 500 (600, 640, 700, 770) yds/ 460 (520, 580, 650, 700) m
CC: 1 skein or 170 (200, 230, 270, 300) yds/ 150 (180, 220, 250, 280) m
Hook: for sizes XS-L US size E (3.5 mm) or for sizes XL-6X US size 7 (4.5 mm)
Notions: removable markers, tapestry needle, seven 5/8” (1.5 cm) buttons, blocking mats and pins
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