Tunisian Crochet Baby Sweater Pattern

Today I’m excited to share with you a free Tunisian Crochet baby sweater pattern!

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase one of the products I love and have linked here, I may get a small commission at no additional cost to you

This sweater is really fun because you can learn something new and make a sweet gift for the newest baby in your life. The Taytem baby sweater is a gender neutral sweater that can easily be made with either short or long sleeves. You can style it with just one button or buttons all the way down. Either look is unique and will be greatly loved by whomever you gift it to!

Testers had a blast with this pattern! Aren’t they adorable? These ladies did a great job and even helped me figured out a little trick for making the sleeve come together better. I’m so thankful for these ladies!

Want to practice a little before you dive in? I designed this Tunisian crochet coffee cozy using the same stitch pattern. It’s a fun little project that will help you feel more confident with Tunisian crochet.

Purchase the pattern PDF on Etsy or Ravelry.

General Instructions: Create a fun and useful gift for a new baby with Tunisian crochet! This gender neutral cardigan has several options: short or long sleeve, one button or three, color blocking or all one color…it’s up to you! We’ll begin with a circular yoke and body worked in one piece from the top down. Easy increases create the circular yoke, followed by a sleeve separation and the body worked even. The sleeves are rectangles worked separately and then joined to the body in the last step.

Want to watch how to crochet this sweater step by step? The full length tutorial is here:

Supplies: Size K/10.5 (6.5mm) flexible Tunisian crochet hook (or size needed to obtain gauge), I/9 (5.5 mm) standard crochet hook, yarn needle, ruler, sewing needle and thread to match button. Note: 21” long flexible Tunisian hook is needed to accommodate yoke sts.

Materials: Any #4/Medium (cotton yarn); Knit Picks Comfy Worsted in Flamingo (75% pima cotton, 25% acrylic) shown; 250 yards. One (1”) button or 3 (3/4”) buttons.

Gauge: 4” = 13 sts and 16 rows in pattern, blocked
To check gauge, ch 13 with Tunisian hook. Work first 3 rows of yoke. Repeat rows 2 and 3 for a total of 16 rows. Blocked gauge swatch should measure 4”x4” square. If swatch is too big, switch to a smaller hook. If block is too small, switch to a larger hook.

Finished Measurements:
Chest circumference: 18 (19, 20.5, 21.5)”
Sweater length: 9.5 (10.5, 11, 11.5)”. 

Sizing:
Ease: 2”
Suggested sizing: 3 (6, 12, 18) months
To find the right size, measure child’s chest and add 2”. Make the size with the finished circumference closest to this number.

Abbreviations:
ch: chain
fwd: forward pass
lp: loop
rep: repeat
rtn: return pass
sk: skip
sp(s): space(s)
st(s): stitch(es)
yo: yarn over

Tunisian Crochet Stitches:
Tfs: Tunisian Full Stitch
Fwd: (lp on hook counts as first st): Insert hook between next 2 vertical bars and draw up a lp; rep from * across. Rtn: Yo and draw through 1 lp on hook, *yo and draw through 2 lps on hook; repeat from * to end.
Note: Tfs must be staggered from row to row to avoid a slanted edge.  Follow directions in pattern to create staggered rows.  Any slight unevenness on the edges can be minimized with blocking.

M1BB (Make 1 Back Bump): Insert hook into the bump behind the vertical bar of same st just worked, pull up a loop (increase made). (Photos A and B)

Pattern Notes:

• Work all return passes as in Foundation Row unless otherwise indicated.
• When measuring yoke height, lay sweater flat so it forms a semi-circle. Find the approximate back center (back neck) of the sweater and measure straight down (instead of measuring the sides).
• Repeat rows 2 and 3 for pattern.
• Curling is part of the sweater design and should not be considered a flaw. Extra length has been added to accommodate curling.

Yoke
With Tunisian hook, ch 38 (42, 44, 46)
Foundation Row:Fwd: Draw up a lp in back bump of 2^nd ch from hook and each ch to end. Rtn: Yo, draw through 1 lp, *yo, draw through 2 lps; rep from * to end. 38 (42, 44, 46) sts
Row 2: Tfs between first and second vertical bar (photo C), *Tfs between next 2 bars; rep from * across to last 2 bars, sk sp between last 2 sts (photo D), draw up lp in last bar.

Row 3: Sk sp between first and second bar, *Tfs between next 2 bars (photo E); rep from * across, draw up lp in last bar (Photo F).
Note: Repeat rows 2 and 3 for pattern.
Continue in pattern until yoke height reaches 1”, ending with a row 3.

First Increase: Tfs between first and second vertical bar, Tfs between next 2 bars, M1BB; *2 Tfs, M1BB; rep from * across to last 2 bars, sk sp between last 2 sts, draw up lp in last bar. 56 (62, 65, 68) sts
Repeat row 3. Continue repeating rows 2 and 3 until yoke height reaches 2”, ending with a row 3.

Second Increase: Tfs between first and second vertical bar, 2 Tfs, M1BB; *3 Tfs, M1BB; rep from * across to last 2 bars, sk sp between last 2 sts, draw up lp in last bar. 74 (82, 86, 90) sts
Repeat row 3. Continue repeating rows 2 and 3 until yoke height reaches 3”, ending with a row 3.

Third Increase: Tfs between first and second vertical bar, 3 Tfs, M1BB; *4 Tfs, M1BB; rep from * across to last 2 bars, sk sp between last 2 sts, draw up lp in last bar. 92 (102, 107, 112) sts
Repeat row 3. Continue repeating rows 2 and 3 until yoke height reaches 4.5”, ending with a row 3.

Sleeve separation:
Notes: Keep tension tight when skipping stitches. When you reach the skipped stitches on the return pass, yarn over from back to front on the loose strand in the armhole and pull through 2 stitches. Then continue return pass as usual. Repeat for the other loose strand on the other armhole (see video location 35:05 for further clarification).

3 Months: Tfs between first and second vertical bar, 14 Tfs, sk 17 sts, 28 Tfs, sk 17 sts, Tfs to last 2 bars, sk sp between last 2 sts, draw up lp in last bar. 58 sts remaining for body. Do not tie off.
6 Months: Tfs between first and second vertical bar, 15 Tfs, sk 20 sts, 30 Tfs, sk 20 sts, Tfs to last 2 bars, sk sp between last 2 sts, draw up lp in last bar. 62 sts remaining for body. Do not tie off.
12 Months: Tfs between first and second vertical bar, 16 Tfs, sk 20 sts, 33 Tfs, sk 20 sts, Tfs to last 2 bars, sk sp between last 2 sts, draw up lp in last bar. 67 sts remaining for body. Do not tie off.
18 Months: Tfs between first and second vertical bar, 17 Tfs, sk 21 sts, 34 Tfs, sk 21 sts, Tfs to last 2 bars, sk sp between last 2 sts, draw up lp in last bar. 70 sts remaining for body. Do not tie off.

Body
Work the body only, saving the sleeves for later. Continue in pattern until total sweater height (including yoke) reaches 9.5 (10.5, 11, 11.5)”.  To finish, slip st loosely between each pair of vertical bars across. Cut yarn, weave in loose ends.

Button Hole
With standard crochet hook, join yarn on wearer’s left edge just above sleeve separation row. Ch 5 (for 1” button) or Ch 3 (for ¾” button) to form a loop. Attach loop with sl st one row below joining. If using 3 buttons, repeat 2” and 4” below first button. Tie off and weave in loose ends. Sew button(s) on opposite side.

If making the long sleeve option, block this piece while you’re working on the sleeves. See blocking instructions, below.

Short Sleeve Option
With Tunisian hook, attach yarn to bottom center of sleeve opening. Ch 1 and slip st loosely between each pair of vertical bars around opening. Cut yarn, weave in loose ends. See blocking instructions, below.

Long Sleeve Option
With Tunisian hook, ch 20 (23, 23, 24)
Foundation Row: Fwd: Draw up a lp in back bump of 2^nd ch from hook and each ch to end. Rtn: Yo, draw through 1 lp, *yo, draw through 2 lps; rep from * to end. 20 (23, 23, 24) sts
Continue in pattern (repeating rows 2 and 3 as for yoke) until sleeve height reaches 6 (6.5, 7.5, 8)”, ending with a row 3. Tie off, weave in loose ends.

See blocking instructions below.

Joining Sleeve: Fold sleeve right sides together and sew side seam with yarn needle and mattress stitch, inserting needle under 2 loops on each side for stability. Keep sleeve inside out.  To join sleeve to body, insert sleeve top end (the end without the chain sts along the edge) first through the neck opening into the yoke.  Wrong sides of sleeve and wrong sides of sweater should be touching. Line up edges of sleeve opening on yoke with top edge of sleeve.  Match sleeve side seam with bottom center of yoke sleeve opening. (Photo G) Join yarn with Tunisian hook at the bottom center and slip stitch loosely around opening, matching stitches. (Photo H) Tie off and weave in loose ends. Pull sleeve right side out.

Blocking      
Blocking is a great way to reduce curling and make edges neater. Spray each piece with water until it is slightly damp. Lay flat on a blocking board or other soft surface and gently spread to finished measurements. Pin edges evenly and leave to dry overnight. Blocking boards and T pins work great for this but if you don’t have those, you can use several layers of towels and regular sewing pins (make sure they can get wet without rusting).

You’re all done! I hope you enjoyed this pattern!

Purchase the pattern PDF on Etsy or Ravelry.

Share your photos on Instagram with me @tealandfinch #taytembabysweater. I love to see them!