Free Lace Cardigan Knitting Patterns

Love the look of delicate stitches and openwork? Find more than 90 free lace cardigan knitting patterns, from lightweight summer cardigans and cropped lacy layers to long-sleeved jackets, lace yokes and cardigans with decorative lace panels.

Lace doesn’t have to mean one particular look. These patterns include eyelet cardigans, openwork and lacy cardigans, lace jackets, leaf motifs and geometric lace, as well as designs that combine lace with stockinette, cables and other textured stitches.

For other cardigan styles, see the complete collection of free cardigan knitting patterns on Knitting Bee.

What Kind of Lace Cardigan Do You Want to Knit?

For a lighter layer, look for summer lace cardigan patterns worked with airy eyelets or more open stitch patterns. Short sleeves, cropped lengths and lighter yarns can make these particularly useful for warmer weather.

If you like a shorter silhouette, the short sleeve cardigan knitting patterns include more lightweight cardigan options.

Not every lace cardigan is covered in lace from hem to neckline. Some patterns use a lace panel, lace yoke or lace sleeves as the main decorative feature while keeping the rest of the cardigan relatively simple. This can be a good choice if you want the interest of lace knitting without working an intricate stitch pattern across the entire garment.

Lace, Eyelets and Openwork

The terms lace, eyelet and openwork are often used for related knitted fabrics, but the effect can range from a simple line of yarn-over eyelets to much more intricate repeating motifs.

You’ll find both ends of that spectrum here: understated cardigans with small lace details alongside more elaborate lacy jackets where the openwork is the main feature.

For an open cardigan rather than a traditional buttoned style, see the open cardigan knitting patterns. If you prefer lace combined with stronger knitted texture, the cable cardigan knitting patterns are another useful collection to explore.

Latest Free Lace Cardigan Knitting Patterns

See the latest lace, lacy, eyelet and openwork cardigan knitting patterns below.