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| Photo above © Tin Can Knits |
Harvest by Tin Can Knits is a wonderfully approachable seamless cardigan designed for the whole family. With sizes ranging from babies through adults, it is especially appealing to knitters looking for a first sweater project without complicated seaming.
Harvest is part of the well-known Simple Collection from Tin Can Knits, a series created to help knitters build their skills through practical projects. Best of all, the Harvest cardigan pattern is still available free.
✓ Free Pattern Availability
Good news: Harvest is still available as a free knitting pattern from Tin Can Knits. The current pattern has an even broader size range than the version originally featured on Amazing Knitting, extending from babies all the way through adult 6XL.
Harvest Cardigan at a Glance
Pattern: Harvest
Designer: Tin Can Knits
Collection: The Simple Collection
First Published: December 2013
Craft: Knitting
Category: Cardigan / Sweater
Yarn Weight: Worsted
Needles: US 6 / 4 mm and US 8 / 5 mm
Gauge: 18 stitches × 24 rows = 4 inches / 10 cm
Yardage: Approximately 250–2,300 yards / 229–2,103 m
Sizes: 0–6 months through adult 6XL
Construction: Seamless cardigan
Current Availability: Free pattern
About the Harvest Cardigan
Harvest was designed as an accessible introduction to sweater knitting. Instead of creating separate fronts, back and sleeves and sewing everything together at the end, the cardigan uses a seamless construction.
This makes it particularly attractive to knitters who have already made scarves, hats or other smaller projects and are ready to try their first garment.
The clean design also makes Harvest highly adaptable. A simple change of yarn colour can make the same basic cardigan appropriate for a baby, child or adult.
An Extraordinary Size Range
One of the strongest features of Harvest is its exceptionally broad sizing.
The current pattern includes:
- 0–6 months
- 6–12 months
- 1–2 years
- 2–4 years
- 4–6 years
- 6–8 years
- 8–10 years
- XS
- S
- S/M
- M
- M/L
- L
- XL
- XXL
- 3XL
- 4XL
- 5XL
- 6XL
This family-friendly range means you can use the same design concept for a tiny baby cardigan, a child's sweater or a full-size adult garment.
Yarn and Yardage
Harvest is designed for worsted-weight yarn. The current pattern lists several suitable yarns, including Cascade 220, SweetGeorgia Merino Worsted, Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage, Brooklyn Tweed Shelter and other comparable worsted yarns.
Because the pattern covers such a large size range, yarn requirements vary substantially:
Approximately 250–2,300 yards / 229–2,103 metres
Always check the current pattern for the exact yardage required for your chosen size before buying yarn.
Needles
The published needle sizes are:
- US 6 / 4 mm
- US 8 / 5 mm
Smaller sizes use shorter circular needles, while larger adult sizes need longer circulars to comfortably accommodate the stitches.
The pattern also allows small circumferences to be worked with double-pointed needles or with the magic loop technique using a long circular needle.
Gauge
The published stockinette gauge on the larger needles is:
18 stitches × 24 rows = 4 inches / 10 cm
Gauge matters considerably in a sweater. Even when following the correct size instructions, a different stitch gauge can make the finished garment noticeably larger or smaller than intended.
Make a swatch with your chosen yarn and adjust needle size when necessary rather than assuming the recommended needle will automatically produce the correct gauge.
Why Harvest Is a Good First Cardigan
Tin Can Knits created the Simple Collection specifically around projects that help knitters develop useful skills.
Harvest is especially suitable as a first cardigan because its straightforward style allows you to concentrate on garment construction without combining it with elaborate cables, lace or colourwork.
You still learn valuable sweater-making skills while producing a garment that is practical enough to wear regularly.
Skills You Can Practice
Harvest can help build confidence with techniques such as:
- Working a gauge swatch
- Knitting a garment
- Working with circular needles
- Increasing and decreasing
- Working sleeves
- Knitting small circumferences
- Using double-pointed needles or magic loop
- Picking up stitches
- Finishing and weaving in yarn ends
Use the official Tin Can Knits pattern and tutorials for the exact construction sequence, stitch counts and shaping instructions.
Baby, Child or Adult Harvest?
The same pattern can produce very different projects depending on the size and yarn colour you choose.
A baby Harvest can make a practical handmade gift, while children's sizes create an everyday layering sweater. The adult sizes turn the same clean design into a versatile wardrobe cardigan.
This makes Harvest particularly useful if you enjoy knitting matching or coordinating garments for several members of a family.
Choosing Yarn for Harvest
Since the cardigan has a relatively simple surface, yarn choice can have a strong influence on its final appearance.
A smooth solid yarn emphasizes the clean construction, while heathered or subtly variegated yarn can add visual interest without changing the knitting pattern itself.
For baby and children's sizes, also consider softness, durability and washing requirements. For an adult cardigan, drape and resistance to pilling may become especially important.
Is the Harvest Cardigan Still Free?
Yes. Harvest by Tin Can Knits is still available as a free knitting pattern.
The pattern can currently be obtained through the Tin Can Knits ecosystem and is also listed as a free Ravelry download.
Amazing Knitting does not reproduce the designers' copyrighted row-by-row instructions. Instead, we direct readers to the legitimate current pattern.
Get the Free Harvest Cardigan Pattern
The Ravelry pattern page provides the current free download and links back to Tin Can Knits.
Get the Free Harvest Cardigan Pattern →
More Free Cardigan Patterns
If you enjoy Harvest, continue exploring the Amazing Knitting archive for more free sweaters and cardigans.
Explore Free Cardigan Knitting Patterns →
You can also browse free baby cardigans, children's sweaters, and free sweater patterns.
Before You Start
Download the current Harvest pattern first and choose your size from the designer's finished measurements rather than age or clothing size alone. Then confirm the yarn requirement for that size and make a gauge swatch.
If this is your first cardigan, take advantage of the supporting Tin Can Knits tutorials as you work through the project.
Pattern credit: Harvest was designed by Tin Can Knits and published as part of The Simple Collection. The existing project photograph on this Amazing Knitting page is credited to Tin Can Knits. Amazing Knitting does not reproduce the designers' copyrighted row-by-row knitting instructions.