The first item I made was a white sweater. It’s an item that is conspicuously missing from my wardrobe and with spring approaching I knew I was going to need something. Okay, maybe spring isn’t approaching all that soon, but it never hurts to be prepared. The only thing was I didn’t want to go buy white yarn, so instead I found a hideous white poncho at the thrift store for $5 and proceeded to unravel it. One ugly poncho left me with about 6 skeins of white yarn. Not a bad start.
Of course then I had to figure out what I wanted my new sweater to look like.
Months ago I made a darling sweater for a baby niece that had a solid yoke with a lacy body and sleeves. The pattern I used was only made for infants, but I decided it would be a very cute and fun 1950’s retro sweater if it were made for an adult. After reviewing the pattern I took the basic idea and worked out how to make it larger.
If you have a pattern that’s way too small I know of a couple ways to make it work. Firstly, try a larger hook. Sometimes a hook that’s only a few sizes larger than the one called for in the pattern can make a tremendous difference if you’re only looking to make something a few sizes larger. Another option is to read through the pattern and try to understand the basic techniques that are being used. In the pattern I took my inspiration from the yoke was made to come down over the shoulders so a raglan sleeve opening could be formed. A raglan sleeve means that then I could crochet the sleeves in the round without worrying about making troublesome cap sleeves and because I stuck with only elbow length sleeves I didn’t have to worry about decreasing stitches to make a longer sleeve look fitted. The body of the sweater was crocheted to make a boxy, cropped sweater which was also exceedingly uncomplicated as it used no shaping.
The second project was something that I’ve been meaning to do for a LONG time now.
I have a vest that has been sitting in my closet for over 2 years now because even though I can no longer wear a size 6 I adore how this vest used to fit me. I kept telling myself that I would sew new a new vest one day, but because sewing has never been something I enjoy this project has languished for quite a while now.
However the other day I found this vest again and after searching through my depleted yarn stash I found some black chenille yarn. Using the front of the vest as a template I crocheted both front pieces beginning with the straps and working downward. It did take quite a few row by row comparisons against the original and a few instances of frogging a couple rows back, but eventually I worked out the correct shape.
After the first side was completed I found a few matching buttons that I liked and sewed them on using black thread. Then, I crocheted the second piece carefully placing the button holes so they could be crocheted as part of the final garment. One row of single crochet around the edges evened things out and made the front part of the vest look more finished.
---Right about here is where I realize I don’t have enough black chenille to finish this project. Loathe to buy more yarn I rummage through my stash again and find one lonely skein of light grey that needs a purpose in life. Good thing it matches the black I’ve already used.---
The back of the vest was made using a spider web motif- a stitch I found in a crochet stitch dictionary. It’s basically a square motif that is crocheted in rows (instead of in single motifs with each motif made in the round) which makes it difficult to do any sort of fitted form in the back. The only thing I can manage is to crochet from the top down adding one more motif on each side to create the underarm/body area.
-Lyzard
