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sweet sweater

In the Fall 2006 issue of Crochet me, there was a crochet-along to make a Sweet sweater. I really wanted to participate, but I had to finish my afghan first, and then I needed to give my wrist a break from crochet for a while, so I bought some yarn but didn’t get started. Now the official Sweet crochet-along is finished, but that’s okay…

sweet crochet-along

I had bought 4 balls of Lion Brand Homespun in Regency because I wanted something bulky enough to crochet up quickly and keep me warm, but I can’t tolerate wool against my skin, so I needed a soft acrylic yarn. I knew I wanted to adapt the pattern to be long-sleeved, but still reasonably fitted. I used a size J hook and half double crochet stitch.

First attempt: I noted the comments from others who completed the CAL and found the neck opening to be too small, so I started off with a 7″ measurement at the back of the neck. I had crocheted down from the shoulders to the bust and completed one and a half sleeves before I noticed that the width of the body was several sizes too large for me. I decided to write it off as a “practice” and start again (reusing the yarn from the first one as I needed it).

Second attempt: I used a 5″ neck measurement and a deeper V in the front, and it worked out much better. When I got to the bust, it was still a bit big, even after some decreases at each side, so I switched to an I hook down to the waist, and then back to a J again. I edged the neckline, cuffs and bottom edge with my new favourite edging, reverse single crochet. The finished sweater used exactly three balls of Homespun.

my sweet sweater

I would definitely make another one of these at some point, with some variations in yarn and stitch. The top-down construction is very clever as you can try it for fit at any point and adjust it as you go. I can’t believe I’ve crocheted a wearable article of clothing! It’s really warm and cosy.

5 Comments »

  1. tatiana said

    It*s nice and fits you very nice .Simple and smart.

  2. nual said

    Hi trying to do this sweater. I dont understnad where it reads..when front equals back…does that mean when the two shells on each side line up?

    • June said

      Nual, I made this sweater 4 years ago and really don’t remember the details of how it came together! I suggest you leave a comment on the pattern page or ask on Ravelry (here’s the Sweet Sweater Ravelry page) (you can also contact the designer through Ravelry to ask her directly). Good luck!

  3. Rina said

    Congratulations! That looks great. I never got around to adding sleeves and wear mine layered with a t-shirt; it’s nice to see what it looks like with long sleeves.

  4. Amy said

    It looks fantastic! Congratulations!

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