Tag Archives: sweater

Jogged Edges- Just Finish the Job

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I have mentioned in the past that I had been crocheting for quite a few years before I ever attempted to a sweater. I actually remember the exact “awe ha” moment that spurred me to consider it, I was feeling under the weather, and was grabbing a quick bit at a deli before my work shift began at the local drugstore. A conversation with the sandwich artist behind the counter somehow came around to crochet. He had asked about how to make a sweater, if it was all on piece of pieces put together. My mind automatically shifted to sewing patterns from my days in my 4H sewing project, and it then hit me…I had been crocheting fabric all along. I only needed to crochet the fabric to the shape of the pattern and put it together.

I mention this as I have received some questions lately about the shaping of pieces to create a sweater, and that I often design them with jogged edges. The art of crochet, I have found, is a bit more forgiving than sewing with fabric (granted, I can sew, but it has never been my favorite past time). I have found that crocheting the most basic of shape of the fabric, without worrying about matching the lines exactly, but getting the basic shape, is all that is really necessary to be successful.

My jogging edges are most frequently found in neckline shaping, and the “bell” shaping at the top of set in sleeves. Yet, in the finished garment these jogs are not noticeable, simply because of seaming and edging. Edgings smooth over these jogs, creating a nice completed finish, while seaming pieces together the jogs can actually allow for a bit more stretch. In the seaming I am usually whip stitching (the act of inserting the needle from only 1 side of the fabric and pushing through to the opposite side, bringing the needle and thread over the seam and reinserting the needle from the same side).

The edges do not match up perfectly on the sleeve seaming, however, you are not usually seaming the top of a stitch to a matching top of stitch. In this process you are often seaming tops of stitches to the sides if rows, and the jogs help you better fit this together.

Basically, don’t worry about over thinking your crochet, minor tweaks and simple tricks can smooth it out and get the result you are hoping for.

 

 

Serene Spring Long Cardigan- The Name Says It All

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It seems like a cardigan season! I say that as I have created quite a few cardigans as of late, and the latest one to be released, Serene Spring Long Cardigan found in the April 2018 issue of I Like Crochet, is one of my favorites.

I think that long cardigans offer a great shape, as well as keeping that draft off of my waist as a bend over. I enjoy them most with a length about mid-thigh, or at very least just below my hip bone. Yet when it is created with a simple stitch, which looks fabulous, it is fun to create too. Serene Spring fits this bill.

It is worked from the bottom up, and seamed at the sides, and if you feel that the length is a bit long for your liking, simply reduce the number of rows worked before reaching the underarm. The corner pockets are attached as you seam the sides, and then fully encased when you work the edging.

The shaping in minimal, making it easy for a beginner to feel successful.

The yarn, Knit One Crochet Too Batiste is a delight to work with as well. It is a blend of wool, linen and silk in a sport weight. It is light and airy, while just being heavy enough to take off the chill. I actually did a review of this yarn, I share more insights about it here.

I still remember when I made my first sweater, it took me several years to work up the courage to make one as I had done afghans for years, but when I realized it was all just fabric it was groundbreaking for me. If you have this same dilemma, don’t let it stop you. The best tip I can provide is to check your gauge so you know that you are coming up with the same fabric as what you see in the photo. Here are some tips to working with gauge. 

 

Unexpected Journeys- A Little Like Life

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ScannedImageThe interesting thing about ideas is that you never know when they are needed, or used. My latest released design, Holiday Sequins Sweater, reminds me of that, its journey was an awkward one, but now it sits on the cover of the Winter 2015 issue of Love of Crochet. I may not have even known that it graced the pages, let alone the cover had it not been brought to my attention by a very compassionate and supportive designer, Marly Bird. She had noticed it, took a picture of the cover and tag me in a Facebook post.

IMG_20151201_172418778The idea for this sweater came to me nearly four years ago as I was swatching with a yarn, which I believe has been since discontinued. I was inspired by a top that my sister had given me that had this cowl type neck, but I was never happy with how it only came to my waist line, it felt to short. I created a sketch to accompany the swatch of a simple texture, and sent it to various publishers, none of which were interested. As the seasons changed I would send it to a couple of other publishers, but it never found the right fit, until I answered a call for designs for a new book that Lorna Miser was putting together.

At the time, I had never met Lorna, yet I had heard about her as a local legend. She is the original founder of Lorna’s Lace Yarn, and actually began the business just a couple of miles from me as I was growing up. Of course I had no knowledge of this at the time, or frankly the interest, but as I grew older and even began working in the crochet/yarn industry, people would notice my street address and ask if I knew Lorna. That is just how small the world can be, she began the business and grew it for several years literally just down the street from me.

She has since sold the business and is focused on designing, and was putting together a new crochet book, one in which this sweater made to cut for, so the sample was made and the pattern written. The book never made it to fruition, but the design found its way to Love of Crochet, where unbeknown to me it landed on the cover. When the design was conceived I really thought that it was great, but then it was constantly rejected, then I thought it had found its way into an actual hard copy book, to learn that things had shifted once again. It was then possible that it may make it to the light of day, only to then dance upon the cover.

This seemingly long journey, which had a couple of twists and turns, just to have a pattern for a sweater, reminds me a little of how things ultimately go in life. You think you are on one path then all of the sudden you are on another and you end up in places that you may not have expected. So as I begin the time of year that has me usually reflecting on the past, looking at where things were a year or two earlier this design will remind me that you never know where the journey might take you.

Making the Sweater Work for Me

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ScannedImageCooler weather reminds me of a learning experience I have had with crochet, something that I greatly appreciate and has changed my approach to my personal wardrobe; being able to create a sweater that actually fits.

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A sweater/tunic that I made a little longer than is written to customize to me.

Now I am not a seamstress, nor am I altering crochet patterns to a great degree to add bust darts or remove some extra fabric at the arms. That is a little more technical than I like to get. I was, at one time, very intimidated with even the idea of making a sweater, but once I realized that I was really only making fabric, it helped to remove the anxiety and allow me to expand my repute and create clothing. But when I finally undertook the challenge of making my own sweater, I could actually make them long enough to actually keep the chill off!

Now I am not a small petite little woman, not that there is anything wrong with that, but I come from a larger stock. As I remind my daughter, we have Viking heritage, and when you think of Vikings you do not readily think of tiny fragile women, you think of women that can make their presence known. A drawback to this body style is that standard clothing does not easily meet our needs. The biggest problem I have is a long waist; there is considerable distance between by last rib and my hips, yet most off-the-rack shirts have standard length that ends up resting just at the top of my hip bone. A little extra length creates a nicer appearance for me, in my opinion, and the more practical it keeps me covered better.

So how do I tie this to crochet? Well, it is relatively easy to add a little extra and make a sweater longer then is written; I just have to understand where to look. For a pattern written from the top down, this is pretty simple, I just continue working until I am happy with the length. For the more common bottom-up patterns, I have to do a little more planning. I have to pay attention to the gauge that is given and do a little math. It is not something to run away from, it is really not that hard. I simply figure out the number of rows per inch, and then figure the number of inches that I want to add to the final measurements provided in the pattern, and add the number of corresponding rows at the beginning of my stitching. To make my life easier when counting rows and knowing where I am in a pattern, I take a safety pin and insert it at the end of the last “added” row then I “begin” the actual pattern so now I start Row 1.

There is another way I can lengthen my sweater, but it is not my first or favorite choice, for a couple of reasons. This is adding an edging to the hem of the sweater; to begin with it takes away from the original design. I chose the pattern for a reason and attempting to add on an edging that actually compliments the overall design is more difficult than it sounds. This comes to the other problem I find with this approach, all of my attempts to do such, look like an afterthought. It does not flow like I would like, and therefore doesn’t end up as my favorite sweater to wear.

One thing I can say for adding some extra fabric to my sweaters, it has allowed me to take more pride in my stitching. Now not only can my loved ones enjoy the blankets I have made them, or keep warm with a hat, I can enjoy my own work and have something that feels more comfortable in the long run.