My First Crochet Sweater
I started this sweater in June, 2022. I wasn’t using a pattern. I just wanted to try putting two rectangles together. And I wanted to use up my Lion Brand Homespun yarn, which had been sitting in my yarn basket since 2006.
I had a TON of this stuff.
I loved Homespun when I was in college in the early 2000s. At that time, I bought ALL my yarn by feel. I didn’t care what it was, as long at it was soft or silky. While I find the Homespun splitty and hard to work with now, and my years of using the scarves I made with it have shown me it doesn’t hold up very well (it gets SOOO fuzzy!), somehow I managed just fine back in the day. And I do have to admit that I still love its softness and I particularly love the color gradations, especially in some of the earlier colorways. I absolutely PINE for some of these colors and variegations in a better yarn.
But which colors to use?
So, I had at least half a dozen different colors to use up. A couple were originally reserved for a blanket that had sat “unfinished” for several years. But upon getting back into crochet, I decided I actually liked the blanket as it was and didn’t want to add on any more. So back in the stash those skeins and partial skeins went.
I was disappointed to realize that it didn’t make sense to use ALL of my Homespun together. Some had cool undertones, and some were warm. I’m not one to scoff at mixing grey and brown, but they have to be the right grey and brown. And these just didn’t work.
But I saw that the warm tones had a great retro vibe, and the plan was born.
I didn’t want anything complicated. I wanted a big, bold retro stripe. I guess, it’s really more color-blocking than stripes, but the feel is the same.
Watch the Video!
If you would like to see more on the making of this sweater, and accompany your own stitching with some cozy music montages, I’ve got a project video on YouTube!
The colors I used were: Sierra, Barley, and Covered Bridge Red. The first two had been for the blanket, and the Barley was only half a skein. Yet, for some reason, I thought it would be enough.
But it wasn’t.
I did run out of yarn. And I hadn’t got anywhere near a complete sweater. I checked the stores and discovered Homespun yarn didn’t look like this anymore. I bought another red one, to further play up the stripes. But it was a firey orange red, and clashed with this more subtle, weathered-looking red. So I returned it. (At least I didn’t grow my stash!)
Into my Box of I Don’t Wanna
So I tucked the sweater away, not wanting to deal with it. Tossed it in with the other unfinished objects that I didn’t want to deal with.
UNTIL
It finally occurred to me that I could put my experienced ebay prowess to good use and just find some more yarn.
So I recommitted to finishing it, but by this time, I’d found the joys of vintage patterns. And one, in particular, was basically what I was already doing.
If ever I wondered about my eye for vintage qualities, this proved I knew what was what. It was the same shape, the same construction – I was even already doing the contrasting, faux epaulette shoulder join!
But there were crucial differences (besides my stripe).
The laces.
Where I would originally have sewn the sides together, this has a contrasting lace to join the sides.
Additionally, there’s a belt! I would never have thought to make a belt, because I generally don’t look good in them with my shape. But, as I had yarn left, I went for it. And I was SO glad I did. I think these are the touches that turn it from a basic, boring rectangle into something truly RETRO.
Then for styling, I took my cue from the book itself and shopped for a plaid button up that would compliment my colors. I am not fashionable. I never would have thought of that. In truth, I have no clue how I originally intended to wear a sleeveless sweater.
Side note: Before I found the plaid top, I wore it out of the house with just a tank top underneath. Homespun yarn DOES NOT BREATHE! I got so sweaty, and the yarn didn’t even absorb it. It just stayed wet at the back of my neck. So I made sure my plaid top was cotton to counterbalance this.
Construction Notes
While I say this is the “Tweedy-Look Tunic” from Stitch by Stitch, volume 1, since my version was already well under way when I found the pattern, I really used it more as a guideline/inspiration.
Here are some specifics on the construction, and where my sweater is modified from the original pattern.
You can also find these details on my ravelry page.
Materials
- Lion Brand Homespun yarn, colors:
- Sierra
- Barley
- Covered Bridge Red
- Hook size:
- 10mm for body
- 8mm for laces
Modifications
- Half double crochet, instead of triple
- 5 stitches wider than pattern (though old section also has looser gauge /is stretched out, so 6 at gauge, as pattern grading recommended, might have been right)
- 5 extra stitches on each shoulder join (for a total of 17)
- Back a little longer than front
- Used the same yarn for shoulders and laces, rather than worsted as pattern said.
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