The Soulful Now

So you’re thinking about making some crochet clothing items. Here are some things I wish I knew before I made some of my clothes.

Measure yourself and go off of your own measurements. Don’t eyeball. OR go off of something you already own and use those measurements.

Think about your item in pieces: body pieces-font & back, two sleeves. Don’t think of it as you have to make it all one panel. It’s so much easier and more accurate if you make multiple panels and sew them together.

For a vest: make sure you make a “L” shape in the armpit area. Don’t be afraid to make it a deep decrease area. I made several vests and learned that the deeper the “L” shape goes the better, honestly, because if it’s not deep enough, when you add the border part it may fit weird and uncomfortably. There maybe too much yarn around the armpit and it could be uncomfortable. A vest was made to be sleeveless so make sure it actually feels that way.

I haven’t made pants but I’ve made sweaters. Measurements AREN’T hard to figure out. Once you know what you’re doing, it’s pretty easy! I only say this because I don’t make crazy shaped sweaters. I make your normal 4 paneled sweater. I’ll make your life a bit easier and help you with how to figure out basic sweater measurements.

1. Measure from the top of your shoulder to your waist or longer if you want your sweater longer. This will be how long your front and back body panels need to be.

2. Measure your waist and add at least 2 inches for a comfortable fit. Add more if you want it to be baggier. Divide this number by 2 to get the width of your front and back body panels.

3. Measure from wrist to wrist (wingspan) and this will help you with your sleeve length. Take your wingspan # and subtract the width of a body panel. Then divide that number by 2. This will be the length of each sleeve. If you want cuffs then subtract 1 or 2 from the sleeve length you just got. A cuff usually ranges between 1-2 inches. DON’T FORGET that the front body panel will need a “U” for your neck. This isn’t hard. It’s literally just only crocheting on the ends of the panel. So think of it as

|——\____/——|
| |
| |
| _____________ |
Instead of just a box… unless you want a straight neck.

4. The width of a sleeve is usually slightly smaller than the width of the front and back panels. I suggest either measuring your bicep and adding 4-5 inches or just take your starting chain and put it around your arm to what feels good to you. Either way you can’t go wrong.

SO this is how you figure out a basic sweater! Nothing special or crazy but at least now you can make one and know how to measure yourself to make one!

With care,
Alyssa