You may remember my obsession 2 or 3 years ago with the Diamond Patch Sweater. I fell in love with this pattern. Problem--I don't knit!! I contacted the designer, Jill Vosberg, who is also a crocheter, but she had not done anything similar in crochet. OK--maybe I can replicate this look in crochet. Not--
So, after a long time, a lot of frustration, numerous swatches that looked nothing like the pattern, I was about to give up on ever having this sweater.
I still really want this sweater--but I really hate knitting so my skills are not very good. As my granddaughter would say, I put on my big girl pants and asked Kitty if she would do it for me. She said yes, so I got the yarn last year at the Oakland Fiber Festival. It is a beautiful mercerized cotton from Crystal Palace yarns. OK! Now we're cooking with gas.
Kitty delivered it to me about a month ago. It has crochet trim so she left the finishing for me to do. A lot of yarn left. I was surprised, hoping that I was going to have enough. When I tried it on, I knew why. The pattern had an option for a cropped length or a tunic length. I was thinking tunic and actually got cropped. If I were in my 20's, this might be OK. In my 60"s, not so much. I did not care for the ribbing called for around the neck and sleeves so I crocheted several rows of blo around the neck, and then repeated that on the sleeves. Using my ripple afghan skills, I used this same method to increase the length to cover my little pot belly.
What do you think? I have my sweater, I'm very happy. I wore it to a doctors appointment this week and a woman stopped me in the lobby of the medical building to ask me if I had made it. She told me she thought it was spectacular. I do, too.
So, after a long time, a lot of frustration, numerous swatches that looked nothing like the pattern, I was about to give up on ever having this sweater.
I still really want this sweater--but I really hate knitting so my skills are not very good. As my granddaughter would say, I put on my big girl pants and asked Kitty if she would do it for me. She said yes, so I got the yarn last year at the Oakland Fiber Festival. It is a beautiful mercerized cotton from Crystal Palace yarns. OK! Now we're cooking with gas.
Kitty delivered it to me about a month ago. It has crochet trim so she left the finishing for me to do. A lot of yarn left. I was surprised, hoping that I was going to have enough. When I tried it on, I knew why. The pattern had an option for a cropped length or a tunic length. I was thinking tunic and actually got cropped. If I were in my 20's, this might be OK. In my 60"s, not so much. I did not care for the ribbing called for around the neck and sleeves so I crocheted several rows of blo around the neck, and then repeated that on the sleeves. Using my ripple afghan skills, I used this same method to increase the length to cover my little pot belly.
4 comments:
That is a gorgeous sweater. Would love to see it on you.
cay,
this top turned out so cute! looks like you did a good job translating a knit design into crochet. is a pattern forthcoming? i hope so!
jd in st louis
http://crochet.craftgossip.com
Cay ~ I have made 4 of these sweaters so you can see that it's a very favorite of mine. I LOVE your clever lengthening idea! I had problems with the V-neck being too low for me. I ended up crocheting the trim a bit deeper and then running clear elastic through stitches on the back-side of the neck stitches to help snug it up so that it would stay up on my 67-yrs-young shoulders.
Enjoy wearing your beautiful sweater.
Nicely done!
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