Crochet pattern: Duo sweater

Winter is among us! Even though the winters are not as cold as before, it's still "sweater weather".  And with the pandemic and lockdown in affect, what better way than to crochet yourself a super warm sweater while you sit at home? But before we begin, I'd first like to wish you all a Fijne jaarwisseling! And to a healthy year in 2021!

Today I have for you a pattern I found online called the Duo sweater. Duo meaning two because this sweater consists of 2 colours. But what's so great about this pattern is that it is available in 17 different sizes, from baby size to 4X! That means you can make one for yourself and for someone special in your life! I have made one for myself first and have plans to make one for my daughter with the colors reversed.

Here is a link to the free pattern: Ravelry: Duo Sweater pattern by Abigail Haze.

This pattern is fairly easy but I will share with you some tips below so your project can go smoothly. These tips you can also apply to other patterns! Anyway, the crocheting for this particular project took 17 hours for a size S(mall) and another hour plus to sew it all together.

The yarn I used and needle.

Before you begin, you first need to measure yourself to find the right size. The pattern is American so the chart in the pattern for finished chest circumference and length is in inches, so make sure you use the correct measuring tape or convert. Once you know the size you are going to make, the chart also lists how many skeins (balls of yarn) you need. You can calculate this by checking the yarn used for the pattern, which happens to be the Red Heart Medley Bulky Weight Yarn. This does not mean you have to use the same brand, but looking up this type of yarn on the Ravelry website (Ravelry: Red Heart Medley), you can see that 1 skein is 86 yards (79 meters). So according to the chart, I would need 6.5 skeins of color A, or 6.5x79m = 513.5m of color A. The skein I used is "Extra Large Metallic" that I bought from Action, and one ball is 212.5m, meaning I would need 3 balls to cover 513.5m.

Same hook size, type of yarn, and tension, but different hook brand = different gauge?!

So, once you have your size figured out and you have all the yarn you need for your project, then you need to make sure you have the right tools and to make a gauge. On the pattern lists the tool you need, a 10mm crocht hook. It also lists the gauge which tells you that if you were to crochet 6 rows of 7 HBdc (abbreviation for Herringbone double crochet), the gauge should measure 4x4 inches. I cannot stress how important it is to make a gauge when making clothes because everything from the needle to the yarn can affect how your project will turn out. Case in point, see the picture of the two gauges I made using two different needles of the "same" size. Both needles were 10mm, but the grey needle from Zeeman created a guage that was slightly bigger, whereas the orange metallic needle from Action created the perfect gauge.

Tip! ALWAYS make a gauge to check that the size is correct or your garment will not come out the right size!

All the finished pieces laid out.

Now you are ready to start crocheting. Put on Netflix or something on TV and just go! Make sure you get yourself something to count your rows so you do not lose track. Once you have the pieces done, attach them all together with your method of choice. I personally use a whip stitch (also suggested in the pattern) with a yarn needle. To be very honest, I almost gave up at this point of my project! When I was attaching the pink triangles to the sides, the triangles were not the same size, and that frustrated me. They have the same amount of rows, but I guess I had a tighter tension when I made one, so on closer inspection, the pink triangle is taller on one side than the other! But I kept going and finished the project.

Feeling stylish?

Afterwards, I washed and dried the sweater in my laundry machines to make it softer and it's ready to be worn!  The sleeves and length is the right size, but the hole for my head is slightly too small, so I think I'll have to go back and fix that. So another tip is to make sure you check the size for the head before you sew in the tails!!!

So it doesn't look store-bought, but that's what crafting is about!

So, 18 hours of work on this one sweater, which for me is equivalent to a little over a month's time, so it's time for a break! I hope you have a decent year end in 2020 and hope to see you all next year!

         

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Crochet needle/hook 10mm

Yarn needle

Thick, Bulky Yarn, two colors