For Them Sweater

I have been experimenting with different crochet techniques all my life. My kind of designing career started in early childhood when I was making weird clothes and accessories for my dolls, and also myself. And when I decided to start designing professionally and turn it into my daily job, I took overlay and mosaic crochet techniques onboard. But you live, you learn. There are still a lot of things and tricks you can learn. And today I would like to introduce you something I have never done before. Please, welcome – For Them Sweater. 

You can find the pattern on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE and enjoy a 20% introductory discount through Monday, October 10th, 2022. No codes needed; the price has been discounted already. 

For Them Sweater is a top-down garment, and I always opt for this version because it is very easy to adjust as-you-go for your own body shape, and length for the lower body and sleeves. But if all my previous garments were worked from top in rows or rounds, the yoke for this sweater is done horizontally, from side to side using slip stitch crochet technique. 

As you can see in the pictures, and what is hopefully clear from the name, For Them Sweater is a unisex garment perfect both for men and women. I also designed two yoke options which you can choose from. One is curly with leaves and another one is more graphical with “arrows” as I called them. In my opinion, both yoke designs are both male and female, but it is always nice to have a choice. 

I made three samples myself: two with Scheepjes Terrazzo yarn, and one more short-sleeved sweater with Scheepjes Bamboo Soft. These yarns are different in weight (DK and Sport/Fingering), but as you can see, both worked just fine. 

You can find all yarn mentioned in this blog post in your local Scheepjes shop, or via online retailers which ship internationally (affiliate links): Wool Warehouse (UK & worldwide), Caro's Atelier (NL & Europe), Taemombo (US & Canada).

The pattern is written specifically for DK yarn with an exact gauge in mind, but you can absolutely use a smaller yarn and hook (like I did, and some of my testers). You will just need to follow the pattern’s recommendations carefully, make accurate measurements and adjust stitch counts for your own gauge (with a smaller hook you will obviously get more stitches in 10cm/4in). And if you do not want to do any additional maths, just choose the DK yarn and follow the pattern exactly as written. 

If you make a search for slip stitch crochet, you will find quite a few wonderful examples done by other designers. This, in fact, simple way of crochet is very effective and resembles brioche knitting. And you would probably agree with me that it is always nice to achieve something like knit fabric but using just a normal crochet hook. 

I have studied the patterns of other designers, but in the end decided to simplify everything and make my own pattern as easy as possible. So, if you are familiar with the slip stitch crochet already, my interpretation might seem a bit different from what you are used to. I am using only general slip stitches and single crochet stitches (all in US terms) and work them in back loops only. 

I do not introduce any complicated additional stitches, and instructions for every row are amazingly short. You only need to follow them carefully and maybe mark already done rows in the pattern, as it is very easy to overlook something. 

Because this technique is new to me, I have recorded several short video tutorials to accompany For Them Sweater pattern. In these videos I explain the sweater’s construction, how to choose the correct size, how to do slip stitch crochet (in my way and showing first rows of the pattern), how to adjust the yoke for your own body, how to make measurements and keep the gauge under control and give more helpful tips to make sure the sweater will fit you just fine. 

My testers team did an amazing job for this pattern. Their notes and comments helped me to improve the pattern and clear up all tiny spots which could otherwise confuse you. Usually, I make a collage with testers’ work, but all their sweaters are so wonderful, that I decided to showcase them all here, on by one. 

Esther Schippers chose Scheepjes Terrazzo yarn and made a lovely sweater for her husband.

Elizabeth Garcia Kalka used Scheepjes Bamboo Soft yarn in purple shade and made a sweater for her son (in his favourite color). 

For Sandra Veneman this sweater became a real “for them” garment as it perfectly fits herself and her husband. She also chose Scheepjes Terrazzo yarn in same color as Esther did but using Yoke 1 option.

 Taylor O’Shea went for a short-sleeved top using Scheepjes Bamboo Soft yarn. 

Loele van den Bergh made an oversized sweater for herself with Scheepjes Terrazzo and Yoke 1 option.

Laura Jackson picked a wonderful cream shade of Scheepjes Metropolis yarn and created a gentle sweater for herself. 

Jenna Bowers also decided in favour of Scheepjes Metropolis and made a slightly oversized sweater for her husband.

Lisa Marlow was using Scheepjes Terrazzo and made a fantastic outdoor garment for her husband. 

How cool are all those sweaters? I can’t stop looking at them. If you would like to know more details about the yarns our testers team did and sizing, please check their project pages on Ravelry. 

You can find For Them Sweater pattern on Ravelry HERE and Etsy HERE and enjoy a 20% introductory discount through Monday, October 10th, 2022. No codes needed; the price has been discounted already. 

 Hope you enjoy. 

  

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