My first post in the Needle Work community, hello!
I have a long history with fiber arts, I used to do a lot of sewing and sold lots of 1/1 dresses and tops back in the day when @vachemorte and I had a shop. During that time I attempted to relearn knitting (my grandmother had taught me when I was younger but I forgot everything...). I made two huge 6 foot long scarves for the both of us, then became interested in crochet.
I made quite a few hats and some cowl, scarf type things but never ventured into wearables as I thought they were too intimidating. Over the years I would crochet, then stop crocheting for long periods of time. For some reason I got a hankering to have another go at it but I was bored of making hats lol. I looked up some beginner sweater/cardigan tutorials and came across this one: https://www.crochetwithcarrie.com/balloon-sleeve-cardigan/
I realize that it was basically just some rectangles attached together and the balloon sleeves were made in the round all of which I was capable of..
I really loved the sleeves the most. I started off following the pattern but pretty quickly went freestyle.
This lilac colored yarn is the only one I had enough of (about 6 skeins). I was hoping for dear life because the pattern called for 7, but since I was making it smaller I thought I might make it. Well that didn't happen, I ran out and had to do an emergency yarn purchase. I was not able to find the exact yarn so I ended up getting this paler lilac and and off white to make a gradient. Here is my little swatch test to see how they worked together:
Another snag I ran into, the pattern called for 6mm and 8mm hooks and for some unknown reason I only had 5.5 and 7.5. The size small I was making was supposed to be very oversized, so again I thought NO PROBLEM. Even with slightly smaller hooks it will still probably be oversized... how wrong I was. It still does fit well thankfully but I wanted everything bigger, especially the sleeves. Lesson learned haha!
I'm wondering if blocking it with steam or warm water/blow dryer could potentially relax it but I haven't attempted that yet and might test a swatch first :)
For some info, the main body panel is made of HDCBLO.
A close up of the arms which are made with a shell stitch and a SCBLO ribbing for the cuff:
Overall I think this was a decent attempt at a first wearable and I'm excited to carry forward what I learned from my mistakes!
I have a lot of yarn I've accumulated over the years and I'm trying to figure out a new project to get rid of it, might make the ugliest sweater ever?????? idk lol, IDEAS?
To follow on twitter, personal account, Alien Art Hive Community account <3
You are one talented lady! Love the colours, sorry you feel it's too small. Hope you can stretch it.
💯 To making the ugliest sweater ever hahaaaa!
I came a ross this pouf / footrest thing that looks appealing but idk if I would need to buy more yarn which defeats the purpose a bit lol
Omg that thing is amazing!!!! Another emergency yarn trip make occur.... Hehehe
Saludos @juliakponsford, tu enfoque siempre es diferente, muy original.
Ty Francisco :)
Wow - that is very cool for a first attempt at such a complex structure, @juliakponsford - and welcome to Needlework Monday! 🤗
I too adore puffed sleeves like this, and am keen to (eventually) take up crocheting - am sure that I learned basic crochet as a child, so it will be fun to try it again 🌟🌷
Ty Clare, it's definitely a muscle memory thing so I'm sure you can pick it up very quickly even if you haven't done it for a long time 🎊
🤗💝
I LOVE THIS PURPLE CROCHET SWEATER MY DEAR, very nice and very cool.
THANK YOU 💕
That turned out super rad! I love the colors and it looks like the happy accident worked out for the best. It really does look great on you and you even got it done in time for the season!
I thought it would take so much longer but as I passed the halfway mark I got super motivated to finish it and went crazy, ty!
Your sweater turned out beautifully! I love love love the sleeves! It looks really pretty on you..great job!
Thanks Tamara, it seems like the sleeves are a big hit with everyone haha
I'm not surprised lol
Greetings @juliakponsford ,
Lovely, Lovely work and result. So very elegant on you and the colour gradient makes for a stunning outcome....Well done!
Kind Regards,
Bleujay
Thanks bleujay 💫
It turned out very nice; you used beautiful colors. The sleeve also turned out beautifully, and I think it's the hardest part of the knitting. Beautiful work.
Ty Isabel 🫶
I loved this sweater. It looks gorgeous on you, and the gradient color combination you spontaneously created was beautiful. Plus, the sleeve design is super elegant—it's the kind of sleeve I want to use on all my blouses.
Starting over with something we haven't done in years motivates us even more when it turns out so beautifully.
Greetings, welcome!
Yes the sleeves are the focal point for me 🎈
Congratulations on your completion of your first sweatshirt. I hope it motivates you to do more.
Yes now I have too many ideas for my time haha
Wow! Congratulations on finishing your first crochet sweater. It looks so beautiful and your improvisation with the colors when you ran out of yarn is so perfect.
Ty I am pretty good at winging it and I'm happy it worked out!
It turned out beautifully. I love the lilac color and especially the sleeves. You are so talented!👏 My mom used to knit and still has some knitting books stored away. She always tried to convince me to knit, but honestly, i feel like i don't have the patience for that art, which i admire greatly, but i prefer to leave it to others 😅
It's definitely a patience game for sure, I usually run a podcast or tv show in the bg. I do find crochet goes faster than knitting though, the stitches are bigger so it's a bit more satisfying to watch the piece grow 🌱
Oh, that makes sense! i was wondering what the difference was. My mom used to use very fine needles and thread, and i found it very difficult to do the basic stitches. I'll have to try crochet sometime ;)
It definitely depends on the yarn and needle/hook size, you can also crochet super fine lace with thread which takes ages and I have never attempted that 😂 but using medium sized yarn or chunky yarn for hats works up quicker 😀
Oh my good! It looks spectacular on you!!! I love the colour combination, the style, the design... it must have been an incredible amount of work, but I absolutely love the result!!😍
It was a lot of work for sure but I'm super happy with it, ty!
🤗🤗🤗
I think it turned out very well, I liked the gradient, even though it was a forced decision 😂. Sometimes we skip a little bit the instructions thinking that everything is going to be fine, that we have it under control and reality contradicts us 😂. Still looks "decent" to me as you say for your first attempt. I imagine you will use that thread you have saved, if there are ideas to develop.
The gradient was definitely a happy little accident, I have always hated following patterns exactly even though I should 😅
I liked that "happy accident" thing 😂.
Julia, a big bravo to you! If you still sell handmade fashions like this I would love to buy one from you for my wife!
Unfortunately I'm not in a place to do commissions as it takes so long to create, but I take it as a huge compliment that you would buy one for your wife 💜
I really enjoyed reading how you discovered what works best for you with fiber arts, thanks for sharing🙏You’ve made me want to start crocheting again. I only made a bag for myself about five months ago, and that’s when I realized how much the yarn affects the process. I used a very thin yarn and spent almost two weeks crocheting non stop to finish it. Still crochet is such a beautiful craft. Warm greetings 🤗
Yes the yarn and hook and tension make such a huge difference! Have fun with your next project!
Looks great Julia . Wifey also thinks so . She’s is pretty good at the old crocheting and sewing . https://www.instagram.com/madebyaoife?igsh=Z2didWd6dnowbzVy
Aww ty, her stuff is so cute!
nice :)
Ty I'm proud of my messy baby haha
😍
Saludos hermoso tejido y el color no se queda atrás...me encanta
Ty!
Awesome color choices! How long did it take?
I worked on it over about 3 weeks picking it up for 20 min to a few hours each day, wish I could estimate the hours but it's probably almost 10k stitches lol! If I had to guess maybe 30 hours total but that could be very inaccurate
This looks amazing, you should be proud of yourself :)
It's so difficult to finish a project so I am very proud that I did lol 💯
Making a crochet sweater like this is truly a great compliment. The color gradients and sleeve designs really impressed me. Best wishes to you.
Tysm 😊