Free Dolman Sleeve Crochet Sweater Pattern

I have to admit, many crocheted sweaters out there look like something my great great great grandmother might wear (sorry to offend any of you crocheters out there).  Yes, sorry to be harsh, but it's rare that I come across crochet sweater patterns that I would actually make and more importantly wear.  While I think many designers out there are making improvements, it is still hard to come across fun and stylish patterns. I think crocheting has a bad reputation -- and while knitting has "come back" as cool and fun, crochet hasn't quite caught up yet.  I hope to maybe start changing that reputation, one pattern at a time. My goal with my Design Week Dolman Sleeve Crochet pattern was to create an easy and good looking sweater that would inspire people to pick up a hook and try crocheting out if they haven't yet.  And for those of you out there who crochet already but wouldn't be caught dead wearing a crocheted sweater, I wanted to design one that you might actually wear.  This is great for the spring and summer.  You can wear it with a shirt underneath if it's chillier or with a tank if it's warmer.  Please don't be intimidated by this.... it really is easy and I'm going to walk you all through it step by step.

Here are the techniques you'll need to know for making this sweater.  I will have links to these techniques in another post that will show you how to do everything:

• CH = Chain: This is the foundation row that you start with when crocheting
• HDC = Half Double Crochet:  This is the only stitch 
• SC = Single Crochet
• Turning the work and crocheting the other direction.  
• Seaming the pieces together
• Making sure you have the appropriate gauge or can adjust your gauge to make the sweater fit you

This sweater is worked in two pieces and is then seamed on the sides, under the armpit, and then at the top of the sleeves to the neck.  With both pieces, you'll be crocheting the body, the piece will then be turned and then you'll crochet the sleeves.  This gives you the vertical look for the body and then the horizontal look for the arms.

Materials:

• 3 skeins Caron Simply Soft yarn in the color of your choice
• Size US 9/I 6.0mm Crochet hook
• Tapestry needle to seam and weave in ends

Gauge:

7 HDCs and 5 HDC rows = 2 inches (this is approximate -- don't stress about the gauge, you can pick what you want and then adjust according to the measurements you'd like to make)

Instructions:

• Determine the length you'd like your sweater to be from the underarm to the waist.  On the version of my sweater, the length from the underarm to the waist was 12 inches total: 9 inches of the vertical body piece and then another 3 inches horizontally before extending for the arms.  Determine the totally length you want from the underarm, then subtract 3 inches.  This is how wide you will need to make the initial piece of the sweater.  Remember the gauge here is the WIDTH since this piece will be worn sideways.
• For example, since my piece needed to be 9 inches, I needed to have about 32 HDCs to meet the gauge
• CH the appropriate number of stitches for your gauge plus an additional CH. So for my sweater, I chained 32 + 1 CHs.
• Row 1: Skip the first CH from the hook and HDC all of the way across 
• Row 2: CH1, turn, HDC all of the way across, making sure to keep the original number of HDCs for each row
• Continue the piece in this manner with HDC rows until the piece measures the width you need.  So for my sweater, I made my piece about 18.5 inches wide so it would measure about 37 inches in circumference when both pieces were sewn together.  I am about a 36 inches around and gave myself an extra inch -- you don't want to make this too tight or too loose.
• When the piece has reached the desired width of the sweater, CH1 and turn to crochet horizontally across the vertical rows

• You will now crochet 6 SCs for about every 5 HDC rows across (SC in each row 4 times and then 2 SCs in the next row).  On my piece, I ended up with 56 SCs across.  
• Now crochet 6 rows of HDCs

• Once these rows are complete, you'll be extending for the arms.  At the end of your last row, CH 21 (or how ever long you'd like to make the sleeves).  

• Skip first CH from hook, and HDC in each CH and then continue to HDC across the main body of the sweater.  Once you've hit the end of the row, you'll continue out for the other sleeve by chaining 21.  Turn the work.
• Again, skip first CH from hook, and HDC in each CH and then continue to HDC across the main body of sweater and across the other arm.  
• You'll now be working back and forth across the sleeves and body until this part has reached the desired height.  To achieve this Dolman Sleeve look, make sure you allow for ample room for the sweater to hang down below your arm.   I continued the HDCs rows so that the sleeve height was 10 inches.  Tie off.

• Complete these same directions for the other side.

• Lay both piece on top of each other and seam up the underarms and sides.  Then seam up the tops of the arms and the neck, leaving enough room for the neckline.  I left about 11 inches open at the top for my neckline.
• Weave in ends and wear with confidence!

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