Everyday Crochet Wearable Designs Just for You

1 Everyday Garments Made it? Flaunt it! Crocheted clothes are not just for special occasions. If you crochet, then you can make garments to wear every day using the yarns you love. "Who would want to?" you ask. Well, think about it. You can't deny there's a great deal of pride and satisfaction in crocheting something, anything. To some extent we all seek the admiration, approval, and dumbstruck awe that skillfully crocheted objects inspire. But how many admirers can there be for pretty afghans and decorative items that stay at home? Or for those gorgeous but frivolous accessories you adore wearing, but that only come out during the holidays? I see many possible reasons for not putting your yarn stash on your back more often. Never crocheted a garment before? We will fix that. Haven't met the right crochet design? Maybe we can fix that. Can't find patterns in your size? Ditto. Think you can't wear or don't look good in crochet? It's not you, it's the crocheted garment that's either too clunky and thick, isn't your size, or has no shape. We can fix that, too. Aren't sure how to mix crochet with your own clothes? I can't give you a makeover, but I hope the photos of crochet plus wardrobe staples will give you some ideas. Extra Sizing Spoken Here Nobody, no body is perfect. To be human-especially to be a human woman-is to have bulges. From birth we are told that some bulges are sexy and desirable, worthy of flaunting, while some other bulges are unsightly, best kept disguised. Who made those rules? How are we supposed to maintain any kind of self-esteem when our fashion icons are size 4 and the average American woman is size 14? I am ashamed to admit that I totally bought into this worship of the slender. Until very recently I hadn't even considered sizing my designs larger than XL, with a finished bust around 44" (112cm). And for the most part, the editors and publishers for whom I designed were not much concerned about it. Today I am acutely aware of the need for good crochet design for other than tiny model figures. But, be assured, this book isn't for large sizes only. Every garment here is offered from small (to fit busts sized 32-34" [81-84cm]) through extra sizing (to fit busts up to 50" [127cm]), and some larger still. Many designs are Petite-able and Tall-able. If we aren't encouraged to rejoice in our various bulges, at least we can dress them in crochet. This book is about options. Each of the following design chapters offers a basic clothing item, then runs through a gang of variations on the theme. Your perfect sweater probably won't be like any of the samples I have crocheted, because you are going to shop for the bits to do for yourself, sort of one from column A, one from column B. Add up the parts you want for the silhouette that works best for your body, whatever your size. The Dreaded Raglan Understand that I design garments from the neck down with raglan-type increases in pattern to shape the shoulders and arms. Many readers will appreciate my MO for the technical crochet aspects but will immediately dismiss the thought of raglans as intrinsically unattractive. And normally that'd be correct. Most real figures will look best in a shoulder that's more structured, with a defined shoulder line and set-in sleeves. But in order to hang properly and look good, structured garments require precise calculation of various slopes, perfect placement of the shoulder seam, and skillful seaming. I never enjoyed crocheting garments this way because of the sewing. It's not that I dislike or disapprove of sewing or seaming in crochet; it's more that I've always been so lousy at it. And as for sewn raglan seams in crochet, they're the most horrible, unyielding, bulky, constricting, and restricting style imaginable. This raglan's different. This raglan is a gentle, almost invisible (or very pretty where perceptible) line of increasing stChan, Doris is the author of 'Everyday Crochet Wearable Designs Just for You', published 2007 under ISBN 9780307353733 and ISBN 0307353737.