Crochet workshop,
Practise making a dropped-shoulder garment on this pint-sized stripy jumper, designed by Cara Medus.
Have you ever wondered about how garments are constructed? The area where the sleeves meet the armholes of the back and front(s) can be a complicated marvel! If words like ‘dropped-shoulder’ and ‘raglan’ fill you with dread, don’t worry – we’ve put together this guide to explain three main sleeve styles and how they’re constructed. One of the best garment types for beginners is a dropped shoulder construction, which you can practise by making our mini striped jumper on page 83.
Designer Cara Medus says: “To practise what you’ve learnt in the technical feature, here’s a half-sized version of a UK size 14, so the proportions will be exactly the same as if you were making a full-sized jumper, but with less work!”
NOTES
Always change colour in the last yrh of the previous stitch.
FRONT AND BACK MAKE 2
Row 1 (RS) With Mondrian, ch2 and work a total of 48fdc beginning the first fdc in the second ch from the hook, turn. [48 sts]
Row 2 Ch1 (does not count as st), dc in each st to end, turn, change to Raphael.
Row 3 Ch2 (does not count as st throughout), htr in st at base of ch and in each st to end, turn.
Row 3 Repeat Row 3 in Raphael. Change to Mondrian.
Rows 5-29 Continue working in rows as Row 3, working 2 rows of Mondrian and 2 rows of Raphael throughout.
Row 30 Continuing in patt as set, ss into each of first 4 sts, ch2, htr in st at base of ch and in each st to last 3 sts, turn leaving remaining sts unworked. [42 sts]
Rows 31-43 Cont in patt as set on these 42 sts.
Row 44 Ch1 (does not count as st), dc in each st to end, fasten off.
SLEEVES MAKE 2
Row 1 (RS) With Mondrian, ch2 and work a total of 22fdc beginning the first fdc in the second ch from the hook. [22 sts] Row 2 Ch1 (does not count as st), dc in each st to end, turn, change to Raphael.
Row 3 Ch2 (does not count as st throughout), htr in st at base of ch and in each st to end, turn.
Row 4 Repeat Row 3 in Raphael. Change to Mondrian.
Row 5 (Increase Row) Ch2 (does not count as st throughout), 2htr in st at base of ch, htr in each st to last st, 2htr in last st, turn. [24 sts]
Rows 6-29 Continue working in patt as set, in htr with 2 rows of each colour, and at the same time working an increase row on the third row and every following third row until there are 40 sts.
Rows 30-34 Cont in patt as set on these 40 sts, fasten off.
TO MAKE UP
Sew the Front and Back together at the shoulder seams, joining 11 sts on each side and leaving 20 sts open in the centre for the neck opening.
Fold each Sleeve in half lengthways to find the centre top, and align this with the shoulder seam on the Front and Back. Sew the Sleeve to the Front and Back along the top. Repeat for the other Sleeve.
Align Front and Back and sew the side and sleeve seams.