Have you ever thought of designing your own one-off sweater? I've been thinking about doing it for a while, but I just keep putting it off. Maybe you will humour me with a break from the norm and we can deep dive sweater construction together?
With all the sweater patterns out there you would think I could find one I like. The problem is; I think I have found one and then realise it is in the wrong yarn, or it's too long (or too short), too fitted (or too baggy). The list goes on! The problem is we are just not all the same shape and certainly we don't all have the same taste!
Let's start by looking at the overall shape before moving on to look at the details!
1.Drop Shoulder
Like a T-shirt, this garment has the most basic construction. It usually produces an over-sized silhouette, think of a boyfriend sweater. As a first garment it may be a good place to start but it is certainly not without it's flaws.
At it's most basic what we have is three rectangles; the body and two sleeves. Because of this it is easy to adapt most patterns, making the sweater longer or shorter, wider or narrower.
It can be constructed from patchwork pieces, worked in rows from any direction, or even in the round. But, the chances are there will be a few seams involved somewhere.
The sleeves may be made as flat panels or worked in the round and worked directly onto the sweater. Perhaps they are tapered, or are left straight, or have cuffs.
The simplest necklines are slashed, boat and crew neck.
Now let's consider the downside. If you are apple shaped, with all your weight on the upper part of your body and slim legs, this will probably not be flattering.
Drop shoulder sleeves leave a lot of fabric under the arm. For relaxing around the house it's very comfortable, but as I put on my coat this morning, I regretted my choice of drop shoulder sweater as the sleeves bunched up and rode up my arms!
Seams
Before we move on to more tailored garments, there is an issue here which I think often gets over looked. When we first start to think about garment making we often begin by thinking about pattern pieces as if we were working with cloth.
Cloth is woven with a warp and a weft, so it has almost no stretch. The warp runs all the way through the fabric vertically, and the weft horizontally. This is called the 'grain'.
To overcome this deficiency clever tailors turn the fabric 45⁰, laying the fabric on the 'bias'. This allows for more drape and stretch.
Crochet and cloth are not the same! A crochet fabric is made up of individual stitches which pull and push against each other. So applying the same rules to crochet garments as to woven garments is very silly!
Crochet is a naturally three dimensional craft where stitches can be added, without seams, from any direction.
The problem of seams is that they restrict the movement of our fabric. Different combinations of stitches will have different characteristics. It determines how the material will stretch and drape. This in turn has an effect on the choices we make. But I'm getting ahead of myself! Let's get back to basics.
2.Batwing or Dolman
Just a step away from the Drop-shoulder sweater its more sophisticated cousin, the Batwing. I guess you could crochet it from any direction, although it seems to be mostly worked from sleeve to sleeve in vertical rows. I have made one worked in two panels, but I see no reason why we couldn't make one as a single panel. (I probably need to go away and think about this some more!)
To create the elegant shape it is usually close fitting at the hips. It probably would suit an apple shaped body more than the drop shoulder, as under bust shaping is naturally part of the design.
3.Kimono
Technically it could be argued that Dolman and Kimono are simply drop shoulder sweaters. I thought that they should be included as separate items as they offer quite different design solutions.
A Kimono is a T-shaped garment with wide sleeves. Many design solutions present themselves with the ability to create different oblong shapes in various ways. Perhaps using different stitch patterns, colours, and worked from both vertical and horizontal directions in the same garment.
For an apple shaped body a crossed over or belted design would be more flattering, whereas the heavy hipped pear might prefer the tunic style.
4.Circular Yoke
Beginning at the neckline and worked top-down and in the round, this is my personal favourite method of construction. It can be as simple or complex as required. As it can be worked in continuous rounds, it is particularly suited to colour-work. But, turned rows are also possible, especially with clever placement of the row end. The joy of the technique is that an entire sweater can be produced without a single seam. It relies on the stretchy 3dimensional nature of the crochet fabric, something which is unachievable with a woven cloth.
The yoke covers the entire shoulders down to the armhole. From the neckline down the circle is constructed with regular increases.
At this point the circle is divided into the body and the arm sections. Additional chain stitches can be added at the armhole to increase the circumference of the sleeves and body section. This gives a better fit across the shoulders and at the widest point across the chest.
The body is now worked down and the sleeve caps ignored. It is possible to add shaping, with decreases at the under bust, followed by increases at the waist to achieve the correct circumference for the hips.
Finally the sleeves are crocheted down. Once again shaping can be added for a good fit at biceps and wrist.
The circular yoke is a problem because it falls to the same depth at the front and back of the neck. This often makes the back feel as if it is falling too low and the front too high! To overcome this, short rows can be added at the back, either at the start or at the end of the yoke. The effect is to push the back neckline higher and throw the front neckline lower.
As I have described, the design can be easily adjusted to suit most body shapes. The exception being those with excessively slopping shoulders.
5.Raglan
The raglan design is exactly the same as the circular yoke except that the increases are set at four points creating the classic sporty look.
By adjusting the exact position of these increases different necklines can be achieved. A squarer neckline is often considered more flattering.
Both ways of working offer different design solutions. For instance, we may consider the yoke separately to the body of the garment, using different stitch patterns. A seam or button placket can take advantage of the line left by the raglan increases.
In all other aspects the same techniques and shaping are possible.
6.Tailored 
I've left my least favourite method until last. Where as, in the top-down method adjustments for fit can be made as the work progresses, the tailored approach requires us to get the perfect fit through careful measuring and perfect gauge. It obviously involves seams!
Let's imagine we are dressmakers! Before we go anywhere near the fabric we have paper pattern pieces that can be adjusted to accommodate bigger or smaller, longer or shorter. Be it a high waist, a large bust, a short arm, all these adjustments can be made. We can combine sizes and change lengths with ease. Once the fabric is cut we can check for fit again. Even as we seam and build the garment it is still possible to adjust darts or seams or hems. Not so with crochet!
Please don't be put off by a tailored sweater just because it is my idea of hell! It does allow us to achieve designs which otherwise would be unachievable.
Now that we have selected our basic sweater, let's accessorise!
Necklines
The construction of our sweater is going to affect the neckline to some extent. But you can still add a rib edging to almost any style of neck line. So if you are working from a pattern and the neckline doesn't suit, there maybe an opportunity to change it. Some stitch patterns naturally roll so there maybe an opportunity to exploit that.
Sleeves
Sleeve preference is a very personal choice. I'm a small person and find that my commercially bought clothes have sleeves that are almost always a little too long. I suppose I've come to like that, but isn't it annoying when your sleeves end up wet after a quick bit of washing up?! Just like neck-lines, there is often an opportunity to change the look of a sleeve.
Cuffs and Hems
Of course you can allow the stitch pattern to form the hem. Unlike woven fabrics we don't have to finish our garments. But a little detail can completely alter the overall effect.
Pockets
I do like a pocket! Obviously a patch pocket is the easiest to make. You can dress it up with a tab top or flap. A consideration with crochet is that it can be thick and heavy. So an invisible pocket might make life easier if you are up for a little sewing. A hidden cloth pocket might be just the thing, tucked away within a seam. Alternatively you can leave a gap in the crochet like a large button hole. Turn it into a feature with a welt or a flap and maybe a stylish button.
I am very much afraid that I have given us far too many options. I want to make all of the sweaters all at once! I haven't even begun to think about the yarn, the stitch pattern or the colour.
Of course I am expecting you to have your say, tell me what I have forgotten and tell me how wrong I am about tailored sweaters!
...Season's Greetings!
...fastening off 
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