It's Okay to Improvise

A few days ago I finished my second crochet sweater. I won't post the pattern because as far as I know it is not available online. For those of you who like to crochet clothes you would actually wear and patterns that don't try your patience, I absolutely recommend Contemporary Crochet 37 European Designs by Sys Fredens. This a great book with lots of wearable and completely doable patterns.

I crocheted what the book describes as a "wide-neck top." It has long sleeves and basically a boat-neck opening that can slide over your shoulder a little bit. The stitch pattern is very easy - it's a double-crochet stitch that crosses over a stitch - basically making an "x." Well, I was once a lazy hooker and never bothered with measuring a sample swatch to obtain gauge before starting any of my projects. This time I told myself that I had better take the time to find the proper gauge if I am going to bother making a sweater that fits properly. I followed all the directions to a T but forgot to do one thing - measure the width of my shoulders and make sure that the wide neck would not be too wide. I deliberately crocheted a size larger than what I needed because I wanted a loose, roomy sweater. It never occurred to me that I would actually make the neck so wide that it slips down both my shoulders.

I did not want to the start the sweater over from scratch - I had spent many hours on that damn sweater and I was going finish it and make it fit. I experimented with adding a couple of buttons along one shoulder to hold the opening together a little bit, but that did not work so well and my buttons just looked odd because they did not hang correctly. After much deliberation, I decided to just crochet a couple of straps to fit over my shoulders. I now have an interesting looking top that drops over both shoulders while still staying on!