The Crocheted Caroline Cardigan

I recently took an online Craftsy class called Beyond Rectangles where I made a crocheted cardigan for Audrey. This was the first sweater I’ve made where the pieces were crocheted separately and then sewn together. The cardigan is made with single and double crochet stiches, and I used a pretty dusty blue yarn called Capri by Caron Simply Soft Light.

The course has video tutorials as well as printed class materials that teach you how to create smooth edges, link stitches, shape the pieces, sew them together and add edging, and includes in-depth tutorials on blocking and finishing.

After you crochet your pieces, you have to “block” them. I didn’t even know what blocking was before I took this class! Blocking helps shape the pieces of the garment. It involves soaking the individual pieces of the sweater in water for at least 15 minutes, gently ringing them out in a towel, and then molding them into shape using the dimensions provided on a schematic and pinning them down to dry.

After the sections have dried, you use stitch markers to piece the garnet together and hold it in place while you use a whip stitch to sew.

Honestly, I couldn’t tell that blocking made much of a difference. After drying, the pieces didn’t lay flat and curled up on the ends. I feel like I could’ve sewed it together just as easily if I hadn’t blocked it at all. That’s just my opinion, but I’m still glad I gave it a try just so I had the experience.

Here is Miss Audrey modeling her lovely new sweater!