Crochet

Patterns, projects and techniques

Custom Crocheted Sweaters – Make Garments That Really Fit

by

If the cover sweater isn’t tempting enough, you’ll find plenty of other reasons to add this great book to your crochet library.

 

Looking for more sweaters to crochet? Check out these sweater Crochet patterns we found on Etsy.

Custom Crochet Sweaters

This book is both a beginner’s guide and a scholarly thesis on how to construct your own sweater so that it will fit you or the person you make it for.  Dora Ohrenstein shares her vast crochet experience in a manual that will take you from simple to sophisticated, working up projects that will fit your curves just the way you want them to.

Using thorough text, up close photography, and detailed graphics, Ohrenstein covers all the elements for creating a custom sweater – from understanding construction techniques to reading patterns and measuring bodies, from swatching for gauge to altering patterns.  This is one stop shopping with every topic covered in depth and detail.

After you’ve read the hand-book, you get to the 10 sweaters – all beautiful and at least one guaranteed to be THE sweater for you.  There are two in this book that will work well on my frame – the cover sweater (Beau Blazer) and the Floating Tee.  Other designs include two shells, a long-lined vest, a cardigan, and several pullovers.  As usual, Ohrenstein’s choice of yarn and color are also spot on.  You’ll be entranced by the colors and yarn choices and the fact that the sweaters can be adjusted to fit your every sweater need.

ADDENDUM:  I asked permission to post this email I received as its author couldn’t post it her herself.  I think her comments are insightful.

I bought this book a few weeks ago. It’s absolutely great. I liked all of
the sweaters and most would look good on my frame.
But the real treasures are the fitting instructions and the fine tuning.
Even if one didn’t care for any of the sweaters the book is still very
helpful.

Susan in San Jose

 

Book Specs:

Lark Crafts Publishers, (www.sterlingpublishing.com) January, 2012

142 Pages with many color photos, illustrations, and drawings

Soft cover with (my favored peanut butter & jelly proof) Satin Finish

ISBN 9781600597985

$22.95 USD

 

Comments

  1. Your post on crochet partners about men’s thoughts cracked me up.. I get the same bull from some of our friends hubbies.. Mine is just as bad — doesn’t understand how women can sit ans crochet or knit day after day.. I always tell them well I can’t understand how you can toss a hook and line over board and sit there for hours hoping a fish will come along and grab you hook…or go sit in freezing weather and wait for a deer to come in site so you can shoot it or go golfing for hours knocking a little ball over green grass hopefully into a hole..

Have you read?

Red Melt The Ice Slouch Beanie Crochet Pattern Review

Some crochet projects are made simply because we need a warm hat. Some are made because we need a quick gift, a stash-busting project, or something easy to work on while watching television. And then there are crochet projects that carry a message.

This Red Slouch Beanie Crochet Pattern PDF sits firmly in that last category.

Inspired by the Melt the ICE craftivism movement, this red crochet beanie is more than just a wearable winter accessory. It is a handmade political statement — soft, practical, visible, and rooted in the long tradition of protest through craft.

You can find the Red Slouch Beanie Crochet Pattern PDF here.

Crochet as Protest

Crafters have always had a way of saying things with their hands. Quilts have carried coded messages, embroidery has documented women’s lives, banners have marched through the streets, and yarn crafts have wrapped public spaces in colour and defiance.

This beanie belongs to that same creative lineage.

The phrase Melt the ICE gives this pattern its political edge. It connects the humble red crochet hat to conversations around immigration enforcement, detention, family separation, human rights, community care, and the role ordinary people can play in public protest.

And that is what makes this pattern interesting. It is not loud in the way a placard is loud, but it is visible. A red handmade hat catches the eye. It invites questions. It gives the maker a way to wear their values without needing to shout over anyone.

Sometimes craftivism works because it is disarming. People expect political protest to be hard-edged, but handmade work brings something different to the conversation. It says, “I cared enough to make this stitch by stitch.”

About the Pattern

The pattern itself is beginner-friendly and refreshingly straightforward. The hat is worked flat in rows, then seamed and gathered to create a relaxed slouch beanie shape. That makes it especially approachable for crocheters who are still building confidence with wearable projects.

Instead of needing to work in the round or fuss with crown shaping from the start, you are essentially making a rectangle and turning it into a hat. I love that kind of construction because it gives beginners a real sense of achievement. You are not just practising stitches — you end up with something wearable and meaningful.

The design uses a textured crochet fabric, giving the finished beanie a cozy, slightly chunky look. The slouchy shape keeps it casual and modern, while the bold red colour gives it that unmistakable activist feel.

Why Red Matters

The red yarn is not just a colour choice here. It is part of the visual language of the project.

Red is urgent. Red is warm. Red is visible in a crowd. It can suggest anger, love, warning, solidarity, courage, and care all at once. For a political crochet project, that matters.

A red slouch beanie can be worn to rallies, community events, mutual aid gatherings, craftivism meet-ups, or simply out in everyday life as a quiet statement of support. It is one of those pieces that can be as bold or as subtle as the wearer wants it to be.

Of course, you could make the pattern in any colour, but for the Melt the ICE inspiration, red feels intentional. It gives the hat its message before a single word is spoken.