It was an exhilarating experience! My first trial in the making of the sweater, a maiden attempt towards stitching. I felt all the emotions of thrill, fear, anxiety, to the happiness of triumph and pride of achievement.

A naive in stitching and cutting, I do not know the fundamentals of it. I can run a sewing machine for mending stitches, that’s all. This was an interesting experience. The final sweater was much closer to my expectation, but, it turned out to be slightly bigger in size for younger nephew, especially at the sleeves. However, I have nothing to worry, kids grow very quickly. So most likely within a year’s time, it will fit him. Having said that, it was indeed learning for me. I picked up some understanding of fitting and stitching.

And I must admit, it is pretty impressive for the first attempt. What say?

Process:

I loved the Yarnspirations blog. It contains a lot of patterns with detailed instructions available for free. I was looking for a sweater for a 2-year-old toddler. Since this is my 1st attempt in crocheting a sweater (any size), I loved the instructions and the pictorial measurement. I simply fell in love with this hoodie sweater pattern. It is so darn cute that I wish I had one for myself. The yarn is completely different than the yarn listed on the pattern page. Thus, I focused entirely on the size chart rather than the written pattern. My nephew is 1-year-old but I chose to make it bigger by 1 size so that it fits well. It’s better to make a bigger size than work on exact size, which will be unfit in a couple of months. I made the modifications accordingly. It was quite a challenging task since I had very limited knowledge of making a sweater. The yarn thickness was different than the recommended yarn in the pattern. Thus, I used a different crochet hook. I have listed the modifications I did in case you are in my position.

1. Initial chain count for the back is 56 to get 11.5″. I raised the length by .5″ more, so instead of 13.5″ it is 14″.
2. Sleeves are 9″.
3. The front is also increased by 0.5″ while the length is similar to the back with 14″. The initial chain count is around 44.
4. The Shoulder width turned out more as 4″. I could reduce it to 3 and left more opening for the neck.
5. I followed the hood instructions with 4 rows to create the open collar and then sewed all the parts.

 Caution Section:-

1. Measurement is very important for making any outfit. This one turned out to be for the older nephew than the younger ones.
2. The yarn and crochet size selection can alter based on your availability and preference. Thus check out the complete sizing pictures from the link.
3. It’s better to make a bigger size than work on exact size which will be unfit in a couple of months.
4. Initial chain count and 3-4 rows of the pattern will give you the sizing clarity. This might require unwinding a couple of times till you get the desired size.
5. After creating the Back, make sure you are always measuring the front 2 halves again n again. Especially, when you make the holes for buttons. I miscalculated, thus there is an increase of 1″ on the front-side. I have tried to handle the situation while sewing up. Had I measured front along with the back, I would have saved this extra wool and also have gotten the perfect fit.
6. Sleeves turn out a bit bigger than the body base. Thus after completing the back and the front then only proceed with sleeves.
7. Since I felt hoodie will enclose the opening of the neck, I didn’t proceed. It is my first attempt at stitching and making of the sweater. I have made a lot of mistakes in the process.
8. It is best if you use the same yarn ball to avoid imperfection in design.

Product Specifications:

Defining Dimensions:-

• Body Length: 14″
• Body Width: 12″
• Sleeve length: 9″

Optional Alterations:-

• The sizes can be changed based on your requirement.
• The edging can be made of Single Crochet (SC), Crab Stitch, Slip Stitch, Herringbone Half Double Crochet (HHDC).
• Instead of regular yarn, fur yarn will bring out pop to the border.
• The hood can be added along with pom-pom to bring out the extra zest.
• You can also add pockets.

Remember: do not over accessorise it. This hides the beauty of the pattern itself. Believe in elegant simplicity!!

In case, you have stuck anywhere or have any queries, kindly contact me.

Creamy Cute Toddler Sweater

Style Aisle:

• Choose the yarn colour matching with your kid’s style.
• Make matching or contrasting colours beanies and booties to complete a set.
• You can also have gloves of mittens matching beanies and booties.
• You can create pockets too for adding another oomph factor.

Materials:

1. Yarn: Vardhman Cream – 4 balls.
2. Crochet Hook: 5.5mm
3. Needles
4. Scissors
5. Measuring Tape
6. Buttons: 4
7. Sewing Thread and needle
8. Stitch Marker: My stitch markers are the mini safety pins we get from clothing tags. 

• Note: you can play around with different branded yarns as far as they give the synchronous flow of the pattern using a constant crochet hook.
• You can either go for the yarns with the same recommended crochet hook OR decide the yarn and change the crochet hooks along with the tightness on the crochet stitches as you proceed with the pattern.
• You can change the pattern to get a continuous flow.

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