A basic cropped crochet sweater with a little sass — the Delilah Crochet Sweater. If you’d like to know more about how this crochet sweater came to be, keep reading. Or scroll down to get right to the free pattern!
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It’s really 2020 y’all. It’s crazy how time flies, but where are the flying cars?! I feel gypped. LOL! The good thing is with the new year brings a new season, and a new reason to crochet a new sweater. I’ve made sweaters in the past, but I’ve never designed my own so I thought I would give it a shot….and I’m so glad I did.
I started crocheting the Delilah crochet sweater over the holiday season. Holidays for me means family, food, and a whole lot of good commotion, which isn’t always ideal for crocheting. So when I began designing I knew it had to be a simple and repetitive pattern that didn’t require much thought. Now, although I wanted the design to be simple, I also wanted it to have a little sass.
If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know I love a good crochet crop top, so to give this crochet sweater the sass I was looking for in the simplest way possible I decided to crop it. In addition to being a cropped sweater, the Delilah crochet sweater has a bit of striped texture, with a ribbed neckline and bottom. It also features a ribbed cuff at the bottom of the sleeves (my favorite part).
The Yarn
First let me say I am a huge fan of all things Hobby Lobby. If you’ve never visited your local Hobby Lobby store then you are missing out! They carry everything crafty, including an awesome yarn section. For this crochet sweater I used “I Love This Yarn” by Hobby Lobby Stores. It is a worsted weight acrylic yarn with vibrant color. Since it comes in sooo many colors, it has easily become one of my favorite acrylic yarns. It comes in skeins of about 355 yards, and for this project I used 4 1/2 skeins for the entire sweater. I pretty much use their brand of yarn for any pattern that requires acrylic yarn. Check out this crochet cardi to see how I use some of their other yarn.
The Inspiration
It’s a brand new year, and a brand new decade. Now, I’m not usually someone who makes new year resolutions. I’ve always felt like they were short lived promises that someone made to themselves, but didn’t really plan to follow through. But this year, I decided to make some promises of my own. One of those promises was that I would step out of my crochet comfort zone and try new things. It’s easy to get set in your ways. You make what you make and that’s that. But there is so much to learn in this crochet world. There are so many techniques, styles, and stitches that I have yet to learn and I’m on a mission this year to get some more knowledge under my belt.
The Delilah Crochet Sweater Pattern
- Get the printer friendly, ad free PDF version of the pattern here.
- CLICK HERE to pin for later
- CLICK HERE to fave on Ravelry
Materials
- I/5.25 mm crochet hook
- Approx. 1250 – 1500 yards depending on size
- Sample made with I Love This Yarn by Hobby Lobby Stores
- Needle for weaving in ends
- Scissors
- Stitch Markers
- Your favorite show to “watch”
- Tapestry Needle
Gauge
- 4-inch square = 13 sts wide x 9 rows tall
Finished Size
- Bust – 34 (38, 42, 46, 50, 54)”
Abbreviations
- Ch – chain
- Dc – double crochet
- Sc – single crochet
- Sl st – slip stitch
- Sk – skip
- Dec – decrease
- St – stitch
- Sts – stitches
- T-ch – turning chain
- Rep – repeat
- Blo – back loop only
- Rs – right side
Pattern Notes
- The pattern is written for S size with M, L, XL, XXL, and XXXL in parentheses. Not all rows are the same for every size. Follow instructions for the size you’re making.
- The pattern is worked in panels from the bottom up.
- Sleeves are worked from the top down.
- Ch 3 counts as a stitch throughout the project.
- For a longer sweater, continue with panel row repeat until desired length.
Special Stitches
- Dec – double crochet 2 together
- Dc foundation ch – click here for more info
Start Here…
Panel (Make 2)
Row 1: Dc Foundation Ch 55 (61, 69, 75, 81, 87)
Row 2: Sl st in 1st st. Dc in next st. *Sl st in next st. Dc in next st. Rep from * across ending in sl st in top of t-ch. Turn.
Rows 3-5: Ch 3. Dc In each st across. (Be sure to Dc in sl st at the end of row.)
Row 6: Rep row 2.
Rows 7-9: Rep row 3.
Row 10: Rep row 2.
Rows 11-13: Rep row 3.
Row 14: Rep row 2.
Rows 15-17: Rep row 3.
Row 18: Rep row 2.
Rows 19-21: Rep row 3.
Row 22: Rep row 2.
Rows 23-25: Rep row 3.
Row 26: Rep row 2.
- (Small and Medium) – Proceed to shoulder section.
Rows 27-28: Rep row 3.
- (Large and XL) – Proceed to shoulder section.
Row 29: Rep row 3.
Row 30: Rep row 2.
- (All other sizes) – Proceed to shoulder section.
Shoulder section
Place a stitch marker in the 17th (20th, 24th, 27th, 30th, 33rd) st from each end of the panel to mark the shoulder section.
Step 1: Ch 3. Dc in next 16 (19, 23, 26, 29, 32) sts. Turn.
Step 2: Ch 1. Sk 1st st. Dc in next 16 (19, 23, 26, 29, 32) sts. Turn
Step 3: Ch 3. Dc in next 14 (17, 21, 24, 27, 30) sts. Dec. Turn. 15 (18, 22, 25, 28, 31) sts
Step 4: Do Not Chain. Sl st in 1st st. Dc in next st. *Sl st in next st. Dc in next st. Rep from * across ending in sl st in top of t-ch. Turn.
Step 5: Ch 3. Dc in next 13 (16, 20, 23, 24, 29) sts. Dec. Turn. 14 (17, 21, 24, 27, 30) sts
CUT YARN AND LEAVE LONG TAIL FOR SEAMING
Attach yarn to the marked st for the other shoulder section.
Step 6: Ch 3. Dc in next 16 (19, 23, 26, 29, 32) sts. Turn.
Step 7: Ch 3. Dc in next 14 (17, 21, 24, 27, 30) sts. Dec. Turn. 16 (19, 23, 26, 29, 32) sts
Step 8: Ch 1. Sk 1st st. Dc in next 15 (18, 22, 25, 28, 31) sts. Turn.
Step 9: Rep step 4
Step 10: Ch 1. Sk 1st st. Dc in next 14 (17, 21, 24, 27, 30) sts.
CUT YARN AND LEAVE LONG TAIL FOR SEAMING.
Ribbing
Step 1: Attach yarn to the bottom of panel at corner.
Step 2: Ch 13. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 11 sts. Sl st in next 2 sts on bottom of panel. Turn. (12 sc)
Step 3: Do not chain. Sk 2 sl sts. Sc in BLO in each st across. Turn.
Step 4: Ch 1. Sc in BLO of each st. Sl st in next 2 sts on bottom of panel. Turn.
Next Steps: Rep steps 3 and 4 consecutively until the end of the panel. Cut yarn and fasten off. Weave in ends.
Sleeves (Make 2)
Row 1: Dc Foundation Ch 45 (49, 53, 57, 59, 61)
Row 2: Do not chain. Sl st in 1st st. Dc in next st. *Sl st in next st. Dc in next st. Rep from * across ending in sl st in top of t-ch. Turn.
Rows 3-5: Ch 3. Dc in each st across. Turn. (Be sure to Dc in sl st at end of row.)
Row 6: Rep row 2.
Rows 7-9: Rep row 3.
Row 10: Rep row 2.
Rows 11-13: Rep row 3.
Row 14: Rep row 2.
Rows 15-17: Rep row 3.
Row 18: Rep row 2.
Row 19: Ch 3. Dc in the next 4 (3, 3, 4, 4, 4) sts. Dec. *Dc in next 5 (4, 4, 5, 5, 5) sts. Dec. Rep from * until end of row. Dc in any remaining sts. Turn. 39 (41, 45, 49, 51, 53) sts
Rows 20-21: Ch 3. Dc across. Turn.
Row 22: Rep row 2.
Row 23: Ch 3. Dc in the next 3 (2, 4, 3, 3, 3) sts. Dec. *Dc in next 4 (4, 5, 4, 4, 4) sts. Dec. Rep from * until end of row. Dc in any remaining sts. Turn. 33 (33, 39, 41, 43, 45) sts
Rows 24-25: Rep row 20.
Row 26: Rep row 2.
Rows 27-29: Rep row 20.
Row 30: Rep row 2.
Row 31: Ch 3. Dc in the next 2 (2, 2, 2, 3, 4) sts. Dec. *Dc in next 3 (3, 4, 3, 4, 5) sts. Dec. Rep from * until end of row. Dc in any remaining sts. Turn. 27 (27, 33, 33, 35, 39) sts
Rows 32-33: Rep row 20.
Row 34: Rep row 2.
Rows 35-37: Rep row 20.
- (Small and Medium) – Do not fasten off. Proceed to ribbing section.
Row 38: Rep row 2.
- (Large and XL) – Do not fasten off. Proceed to ribbing section.
Rows 39-40: Rep row 20.
- All other sizes – Do not fasten off. Proceed to ribbing section.
Sleeve Ribbing
Step 1: Ch 13. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 11 sts. Sl st in next 2 sts on bottom of panel. Turn. (12 sc)
Step 2: Do not chain. Sk 2 sl sts. Sc in BLO in each st across. Turn.
Step 3: Ch 1. Sc in BLO of each st. Sl st in next 2 sts on bottom of panel. Turn.
Next Steps: Rep steps 2 and 3 consecutively until the end of the sleeve. Do not fasten off. Proceed to assembly section.
Sleeve Assembly
- Fold together with RS facing each other.
- Sl st together to form sleeve.
- Fasten off and weave in ends.
- Leave sleeve inside out and proceed to the body assembly.
Assembly
- Body assembly is done with a sl st.
- Lay panels with RS facing each other.
- Attach front panel to back panel across the shoulder sections only.
- Seam the sides of the front panel to the back panel leaving an armhole depth of 7 (7 ½, 8, 8 ½, 9, 9 ½) inches.
- Turn the body of the sweater inside out.
- With sleeve and body inside out, use needle to whip stitch the sleeve to the armhole created. Fasten off and weave in ends. Do this for the other sleeve as well.
Neckline
Step 1: Attach yarn at the shoulder seam and prepare to work around the neckline. Neckline is worked in the round.
Step 2: Ch 6. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 4 sts. Sl st in next 2 sts on panel. Turn. (5 sc)
Step 3: Do not chain. Sk 2 sl sts. Sc in BLO in each st across. Turn.
Step 4: Ch 1. Sc in BLO of each st. Sl st in next 2 sts on bottom of panel. Turn.
Next Steps: Rep steps 3 and 4 consecutively reaching the end of the round.
Fasten off and weave in all ends.
I would absolutely love to see how awesome your sweater is! Share your work with me on Instagram!
