This is my very 1st crochet project! I decided that I wanted to learn crochet during the summer so that I wouldn't have to be stuck inside sewing all summer! Crochet is much more portable and doesn't require a lot of equipment, or electricity so it is perfect! I started to learn while on a weekend camping trip back in May, and a 1st it was very difficult and I was having all sorts of trouble just trying to learn to create a chain. It didn't help that I had the wrong size hook for my yarn at the time. Once I got home from that camping trip I got more practice and learned the basics so I decided to jump right in and make a top! I ordered the Wool & the Gang Calvin crochet kit which included everything I needed for the project.
I feel like I shared the Instagram post about getting my kit ages ago, and it has been slow going all summer but I finally finished it! It also took me so long because I was sewing all the things, and starting new crochet projects! I am definitely someone that gets distracted and want to start a new project before the last one is finished.
This Pattern consists of mainly the double crochet stitch for the entire project, with skipping every other stitch at the upper portion of the top. It is done in two parts, so basically making 2 separate squares then stitching them together. This pattern is great for beginners, as it is fairly simple and straightforward. I did struggle with the tension when constructing my second side, and had ended up redoing that side completely with a smaller hook since I tend to crochet too loosely and it ended up way to big! The yarn I used with their kit is the Billie Jean yarn in indigo, which is made from recycled jeans! How cool!
Once I completed the top I decided to double crochet a couple rows over the armholes as I wasn't particularly fond of the way it looked on me, with my shoulders showing. I thought adding a bit of a cap sleeve was more flattering on me, and plus I had some extra yarn left so why not?! If I end up ever making this pattern again I will lengthen the torso to make it longer (I think I made it shorter since I'm a bit lazy), and a size or two smaller. I would also like to make it in a lighter weight yarn, since this yarn is fairly weighty.
Overall I am pleased with the end result and even though I have finished it near the end of summer, in the meantime I will still wear it layered under sweaters and such, until summer weather comes again!
That’s so interesting because I often put my crochet away and sew in the summer! Then again I live in Florida. Although I started doing it when I lived in Colorado because I felt like it was too warm to crochet. This is a super cute top, I would probably make it in summer too!!