Hooded Sweater

In this pattern I’ll show you how to make this hoodie. The start takes some calculations, but once you have done that, it is no longer difficult and it goes nice and fast. The stitch I use is the herringbone half double crochet and the pattern is in US terms.

Materials

• 5 skeins Bernat Softee Baby in the color navy and 1 skein in the color little mouse (or other number 3 yarn)
• 4 mm G/6 crochet hook
• stitchmarkers
• Scissors
• Tapestry needle

Terms used/abbreviations

Ch                    chain
Sl st                slip stitch
Hhdc               herringbone half double crochet
Hdc                 half double crochet
Sc                   single crochet

Special stitch

Herringbone half double crochet:
It is almost the same as the normal half double crochet, only in this case you yarn over, insert hook into the stitch and pull up a loop, you have 3 loops on your hook. Pull the first loop through the second, as if you make a slip stitch. Yarn over and pull through the last two loops on your hook.   

Notes

• This pattern is written in US terms.
• If you want to learn how to make a invisible join then click on this link https://2loopz.com/chainless-starting-stitch-and-seamless-join/

Pattern

We start the pattern with some calculations. First measure loosely around your neck. Write that number down. Take your yarn and hook and chain the length you wrote down. Count the stitches you’ve made to reach that length. Write that number down and divide it by 4. For example I measured around my neck and I have 44 cm. or 17.5 inches. I make a chain for that length. I needed 70 stitches to get that length. Divide 70 by 4 and that is about 18.
For the sides subtract 5. So 18-5=13. You need 13 stitches at each side. You subtract 2×5=10. Those 10 stitches we use for the 4 corners, 10-4=6. The remaining 6 stitches we add to the back. That is the 18 stitches from the beginning +6=24 stitches for the back. For the 2 front pieces we divide the side by 2, so 13/2 is about 6. So every side at the front gets 6 stitches.

When you place the numbers in the picture then it looks like this.

Add all the numbers together and you have the number of chains you need to start with and add one more. For me that is 66 stitches +1.

Square yoke

Start with the number of chains you calculated in the last step and add one more.

Row 1: Turn your work and make a hhdc in the 2^nd chain from the hook and in the next 5 stitches (or the amount of stitches you wrote down for the front piece) the next stitch will be a corner stitch and gets 3 hhdc in one stitch. Mark the middle stitch with a stitch marker so you know where to place the corner stitch in the next row. Make 13 hhdc in the next 13 stitches (or the amount of stitches you wrote down for the side piece) the next stitch will be a corner stitch again, so 3 hhdc in the same stitch. Mark the middle one with a stitch marker. Make 24 hhdc in the next 24 stitches (or the amount of stitches you wrote down for the back piece) the next stitch will be a corner stitch with 3 hhdc and mark the middle one with a stitch marker. Now we work our way back, so 13 hhdc in the next 13 stitches (or the amount of stitches you wrote down for the side piece) and make a corner stitch of 3 hhdc, mark the middle one. We end the row with 6 hhdc in the last 6 stitches.

Row 2: ch 2 and turn your work, the ch 2 counts as your first hhdc. Make a hhdc in the first stitch and in every stitch until you reach a stitch marker. In the stitch with the stitch marker you make a corner stitch (3 hhdc) and mark the middle one with the stitch marker again. Then work 1 hhdc in every stitch across until you reach another stitch marker and place a corner stitch in that stitch. Repeat this until the end of the row and end with 2 hhdc in the last stitch.

Round 1: Attach your yarn in a stitch in the corner (with a stitch marker). Ch 2, put in the stitch marker in the top of this ch 2, hhdc in the same stitch and in every stitch across until you reach a stitch with a stitch marker, make a corner stitch in this stitch just like you did in the previous rows. Repeat working on your round and when you reach the V at the front just work over it making 1 hhdc in every stitch. Finish your round by making another hhdc in the first stitch. Close the round with a sl st in the top of the ch2 from the beginning (with the stitch marker).

Round 2: ch 2, turn your work. Place the stitch marker in the top of the ch 2 and make another hhdc in the same stitch. Work your way around just like the other rows and round and end with a hhdc in the first stitch, so including the ch 2 and the hhdc from the beginning you have 3 in this stitch. Sl st in the top of the ch 2 to close the round.

Repeat round 2 until when you fold your work and put it over your head, the 2 stitch markers touch each other under your arms. For me that was after round 14. Including the 6 rows from the beginning I now have 20 rows/rounds in total. If you need more rounds then make more.

Body

If the work fits under your armpits then it is time to make the rest of the body. Fold your work so that your front part is on top of your back part and the armholes are at the sides.

Round 1: ch 2 turn your work, now it depends on the amount of rounds you’ve made where you start the body part. There are 2 options, pick the one that is right for you.
Option 1: if you now start at the end of the front or back part then you make another hhdc in the first stitch (the corner stitch), turn your work and make 2 hhdc in the other corner stitch on the other side of the armhole. We skip the arm part. Work hhdc in every stitch across until you reach a stitch marker again. Make 2 hhdc in this stitch, turn your work and work 2 hhdc in the other stitch with the stitch marker. Finish by making 1 hhdc in every stitch across. Close the round with a sl st in the first stitch.
Option 2: If you don’t start the round at the end but you can work the whole row of the front or the back before you reach a stitch marker, then do that first and then make 2hhdc in the stitch with the stitch marker. Turn your work and work 2 hhdc in the other stitch with the stitch marker, you skip the arm part. Work 1 hhdc in every stitch across until you reach a stitch marker again. Work 2 hhdc in this stitch, turn your work and work 1 hhdc in the other stitch with the stitch marker ( you’ve already made one in this stitch in the beginning of the round so that makes 2). Sl st in the first stitch to close the round.

Round 2: ch2, turn your work. Work a hhdc in every stitch around (no longer 3 hhdc in every corner). Close the round with a sl st in the first stitch.

For the border at the bottom of your sweater, you start with a round of hdc. If your sweater is narrow at the bottom, you can do 1 hdc in each stitch, if your bottom is very wide and you want it tighter, you can alternate hdc and hdc2tog all the way around. Try it on after finishing this round to see if you like how it falls.

If you like how it fits then don’t close the round and alternate front post hdc and back post hdc all around. Repeat the fp hdc and the bp hdc for as many rounds as you like. Try your sweater on every now and then to see how it looks. If you are pleased with the length make a sl st to end the round, bind off and weave in your end. Make 1 round of sc in the color beige around the border to finish it off.

Sleeves

Attach your yarn under the arm. Make a hhdc in every stitch around, you don’t have stitches under the arm but eyeball where you place the stitches. I made 55 stitches, but you can have more or less stitches than me. Write that number down. Work the same rounds as for the body, but now you decrease in every 4^th round. You decrease by making 2 hhdc2tog, 1 on each side of the sleeve. Try to make the decreases every decrease round in a different place.
After every decrease round you fit your work and see if it fits. If you need more decreasing then do so, if you need less that’s also fine but keep in mind that you write down in which round you decrease so you can repeat the steps for the other sleeve. Just try it on and see if you like the fit.

Hood

For the hood you attach your yarn in one of the corners of the V

Row 1: Work a row of hhdc along the neckline, you don’t work in the V. At the end of the row ch2 and turn your work.

Row 2: Work a hhdc in every stitch across.

Repeat row 2 until your work is about 35 cm. or 14”. It should look like the picture below. Bind off and leave a 30 cm. or 12” tail to sew the top.

You can close the top of the hood by folding the top piece in half, the corners should be on top of each other and the middle back is the other side. Sew the piece with the mattress stitch. Bind off and weave in your end.

For the ribbing of the hood you attach your yarn in the lowest point of the V.
Work a row of hdc along the side of the V, along the hood and along the other side of the V. Don’t close as a round but ch 1 and turn your work. Alternate front post hdc and back post hdc all around. Ch 1 turn your work and work your way back. Bind off and weave in your end. Make 1 row of sc in beige along the ribbing to give it a nice border.

Weave in all your ends and your sweater is ready to chill in.