Crochet Baby In Bloom Sweater
The Crochet Baby In Bloom Sweater is an adorable and cozy must-have for your little one's wardrobe! This sweet and charming sweater is the perfect combination of style and comfort, making it ideal for any occasion. The delicate crochet design adds a lovely touch, while the soft yarn ensures that your baby stays warm and snug. It's a delightful piece that will make your baby look even more precious. Get ready to receive compliments on how cute your little one looks in this charming sweater!
Hook: US J, 6mm
Needle: US 19, 15mm, or equivalent-sized dowel
Yarn: Lion Brand Baby Wool, 2.75 skeins, or 270 yards of worsted weight yarn for smallest size, larger size yardage is not known (English Garden colorway shown)
Stitch markers — 4
Buttons — 2 (La Mode Vintage Style 1716, 1" buttons shown)
Sizes: Directions are listed as 0-3mths (6-9 mths, 12mths)
Special Terms:
- hdc — half double crochet
- pm — place marker
- flo — front loop only
- blo — back loop only
- RS — right side
- WS — wrong side
Loop Pass — In broomstick lace, all stitches are worked from the right side of the fabric. The first half of the technique is the loop pass, worked from left to right. Without twisting, transfer the loop on your hook onto the knitting needle. Skip the first stitch, and going into the blo, pull up a loop from each stitch and place it on the needle. You should have as many loops on your needle at the end as you had stitches in the previous row. Do NOT turn.
Return Pass — This is the second half of a broomstick lace row. Working from right to left, Insert the hook into the first 3 sts and pull them off the needle. Holding the loops somewhat taut so they don't loose height, bring the working yarn loosely up behind the loops, yo and pull through. Ch1 (this is the only ch of the row) and work 3 sc, going through the center of all three loops each time. Using the hook, slide three more loops off the hook and work 3 more sc in this set. Continue to end, working 3sc into each group of 3 loops. At the end you should have as many sc as you had loops. Do not turn, but use the loop on your hook at the end of the last sc to start the next row of Loops.
Baby in Bloom Sweater Instructions:
BODY:
For all sizes, ch 35.
Row 1 (RS): Hdc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 3 ch. Work 3hdc into next ch, and pm in center of these. Hdc in the next 3 ch, then work 3hdc in next ch (pm in center). Hdc in next 9 ch, then work 3hdc in next ch (pm in center). Hdc in the next 3 ch, then work 3hdc in next ch (pm in center). Hdc in last 11 ch. (42 hdc)
Row 2 (WS): Ch1 and turn. Working in flo, hdc in the first st and each st, working 3hdc in each st with a marker (pm in each new center st). (50 hdc)
Row 3 — 7 (9, 11): Repeat Row 2, moving markers up to the new centers each time. 90 (106, 122) hdc
Row 8 (10, 12) (WS): Ch1 and turn. Working in flo, hdc to first marker. Remove marker and hdc in this st. Ch3, remove second marker, and hdc in that st. Hdc across to next marker. Remove marker and hdc in this st. Ch3, remove last marker, and hdc in that st. Hdc to end. Armholes made. 56 (64, 72) hdc and two ch 3 sps
Row 9 (11, 13) (RS): This is the setup row to get the st counts right for the broomstick lace. It's a little different for each, so make sure you are following the right set of instructions below:
Row 9 / 0-3 mths: Ch1 and turn. Working in flo, hdc in first st. Work 2 hdc in next st. *Hdc in next 4 sts, then 2 hdc in next st. Repeat from * 12 times. (75 hdc)
Row 11 / 6-9 mths: Ch1 and turn. *Working flo, hdc in 4 sts, then 2 hdc in the next st. Repeat from * to end. (84 hdc)
Row 13 / 12 mths: Ch1 and turn. *Working in flo, hdc in 5 sts, then 2 hdc in the next st. Repeat from * until 6 sts remain. Hdc in remaining 6 sts. (90 hdc)
Note:
If you are a small skein yarn, now is a good time to change skeins so that you don't have to change in the middle of the broomstick lace section. You can use the bit left over from the first skein for edging the sleeves. If you are making one of the larger sizes, you've probably already had to start a second skein!
Row 10 (12, 14) (RS): Loop Pass. Working in blo, make first half of broomstick lace row. 75 (84, 90) loops
Row 11 (13, 15) (RS): Return Pass. Working in groups of 3 loops and 3sc, make second half of broomstick lace row. 75 sc, 25 groups (84 sc, 28 groups; 90 sc, 30 groups)
Row 12-19 (14-23, 16-27) (all RS): Repeat last two rows for 5 (6, 7) total broomstick lace rows. Add more length in pattern as desired. Do not break yarn.
Edging: Staying on the RS, work sc evenly up the inside front edge of the sweater, across neckline, and down other front edge. When back at the bottom, work sc in blo across, break yarn, use seamless join and weave in ends.
SLEEVES:
Prefer a short sleeve or vest style sweater? Just work a row of sc around the armhole openings and you're done! For longer sleeves, continue as written below. To minimize seaming but keep the broomstick lace motif going, the yarn is attached to the body of the sweater at the shoulder and then the sleeves are worked flat from there, so the only seaming is the actual sleeve itself. If you prefer not to seam the sleeves, you can join each round and work plain hdc all the way down to the wrist.
Row 1 (RS): Using sl st, join yarn to center of armpit and ch1. Working in blo, hdc in each ch and st around. Do NOT join. 20 (24, 28) hdc
Row 2 (WS): Ch1 and turn. Working in flo:
0-3 mths: Hdc in the first 2 sts, then 2hdc in the next st. *Hdc in 4 sts, then 2hdc in next st. Repeat from * twice, then hdc in the last 2 sts. (24 hdc)
6-9 mths: *Hdc in 7 sts, 2hdc in next st. Repeat from * twice. (27 hdc)
12 mths: *Hdc in 13 sts, 2hdc in next st. Repeat from * once. (30 hdc)
Row 3 — 5 (7, 9): Ch1 and turn. Working in flo, hdc in each st across. 24 (27, 30) hdc
Row 6 (8, 10) (stay on RS): Loop Pass. Working in blo, make first half of broomstick lace row. 24 (27, 30) loops
Row 7 (9, 11) (RS): Return Pass. Working in groups of 3 loops and 3sc, make second half of broomstick lace row. 24 sc, 8 groups (27 sc, 9 groups; 30 sc, 10 groups)
Break yarn leaving 12" tail for seaming. Seam up the sleeve from wrist to armpit.
Edging: Join yarn with sl st to RS of wrist opening near seam. Ch1 and working in blo, sc around wrist. Break yarn, use seamless join, and weave in ends.
Repeat for second sleeve.
BUTTONS:
Sew the button(s) to the inside, shorter flap of the sweater. Make chain loops long enough to go around the buttons and sew them in behind the edging of the longer front flap. For 1" buttons, I chained 10, but you'll need to play around a little to see what works for the buttons you choose.