Easter Cardigan

Crocheting clothes for my toddler was a thought that had crossed my mind awhile ago, but I never could imagine myself doing it until... One week before Easter she needed a jacket to match her Easter dress! Not only had I decided to take on this project as a newbie but I was in charge of packing for a family of three for a trip to LA!! Call me crazy, because I believe I set my goals a little too high sometimes...

Swing Set Cardigan

Front

Materials Used:
Vanna's Choice: White (2 balls)

Time as beginner: 10 hours (7 hour car ride to LA helped!)

Link to free crochet pattern: Free Crochet Pattern 90439AD Swing Set Cardigan Lion Brand Yarn Company

The cardigan is created by piecing large crochet pieces from the pattern together with a blunt yarn needle along the seems. My suggestion for stitching these together is after you are done adding on all the pieces, turn the cardigan inside out. Then your seems will be on the inside and your work will appear seamless.

Right Side

Once you have turned it inside out, thread your loose ends on the inside so that they do not show on the outside of the jacket.

When you are all finished with the majority of the project and are ready to put on a button which is called for in the pattern, feel free to get creative! My little one loves to chew on buttons and I did not want to put one on this jacket because I was not sure if she could chew it off. So, if you are unsure about putting a button on this cardigan here are a few suggestions!

1. You could crochet in the round and create a small ball. The stitches I used were ch 2, 4 sc in the 2nd ch from hook. 2 sc in each sc (8 sts). sc 1 in each st (8 sts). *dec 1* repeat 4 times (4 sts). sk 1 sc 1 until closed and sl st your last st leaving a tail for sewing.
2. Crochet a flower! I did not have time to do this but here is a pattern you can use: Free Crochet Pattern 80214AD Shoe Flower Lion Brand Yarn Company.
3. Instead of crocheting a button loop, why not crochet two chains to tie together in a bow? You could also make the chains a different color from the cardigan so the bow can be an accent!

This cardigan was an excellent choice for learning how to create crochet baby clothes. The directions were also decently written which helped. After my daughter was tired of receiving numerous amigurumi toys I felt that I ran into a wall and was forced to try something new. If you haven't tried crocheting something other than what you normally create, I would like to encourage you to branch out and try something new! Not only will it give you fresh insight it will also improve your skills and frame of mind while crocheting. Trouble shooting is also a very healthy thing for the avid crocheter. You may figure out something that turns out pretty unique!

Thank you for reading my blog for this week. If you happen to give this cardigan a try please let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and/or a picture of it! I hope my input was of some help to you as well. 

Happy crocheting everyone!

-Rae