Third attempt at a crocheted sweater [it's not terrible!]

[perpet.livejournal.com]

I've attempted to freehand a sweater twice before and the results were rather unsuccessful.









It's certainly not perfect, but it is wearable, and that puts it miles ahead of attempts #1 and #2.

Things I really like about it:

1. It fits really well in the lower bodice, and the stitch pattern looks nice [1 sc, ch 1, skip next sc, 1 sc in following].

2. The Lion Suede is really soft and didn't shed nearly as much as I feared.

3. The detailing around the collar, sleeves, and bottom edge came out really nice.

4. The neckline is perfect for me.

5. I'd actually wear it to run a quick errand.

Things that need tweaking:

1. Yarn weight. I used Wool-Ease on the lower half, which calls for the same hook as the Suede, but the Suede is slightly thicker and therefore builds up differently. Also, I'd like to try this with sportweight yarn or fingering weight. I do like a good bulky sweater, however, so perhaps a fairly thin worsted weight yarn for the next sweater, and I can work my way down from there.

2. The sleeves. I didn't do much shaping when working the front and back sections for placing the sleeves, so I'll definitely be doing that next time, as right now it's much too loose under the arms.

3. The neckline. I like the one I worked up, but I'd like to experiment with variations on necklines.

4. Waist shaping. The sweater's got a pretty good shape right now, but I know I can tuck the waist a touch and really give it shape.



Any sweater-making tips are greatly appreciated.