The most comfortable sweater pattern I've ever made is by crochet guru Doris Chan. The original is done in brown and cream and is aptly named Tall Latte and is found in her book Everyday Crochet (which anyone who A-crochets and B-makes sweaters should own).
Last month I embarked on an experiment in pattern modification using this one as a guide. First I made the pattern mostly as written, but modified a few things to fit me better like lengthening the sleeves and body, and omitting the increases for the hips.
Then I wondered how it would look if I shrunk the whole thing down into a girls' size by using a really skinny yarn and a hook 3 sizes smaller than what the pattern called for. That resulted in Small Latte, modeled on my daughter here. It must be comfortable because she's worn it to school a half dozen times already, and we all know kids will not wear anything that itches or scratches or causes them to be ridiculed by their peers. Score one for mom. She also requested added length, so this is quite a bit longer than my first version.
Lastly, I'm a huge fan of the sweater-dress-over-leggings trend because it looks pulled together yet feels like wearing ratty old sweatpants. This experiment successfully resulted in Latte Grande, accomplished by adding extra hip increases at two points to make the skirt part.
All of these projects showcase my newfound love, slip stitch ribbing. Finally I have found a ribbing that looks just as crisp as knitting, without actually touching a knitting needle!
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| Slip Stitch Ribbing |
After all this I'm going to relax into something simple, like a scarf or cowl.
