Granny Square Sweater

Yes, I actually decided to make a sweater out of a granny square, something I never thought I’d do.  All those ’70s granny square clothes drove me crazy.

Inspired by a Lily Chin Pattern

So what made me actually consider such a thing?  No, the devil didn’t make me do it,  A Lily Chin pattern that I found fiddling around on the ‘Net one day (it’s pattern # H003) did. It uses her Harlem LC Signature Collection yarn, and when I saw the vest, I knew I had to make it.

Chin combines two geometric shapes to create the vest back – a square, encompassing shoulders to mid back, and a circle, extending from the mid back to the bottom edge.  I thought this was SO cool, and I wanted to see how she combined the two shapes.  Best way to find out was to make it.

(Note: I’ve searched high and low for this pattern online, but can’t find it. I think I have a hard copy somewhere, but I made the vest so long ago, I’ll have to search for it. 2-17-17)

My First Stab at Lily’s Pattern

Ok, so I didn’t use her yarn.  No offense, Lily.  I hardly ever use the yarn a pattern calls for.  I consider the first time I crochet a pattern an experiment to make sure I understand it.  Sometimes I make it again, using the pattern yarn; sometimes I don’t.  So maybe I should have used the Harlem yarn because the vest turned out a little … big, shall we say.  I also added some rounds to make it longer.  Then there’s the fact that the circular bottom makes my butt look wide — can’t have that!

Birth of the Granny Square Sweater

My version of Lily Chin’s vest pattern H003

That’s where the idea for the Granny Square sweater came in.  I decided to see if I could change the pattern so that the back is a full granny square.  I also added sleeves … I mean, what good is something like this if your arms aren’t covered to keep you warm and comfy when you go to the movies and sit in the always-overly-air-conditioned theater, right?

So this is what I got. With this version, I used an “I” hook and a little over two skeins of trusty Red Heart Super Saver (7 oz skein); the pattern calls for a “J” hook, which leads  me to believe that the Harlem yarn is at least worsted weight if not a little bulkier.

My granny square sweater – front

In any event, as you can see from the photo of the green vest, the bottom portion is way too long.  I thought a smaller hook might prevent that.  Well it did, but my sweater is just a little too small.  So I’m gonna try it again, using a “J” hook.  The stitch used throughout is treble crochet.  It took me seven days to make it.

My crochet granny square sweater from the back

How Much Revision Is Needed to Call a Pattern Your Own?

I sure would like to call this sweater pattern my own, but I’m not too sure how much the original pattern needs to change before I can do that.  One yarn company that I did a project for said that the pattern has to be at least 30% different from the original pattern.  Anybody know about this?? I think the next version will have a more detailed granny square back.

There are more photos of the pattern alternation process at my Ravelry site (log in to view). And no, I don’t have the pattern for this sweater, but the photos at Ravelry will give you an idea of how I put it together.

I've been crocheting for over 40 years and blogging since 2004 - two of my favorite things in the world to do besides walking the beaches of windward Oahu, Hawaii.

11 comments On Granny Square Sweater

  • That is one good lookin’ sweater!

  • I like them both they are totally different styles to me. The aqua colored one looks very comfy and ready for movie night. The pink one looks very feminine, like I would want to wear a cute skirt with it! Very nice though I don’t know anything about designing but they look very different.

  • Hey Opal! Thanks! It was a fun project.
    Btw, the Winwardites are planning a trip across (or should I say “through”) the mountains to MJ on a Thursday evening soon. Hope to see you there.

  • Hi Kena! Yes, they are different looks. The aqua vest looks good on my daughter (she’s tall and slim). I wore the sweater to the movies the other day (saw “Harold and Kumar Escape from GB”) and it kept me comfortable. The next one I make will be a gold color and hopefully a little longer with the “J” hook.

  • i like the simplicity of the granny square sweater…it looks really nice!

  • Thanks, Debbie!! I’ll make the next one soon. Decided to work on the Babette blanket for a while.

  • NICE! I think they’re both awesome. The vest would look lovely with a long skirt and a sleeveless shell and the sweater will look awesome with anything! And yes, I think you can call it your own since it seems like you did enough alterations. And BTW – I love your freeform entry, I’ve been out of the loop since I’ve been quilting and beading lately. Go figure.

  • Hey Claudia! Great to hear from you! Quilting? I will have to check out your blog to see what’s up.
    Thanks for the positive feedback on the sweater. I have been anxious about publishing a pattern, so your comments are helping to relieve than anxiety. I’m just finishing up a gold one in a larger hook, so I should be finalizing the pattern soon.
    And thanks for the positive feedback on my freeform entry. I’m amazed at how easy it was to do this time.

  • Beautiful sweater! And yes, your design has to diverge from the original at least 30%, preferably more.

  • Hey Sahara! Long time no see! I think by adding the sleeves and changing the bottom half of the original vest, I’ve gone over 30%. I was thinking of altering the granny square back as well but haven’t decided how yet. Thanks for the encouragement!

  • Pingback: Designing a Granny Square Cardigan - Round 2 | Yarn Over, Pull Through ()

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