I’ve been dreaming of designing garments for a while, but it’s always slightly scary venturing out of my amigurumi-only lane with my little business, so it takes some nudging before I do. After watching Barbie, I couldn’t resist anymore, so I finally took the plunge!
The the pattern is available on all Projectarian platforms including Projectarian Shop, Ravelry and Etsy.
CONCEPT
I first looked around for Barbie-inspired crochet patterns to see what was already out there and didn’t find much, so I knew I needed to make us something cute and girly to wear while we crochet amigurumi, right? Of course it had to pink and white, and as un-intimidating of a project as possible, so I went for mosaic crochet hearts on a loose fitting poncho-sweater with chunky purple ribbing.
MOSAIC CROCHET
There are various type of mosaic crochet and I tried them all before settling on inset mosaic crochet for the desired effect with the least amount bulk and the cleanest colour changes. As an added bonus, this method doesn’t leave you with a mass of loose ends to deal with either. In fact, you’ll only have a grand total of 2 loose ends to weave in for the entire mosaic colour-work portion of the sweater.
FIT
This is my first garment pattern so I’m starting off by doggy-paddling in the shallow end of the garment-designer pool. Meaning, this garment is one-size-fits-most and it doesn’t contain size grading, however, the pattern will guide you through lengthening your poncho-sweater or making the hip-opening wider if needed. Amongst my test team, we also confirmed that the poncho sweater fits adult sizes XS-XXL. It has a loose, comfy fit that drapes like a cozy blanket – but the fact that it has sleeves prevents it from being a nuisance in the way that a regular poncho can by flopping into everything. Although the garment hangs loosely, it does have intentional shaping in the shoulders and neck to fit your body. Cosmic Crush is a mock-turtleneck, which I personally find comfortable and flattering to wear. If you’d like to make your neck ribbing less snug, you can simply hook up by 1 size for that part (you’ll find this in the pattern too).
CONSTRUCTION
The garment is worked from the bottom up, so you’ll make the heart colourwork first, and then work your way up to the shoulders. You’ll make a front panel and a back panel, then crochet them together down the sides, thus creating the shoulder and sleeve seam. This also means the length of the garment is very easy to adjust. A few of my testers found the poncho-sweater to have a cropped fit on them, so you might like to decide on your preferred length before you begin. The pattern has more info on this to guide you through.
DIFFICULTY
Cosmic Crush was tested by my team of 12 mostly-amigurumi-makers and they found it easy to make, even though it was the first time that some of them were doing a garment. So I can confirm it’s beginner-friendly in the sense that if you’re used to amigurumi and this is your first garment, you’ll do just fine. These are all the sweaters made during testing, with attribution from left to right: Julia Do, Brooke Hoskins, Marilyn Fish, Yvonne Druesedau, Reeta Sievala, Stacey Grentell, https://www.projectarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/27-1.jpg Van In, Mia Svensson, Venessa Ford, Haylee Herman-Haase, Danielle Hanken Tetreault, Heather Adams.
WHERE TO GET IT
The pattern was an October 2023 CAL (crochet along) and now it’s available as a regular pattern on all my platforms.
I’m so excited about Cosmic Crush! Personally, I have been living in my pink poncho-sweater since I made it, I love mine and I want to make another one in different colours too. I hope you’ll try the pattern, I hope you have loads of fun and that you love your sweater as much as I do! Also, remember to show me your WIPs as you go – use #CosmicCrushPonchoSweater and tag @Projectarian on Facebook and Instagram.
xxx
https://www.projectarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/27-1.jpg
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