Finished Star Stitch Sweater

I’m all done with my star stitch sweater. I finished it before my granny square sweater. I’m not sure how I feel about that. On the one hand, I’m very proud of it. Everyone loved it. I sort of loved it. I kept seeing my mistakes in it. One of my sisters loved it so much I let her have it. My other sister is still waiting on the granny square one but I’m thinking I’ll just start a new one for her. She might have more of a fighting chance of actually getting something within this lifetime. Besides, after spending so much time trying to plug up the holes on the granny sweater, I might not be able to let it go once I’m done (if it ever gets done, heh).

So back to the star stitch sweater.

It looks a little bulky but I liked the way it felt and so did almost everyone who tried it on. I think the pockets look nice but they don’t feel great for inserting your hands. But sis said she loved it as is (she may have been positioning herself to take it and it worked!) so I gave it to her. Now I still owe other sis a new sweater. 🙂

How I made it

I used Caron One Pound yarn – I was worried the yarn would be too thick and wouldn’t drape well but I was very happy with it.

I used an I hook

Each completed round of star stitches is made up of two rows of crochet.

I had four panels that were sewn together.

The sleeves were done in the round and the cuffs were done using half double crochet in the back loop with decreases for shaping.

I finished it off with a reverse single crochet for the edging.

The dimensions of the separate pieces were as follows:

The back: 22 inches wide, 23.5 inches long (22 rows of complete star stitches, 40 star stitches per row)

The front panels: 12 inches wide, 23.5 inches long (13 rows of complete star stitches, 40 star stitches per row)

Bottom Panel: 46 inches wide, 12 inches long (13 rows of complete star stitches, not sure how many star stitches per row but about 75)

What I learned

Well, I learned how to make the rows even (no leaning) using this stitch so next time I won’t have to ‘fix’ my mistakes. I learned that instead of making a separate bottom panel that has to be sewn, I make the front panels and back panel first, sew them together and then start the bottom part directly on the bottom edge of my work. That way, it’s the right length from the start and I can grow it as long as I want. I would also be more careful with the placement of the pockets. I can pretty much use any stitch or yarn I like as long as the dimensions are similar to the ones I used.

This was a successful adventure!