Crochet Fade Sweater // Part 1

When the amount of single skeins you have in stash stresses you out, what do you do? Me? I crochet a fade sweater.

Inspiration and Design

I’ve had a sweater in my wardrobe since 2012 that I absolutely love.

Naturally since I’ve learned how to crochet garments, recreating the sweater has been on my mind. Feel free to sing “you are always on my mind”, I know I have.

The sweater in question is a store bought peach fade sweater. Quite a mouth-full so from now on we shall think of another name. Like I said, this sweater has been a winter wardrobe staple since 2012, don’t know if you will be able to find it. But if you are interested in a hunt, I bought it at PacSun and the label says Kirra.

The Kirra fade sweater is machine knit flat in pieces, and seamed. Then, it appears the stitches are picked up for the neckline. In this fade the colors go from light to dark (bottom up). Instead of working in pieces I decided to work bottom up in the round. For this I’m using the reverse raglan technique.

For the reverse raglan technique instead of increasing at the shoulder points to create the yoke (top down) we work botom up and decrease at the shoulder points. This is the technique I use in the Las Nubes top. It might sound complicated but I promise it’s simple.

The yarn

To achieve a similar fade I raided my stash for green or blue yarns that complimented each other. For the crochet fade sweater I used 5 different colors from various indie dyers.

1. 1. Burrow and Soar
   1. Mediterranean blue BFL/Nylon- (Color 2)
   2. variegated with blues, greens and yellows – Merino/Nylon – (Color 1)

2. Emmy Couture
   1. aquamarine green – Merino/Nylon (color 3)
   2. top green – Merino/Nylon (color 5)
3. Fully spun postcript (sport weight base) – 100% Merino (color 4)

Even though the list reads like a lot of yarn, the sweater only weighs 306g. All these yarns had been in my stash for 2 years or more and were single skeins that I kept putting away because I didn’t want to make socks with them.

Most of these yarns are fingering weight, except for the Fully spun yarns which is a sport weight. However, they all played well together and using the sport weight for the chest area made it a little more roomy without having to increase for the bust.

Whether you have minis or some lonely skeins the crochet fade sweater is a great stash busting project.

Construction of the crochet fade sweater

Overall, the sweater is of a really simple design. It’s worked bottom up in the round with minimal increases. Because of the bottom up construction the sleeves are crocheted separately, in the round, and then joined with the main body of the sweater. At this stage the reverse raglan begins. I really enjoy this technique because I much prefer to work sweaters bottom up.

Also, the seaming in this crochet fade sweater is minimal. Just two underarm seams where the sleeves are joined. That said, because we are fading colors we do have 2 ends to weave in per color. But if you weave them in as you go, et voila, less ends.

I have not written the crochet fade sweater as a pattern but I hope that my notes and process videos will be able to guide you on your stash busting adventure.

Crochet Fade Sweater Recipe

Measurements

My measurements:

Chest – 33.5”
Waist – 28.5
Upper arm – 12”
Wrist – 6.5 to 7”
Arm length (from underarm to wrist) – 19”

Materials:

Fingering weight yarn – I had 500g of yarn at my disposal but only used 306 g for the measurements stated above. However, I would say that 600g of yarn is plenty for most sizes.

Hook sizes: I used Furls crochet hooks in resin and Odyssey.
4.5mm (bottom rib and color 1 only)
4mm (most of the sweater and sleeves)
3.75 (neckline rib only)

yarn needle
scissors
tape measure

Stitches Used (us)

ext-sc: extended single crochet
sc: single crochet
dc: double crochet
Fdc: Foundation double crochet
Fpdc & Bpdc: front post and back post dc are used to form the rib
sc2dec: single crochet decrease
Inc – increase by working 2 stitches in the same stitch.
Rep – repeat

Gauge in extended single crochet with a 4mm crochet hook
18 stitches x 19 rows = 4 x4” / 10cm

Notes:

• The sweater is crocheted bottom up in the round.
• Each round until we reach the raglan is joined with a sl st, then we ch1.
• Based entirely on your body measurements.
• If you would like to make the sweater longer remember to begin with your hip measurements.
• If you would like shaping, decrease at the waist and then increase for your bust.
• How long/wide you make your sweater is based on your gauge per inch x measurement.
• For example: (4.5 stitches in 1” and I want 8”) 4.5 x 8 = 36 stitches

I always rip back my swatches.

To start the crochet fade sweater:

Take all your measurements!

Next, make a gauge swatch in the round. don’t know about you, but my stitch gauge shrinks in the round.

Once you have your gauge divide it by 4 to get your 1” gauge.

I had 18 stitches per 1” in the fingering weight yarns.
18/4 = 4.5. This is the number I will multiply by my desired measurements.

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Body

1. With the 4.5mm hook Fdc 148, join in the round. Switch to a 4mm hook
2. Work 7 rounds of ext-sc.
3. Join color 2 and work sc in each stitch, join with a sl st, ch1.
4. Pick up color 1 and work 2 rounds of ext-sc.
5. Pick up color 2 and work 2 rounds of sc.
6. Pick up color 1 and work 1 round of ext-sc.
7. Pick up color 2 and work 1 round of ext-sc.
8. Pick up color 1 and work 1 round of sc. (Cut color 1 after this round is complete.)
9. At row 1 With color 1 and a 4.5mm hook work 3rows of Fpdc/Bpdc rib over 73 stitches for both the front and the back of the sweater. By leaving 1 stitch between the front and back rib we have formed a slit on either side.

Color 2 & Color 3 Section

1. Work 12 rounds of ext-sc in Color 2
2. Join color 3 and work sc in each stitch, join with a sl st, ch1.
3. Pick up color 2 and work 2 rounds of ext-sc.
4. Pick up color 3 and work 2 rounds of sc.
5. Pick up color 2 and work 1 round of ext-sc.
6. Pick up color 3 and work 1 round of ext-sc.
7. Pick up color 2 and work 1 round of sc. (Cut color 2 after this round is complete.)

Color 3 & Color 4 Section

1. Work 12 rounds of ext-sc in Color 3
2. Join color 4 and work sc in each stitch, join with a sl st, ch1.
3. Pick up color 3 and work 2 rounds of ext-sc.
4. Pick up color 4 and work 2 rounds of sc.
5. Pick up color 3 and work 1 round of ext-sc.
6. Pick up color 4 and work 1 round of ext-sc.
7. Pick up color 3 and work 1 round of sc. (Cut color 3 after this round is complete.)

Work 5 rounds of ext-sc in color 4.

Sweater will be 1/2 way or on top of the boobage.

Sleeves

The Sleeves will follow the same color changing process as the body.

Cuff:

1. With 4mm hook and color 1 Fdc 34 stitches.
2. Work Fpdc/Bpdc rib for 3 rounds.
3. ext-sc, inc, ext-sc to 1 stitch before end of round, inc, sl st to join, ch1. (36)
4. Work 6 ext-sc rounds in color 1.
5. Join color 2 and work sc in each stitch, join with a sl st, ch1.
6. Pick up color 1: *8 ext-sc, inc; rep from * to end. (40)
7. Color 1: *9 ext-sc, inc; rep from * to end. (44)
8. Pick up color 2 and work 2 rounds of sc.
9. Pick up color 1 and work 1 round of ext-sc.
10. Pick up color 2 and work 1 round of ext-sc.
11. Pick up color 1 and work 1 round of sc. (Cut color 1 after this round is complete.)

Color 2 & Color 3 Section

1. Work 12 rounds of ext-sc in Color 2
2. Join color 3 and work sc in each stitch, join with a sl st, ch1. Inc 2 stitches (46)
3. Pick up color 2 and work 2 rounds of ext-sc.
4. Pick up color 3 and work 2 rounds of sc.
5. Pick up color 2 and work 1 round of ext-sc.
6. Pick up color 3 and work 1 round of ext-sc.
7. Pick up color 2 and work 1 round of sc. (Cut color 2 after this round is complete.)

Color 3 & Color 4 Section

1.Work 12 rounds of ext-sc in Color 3

2.Join color 4 and work sc in each stitch, join with a sl st, ch1.

3.Pick up color 3 and work 2 rounds of ext-sc.

4.Pick up color 4 and work 2 rounds of sc.

5.Pick up color 3 and work 1 round of ext-sc.

6.Pick up color 4 and work 1 round of ext-sc.

7.Pick up color 3 and work 1 round of sc. (Cut color 3 after this round is complete.)

Once you have completed your color changing rounds, Work 5 rounds of ext-sc in color 4

After both the body and sleeves have reached the 4th color rounds, we will begin our Raglan. Tune in next week for this exciting adventure.

Other patterns with reverse raglan construction:

Las Nubes