CROCHET: Cozy, Wattle Stitch Baby Sweater

I love discovering and trying out new stitches, especially since most crochet stitches are easy to pick up. The wattle stitch is something I had never heard of when I first found Alicia Paulson's blog, Posie Gets Cozy, via a Pinterest photo. Alicia is SO talented and is one of those creative geniuses who has mastered crocheting and knitting, in addition to sewing and embroidery! I love this crochet Tulipfield dress that she designed herself! And onto the list of projects it went...

Isn't the wattle stitch so wonderfully textured?

If you know me and my crocheting well, you'll know that I have a hard time following a pattern to the tee and that I usually end up tweaking something or other. For this project, I decided to make a pull-over sweater rather than the dress. I thought an easily removable sweater would be make things easier for a baby. I also adapted the neckline into a v-neck instead of a button-fastened opening to avoid any possibility of the button becoming a choking hazard.

Now, to choose colours. I had a lot of fun choosing colours for this project since it can accommodate a variety of colours and there are so many different colour palettes that would look great! I ended up choosing a similar colour combination as Alicia's: a nice, neutral gray for the main body of the sweater with a couple rows of rich, vibrant colours mixed into rows of more muted, pale colours.

One thing I wish I had thought about before choosing yarns for this project is the care instructions; all the yarns used are varying percentages of wool and acrylic so there is a higher chance that the sweater's shape may end up warping - fingers crossed! If you choose to crochet one, or any other washer-friendly projects with more than one yarn colour, I would advise you to use yarns that are composed of the same materials to ensure that the whole sweater shrinks/loosens together.

Something special that I have to highlight about how this sweater was made is the 5.0mm crochet hook I used. How beautiful and intricate is this wooden, elephant crochet hook that Megana gave me? It was one of two that she gifted to me last year and I absolutely LOVE them! Just look at the detailed carving of the elephant's face and limbs and the wonderfully smooth curves of the handle...it's definitely my favourite hook! Thanks, Megana (:

Originally, I started crocheting this baby sweater a couple years ago for our second oldest niece, Hannah Grace, but soon after, I sadly realized that she would be too big to fit this sweater/dress by the time it would be cold enough to wear it! Can you tell I don't have kids? Babies just grow so quickly...and it doesn't help that I'm terrible at estimating their size! So it sat unfinished until this fall, when I figured that Adelyn would likely be able to wear it for the coldest months of Edmonton. 

I'm seriously contemplating crocheting a matching one in adult size...I love this sweater!

Cozy, Wattle Stitch Baby Sweater  inspired by this Tulipfield Dress

SUPPLIES

• 5.0mm crochet hook
• 4.25mm crochet hook
• Scissors
• Yarn needle
• Worsted yarn in desired colours
• Colour A: Igloo, merino line by Martha Stewart Crafts (discontinued)
• Colour B: Scrap yarn in a chocolate brown colour
• Colour C: Milk Glass Pink, merino line by Martha Stewart Crafts (discontinued)
• Colour D: Scrap yarn in a tan/dark beige colour
• Colour E: Berry, Soft line by Red Heart
• Colour F: Gypsy Gold, Waverly line by Bernat
• Colour G: Silver Heather, Vanna's Choice line by Lion Brand

SIZE

Length: 12"

Width: front side of body, armpit to armpit: 9.5" / front side of sleeve: 4" 

NOTES

• This pattern is worked from collar to bottom of sweater.
• All the gray parts are worked in a round (ie. in a continuous circle; there will be no seam/opening) whereas the colourful bib is crocheted going back and forth.
• When switching colours, crochet over the tail of the previous colour to avoid having to weave them in later. I like to tie a knot around a stitch in the middle of the tail's length to secure it and continue crocheting over the remainder of the tail.
• If you're altering this pattern to crochet a different size, make sure the last row of the colourful section is a multiple of 3 for crocheting the wattle stitch.

PATTERN 

1	Using colour A, chain 42.
2	Continuing with colour A, chain 2, and turn. Hdc in each chain to the end of row.
3	Switch to colour B, chain 2, turn. { 2 hdc in next, hdc in next 2 }. Repeat { } to end of row.
4	Switch to colour C, chain 2, turn. { 2 hdc in next, hdc x3 }. Repeat { } to end of row.
5	Switch to colour D, chain 2, turn. { 2 hdc in next, hdc x4 }. Repeat { } to end of row.
6	Switch to colour E, chain 2, turn. { 2 hdc in next, hdc x5 }. Repeat { } to end of row.
7	Switch to colour C, chain 2, turn. { 2 hdc in next, hdc x6 }. Repeat { } to end of row.
8	Switch to colour A, chain 2, turn. { 2 hdc in next, hdc x7 }. Repeat { } to end of row.
9	Switch to colour F, chain 2, turn. { 2 hdc in next, hdc x8 }. Repeat { } to end of row.
10	Switch to colour E, chain 2, turn. { 2 hdc in next, hdc x9 }. Repeat { } to end of row.
11	Switch to colour G, attach a stitch marker, and chain 2.
* From this point onwards, you will crochet in a round so you won't need to turn at the end of the  following rows. Treat the "end of row" of colour E as your next stitch to close the gap and to ensure that the right side of the wattle stitch is on the outside of the sweater! After a couple rounds of the wattle stitch, the shape of the sweater should become more apparent as you won't be increasing stitches as you did previously when crocheting the colourful bib section. *
12	{ (1 sc, 1 ch, 1 dc) into next ch, skip 2 ch }. Repeat until round one complete (ie. you reach the stitch marker).
13	Chain 1, skip the sc and dc. { (1 sc, 1 ch, 1 dc) into next chain space, skip sc + dc }. Repeat { } for four rounds. The { } is one wattle stitch!
14	On the sixth round of colour G, continue the wattle stitch until you have 6 wattle stitches completed on the frontside AND backside of the left arm of the sweater (ie. the right edge of sweater when looking at it) (approximately 18-19 wattle stitches from start of round six). It will help to flatten the sweater to see this. Attach a stitch marker, if desired, or remember that the round starts/ends at the armpit of the sleeve.
Left Arm/Sleeve of Sweater:
15	Crochet your next wattle stitch into the sixth wattle stitch from the frontside of the sweater (it should be the wattle stitch laying directly on top of the last wattle stitch you just crocheted) and continue crocheting in a round for 6 rounds; each round should be 12 wattle stitches (36 stitches).
16	At the end of the last round, slip stitch into the first sc of round 6 and cut yarn. I like to weave the tail through a few stitches and tying a knot to make it extra secure before finishing weaving the rest of the tail.
Right Arm/Sleeve of Sweater:
17	Slip stitch yarn into the chain space of the first wattle stitch from the left, outer edge when facing the sweater, of the right arm (the one farthest from the v-neck when sweater is flattened). Attach a stitch marker, if desired, or remember that the round starts/ends at the farthest stitch from the v-neck. Hold the sweater so that the front of the sweater is facing you, upside down to ensure that you continue working in the same direction as before.
18	Chain 1, skip the sc and dc. { (1 sc, 1 ch, 1 dc) into next chain space, skip sc + dc }. Repeat { } until you have completed 6 wattle stitches.
19	Similar to the left sleeve, turn the sweater and work the next wattle stitch into the wattle stitch that is directly beneath the current stitch, on the backside of the sweater. It should be the sixth wattle stitch from the outer edge.
20	{ (1 sc, 1 ch, 1 dc) into next chain space, skip sc + dc }. Repeat { } in a round until you have completed 6 rounds of the sleeve. As with the left sleeve, you should have 12 wattle stitches (36 stitches) in each round.
21	At the end of the last round, slip stitch into the first sc of round 6 and cut yarn. I like to weave the tail through a few stitches and tying a knot to make it extra secure before finishing weaving the rest of the tail.
Body of the Sweater:
22	Slip stitch yarn into the first chain space to the right of the armpit of the right arm/sleeve.
23	Chain 1, skip the sc and dc. { (1 sc, 1 ch, 1 dc) into next chain space, skip sc + dc }. Repeat { } in a round for 18 complete rounds, or to desired length.
24	Weave in tail.
Collar Edge Detailing:
25	Using the smaller hook, slip stitch colour F into the lowest point of the v-neck. Sc into each stitch, working your way up the left side (when facing sweater) of the v-neck opening. Continue around the collar/top of colourful bib and back down the right side of the v-neck opening until you reach the bottom of the row in colour D, or as desired.
26	Cut tail with approximately one foot of tail left. Using the yarn needle, sew the rest of the v-neck opening together. Sew under the v's of the sc you've already crocheted so that the sc are upright and the v's are facing you. Tie a knot on the inside of the sweater to secure the sewing.
27	Weave in the remainder of the tail.

If that was a bunch of gibberish blabber, sit tight; tutorial with pictures will be posted in the future! But if you're on the same page as me and understand the pattern, please show me your finished baby sweater via Instagram by tagging @leehannahj and/or using #wattlestitchsweater or emailing me: hannahleeyua@gmail.com. I'd love to see them (I'd be mostly impressed with your ability to decipher these instructions) (: