Top-Down Crochet Sweaters

Welcome to the new era of crochet. Making garments from the top down is a favorite knitting technique that allows knitters to test and adjust the fit as they go. Now, thanks to designer Dora Ohrenstein, crocheters will benefit for the first time from a pattern book featuring the same beloved approach. These 14 fashionable patterns are sure to flatter bodies of all shapes and sizes. Show-stopping original photography, an extensive discussion of the benefits of top-down construction, and detailed instructions on how and why to adjust the patterns to ensure an exquisite customized fit will have crocheters tying themselves in knots to start strutting their stuff! Top-down, seamless sweater construction offers new opportunities to create hip, fashionable garments that can be tried on as they are created, with no tedious seaming to do when the crocheting is complete. Top-Down Crochet Sweaters offers complete instructions on this technique along with 14 stylish, contemporary patterns.   
Dora Ohrenstein is a leading crochet designer, author, and teacher. She is the author of Top-Down Crochet Sweaters and The Crocheter's Skill-Building Workshop, which is being hailed as a must-have resource by the crochet community. Ohrenstein's chic and innovative designs appear regularly in Interweave Crochet, Crochet!, Crochet World, Vogue Knitting Crochet, and many other print and online magazines. She is the co-editor of Crochet World's "Talking Crochet" column, and she has written for various other publications about crochet history, international traditions, and techniques.  Take it from the top.



In the first collection of its kind, crochet designer Dora Ohrenstein presents 14 patterns sure to flatter all body shapes and sizes. From elegant to casual, here are contemporary options for every season and occasion.



Making a garment from the top down lets you try it on as you go and adjust the length as necessary. Detailed directions on the top-down technique plus valuable tips on choosing yarn and stitch patterns ensure exquisite sweaters with fashionable drape. Introduction: Why Crochet from the Top Down?

Top-Down Construction Basics

A Note about Yarns

The Garment Pairs



Part I: The Techniques

1  The Top-Down Crochet Method

  Necklines: An Overview

  Yolk Shaping

  Building Necklines

  Trying On the Yoke as You Go

  Creating the Underarm

  Beginning the Body

  Working the Sleeve

2  Additional Techniques for Top-Down Garments

  Mastering Stitches

  Gauge and Drape

  Blocking Your Swatch

  Choosing Yarns

  Blocking Your Garment

3  Making Your Garment Fit

  All about Ease

  Measuring Yourself

  Measuring a Favorite Sweater

  How to Read a Schematic

  How Sweaters Fit Your Body

  Choosing a Length

  Fibers and Fit

  Making Alterations



Part II: The Patterns

  Ava and Bettina

  Isola and Chloe

  Luna and Janelle

  Jade and Magda

  Rosina and Isabel

  Genevieve and Zora

  Nanette and Erde



Index

Abbreviations

Acknowledgments

Metric Conversion Chart
"If you've always thought of crocheted sweaters as lumpy, heavy, and unflattering, Dora's book will change your mind in about two minutes flat."

- Franklin Habit, designer, teacher, author, and illustrator