Latest Make: Granny Go Round Jumper

At the beginning of the year I wrote my making plans for 2021. The first item on the list was “fill gaps in my wardrobe“. Very shortly after that I realised that I don’t have a plain back woolly jumper. Conveniently enough, it was around this time that Claudine released her latest pattern. It was clearly meant to be. Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to introduce my latest make: Granny Go Round Jumper.

I am ashamed to say that I have never, ever crocheted any clothing. It is just so much quicker to sew. I am also slightly scarred by the time I knitted a jumper for my daughter when she was one. It literally took forever.

I started the granny go round jumper in February half term. I had agreed with the kids that we could watch all eight Harry Potter films back to back. It was lockdown and February, what else could we do? We got up at 5am to start our marathon, and finished nineteen hours later. I decided that if I was making something while we were watching then it wouldn’t be an entirely wasted day.

I made good progress during the day, but once it started to get dark my eyes started to get tired. Black yarn is not easy when the light is not good. I kept going though, until half way through film seven we had a power cut. We managed to watch the film by candlelight (using my phone’s hotspot) but crochet was impossible.

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The rhythmic monotony of the granny stitch is so soothing. I was missing making my sky blanket for that reason. I made good (and relatively quick) progress, too. Yes, crocheting a jumper takes longer than sewing one but that’s ok. After about four weeks I only had one and a tiny bit sleeves left to go.

Then I borked my wrist.

No sewing, and definitely no crochet for a while. Until, that is, my lovely physio said I could start doing a little bit each day to help with my healing. WELL OK THEN.

Slowly but surely I have plugged away at my jumper. I was determined that I would be able to wear it as part of my me made may challenge this year. With a week to go I darned the last end in.

Yarn

I chose to use stylecraft naturals bamboo and cotton yarn in pitch. Stylecraft special DK is one of my favourite yarns to crochet with, but as I am trying to steer clear of acrylic nowadays, I figured the naturals would be a good alternative. I was right, it is lovely. It makes a lovely fabric when crocheted up. However, although it is a DK weight yarn, it is significantly thinner than the special DK.

I used a 5mm hook instead of the recommended 3.5mm to get the required gauge. This means that my jumper is slightly more open than it should be, but I actually quite like that. My granny go round jumper is perfect for layering over vest tops in spring. I can also wear it over long-sleeved t-shirts in the winter.

Modifications

I added length to both the body and the sleeves. For the wrist cuffs I switched to a 4mm hook to bring them in a bit, but I probably could have gone with a 3.5mm. After much umming and ahhing I eventually decided to leave off the neck band as I liked the shape as it was.

I am so very proud of this granny go round jumper, and am certain that it will become a staple of my wardrobe. I have planned a second, more colourful version already. Watch this space!