#interweave store

Crochet Comes In Handy With Knitting: Capelet Tank

I decided to learn how to knit after I realized there were so many more patterns I liked for knitting than there were for crochet. I had noticed that vintage pattern books assumed that knitters knew how to crochet, often in order to add an edging of some kind. But I hadn’t realized how handy it would come in with tweaking a knitting pattern that does not quite fit

When I finished the Capelet Tank by Cathy Carron, the armholes were far too large for me. In part, my choice of a very slippery yarn made it worse, and the pattern had opted for cut-in armholes as well. But I realized that crocheting around the edge would tighten it up. I took the hook size for a DK yarn, and made a row of single crochet around the edge; still too big, so I then went down a hook size and did it again. As you can see, the two rows managed to draw the armhole up a good inch or more and also made it far more stable. Because the knitting was loose enough in gauge, it had no effect on the overall length or fit. So, it’s worth considered if a loose knitted edge or neckline would benefit from a little crochet work.

This is an easy pattern and the cowl neck lend itself to wear in many ways. In fact, I could see making lengths of crocheted chains to use to draw it in even more ways. This is a pattern I will be making again.