crochet

me
designs to fuelrethe
crochet volution

kim werker
 table of contents
An Open Letter (introduction) leaves sweater
About this Book by Annette Petavy
Designer in Profile: Annette Petavy
babydoll dress
by Amy O’Neill Houck essay: generations
Designer in Profile: Amy O’Neill Houck thigh highs
by Cecily Keim
icelandic turtleneck
by Chloe Nightingale Designer in Profile: Cecily Keim
Designer in Profile: Chloe Nightingale comfy cardi
sidebar: crochet stitches by Robyn Chachula
convertible victorian shrug sidebar: shaping
by Robyn Chachula five o’clock tank
Designer in Profile: Robyn Chachula by Megan Granholm
essay: a different kind of post Designer in Profile: Megan Granholm
mini-wrap skirt sidebar: tunisian crochet
by Amy O’Neill Houck cocoon bag
by Cecily Keim
messenger bag
Variations Baskets by Carol Ventura
by Julie Armstrong Holetz
Designer in Profile: Carol Ventura
Designer in Profile: Julie Armstrong Holetz
sidebar: tapestry crochet
convert sweater
by Melissa Hills circle motif rug
by Donna Hulka
Designer in Profile: Melissa Hills
Designer in Profile: Donna Hulka
sidebar: gauge
essay: splitting hairs
style moderne crochet jewelry
by Chloe Nightingale gordo and doug dolls
by Kim Werker
mesmerize sweater
by Kristin Omdahl For More Inspiration – Resources
Designer in Profile: Kristin Omdahl Glossary
sidebar: block it. just block it. Supplies
shades of plaid scarf Index
by Julie Armstrong Holetz
sidebar: crochet sampler

crochet me 
 babydoll dress
by Amy O’Neill Houck

amy’s inspiration
When designing this dress, I was inspired by the great layered fashions I was seeing in
magazines and stores—little dresses worn over jeans and long T-shirts and a mix of lacy concentration rating
and casual. A sleeveless tunic I found at a thrift store that’s worked in thread crochet
inspired the stitch patterns used in the lace of this modular crochet babydoll dress.

techniques used in the pattern hook

Sc, dc, sc-blo, seaming bodice /ribbing: US G /6/4mm
crochet hook
measurements + sizing skirt: US H/8/5mm crochet hook and US
Size XS [S, M, L, XL] I/9/5.5mm crochet hook
For Bust Size 32 [34, 36, 38, 40] inches
The dress is designed with negative ease in the bodice ribbing, if you’d like a looser fit, make a
size larger. notions
Yarn needle
finished chest measurement: 30 [32, 34, 36, 38] inches
yarn gauge
Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece ribbing: in sc (bl): 20 sc (bl)= 4 in/10 cm,
(80% cotton/20% merino wool, 215 yds/197 m per 3.5 oz/100 g), 19 rows = 4 in/10 cm.
Putty # CW-105 skirt: see gauge swatch below
6 [6, 7, 7, 8] skeins required
substitution: Approximately 1,127 [1,200, 1,277, 1,352, 1,428] m
dk-weight yarn.

crochet me 
shells and chains skirt pattern
(multiple of 6 sts)
GAUGE SWATCH:
stitch note: To get the stacked “V” look of the
scs in the round, insert the hook into the center
of the single crochet instead of just below the two
top loops.
Ch 23
Row 1: 2dc in 4th ch from hk, sk 2 ch, sc, sk 2 ch,
5 dc, sk 2 ch, sc, sk 2 ch, 5 dc, sk 2 ch, sc, sk 2 ch,
3dc. (2 complete shells, plus 2 half shells on each
end). Ch 1, turn.
Row 2: sc in 1st dc, ch2, *(sc in sc, ch 2, sc in 3rd
dc of shell, ch 2) rep from * to end. Ch 1, turn.
Row 3: sc in 1st sc, *( sc in sc between shells, 5 dc in
sc over shells) rep from * to end. Ch 1, turn.
Rep rows 2 and three until swatch measures 6 inches
long. Fasten off.
Swatch should measure 5" in width. Adjust hook size if
necessary to obtain gauge.
Special Stitch Pattern (if Applicable)
Bodice is worked in sc through the blo to create rib-
bing.
Skirt: See gauge swatch above. There’s a subtle differ-
ence in the stitch used in the sleeves and in the skirt.
In the skirt, the shells are stacked to give a distinctive
vertical stripe, in the sleeves they’re staggered for a
lacier look.
Pattern Notes: The fit of this dress is custom-
izable–you can adjust the length, the sleeves
and more to your liking. You could even leave
the sleeves off for a cute jumper to layer over a
T-shirt. The bodice is made in two identical sec-
tions, each made of five panels. The sections are
then crocheted together at the back, front and
at the underarms before the sleeves and skirt
are added. The chains in the bodice are always
made with the larger (H/5.0mm) hook so the gar-
ment has adequate vertical stretch.
BODICE HALVES (make 2)
If you would like a custom fit, you can make any of the
panels wider or narrower by adding or removing rows.
Front Panel
Using size H/5.0mm hook, loosely ch 22 [25, 28, 31,
32].
Row 1: Using size G/4.0mm hook, sc across, ch 1,
turn. 21 [24, 27, 30, 31] sts.
Row 2: sc(bl) across.
Rep row 2 until your work measures 2½ [3, 3, 3,
3½]"
Shoulder Panel
At the end of the next row, switch back to size
H/5.0mm hook and loosely ch 60 [63, 66, 69, 70].
Row 1: Using size G/4.0mm hook, sc across, ch 1,
turn. 59 [62, 65, 68, 70] sts.
Row 2: sc(bl) across.
Rep row 2 until shoulder panel measures 3½ [3½,
4, 4, 4]" across (plus the width of the front panel where
they’re connected.)
Back Panel
Join the yarn to the bottom edge of the shoulder panel
(opposite the front panel.) You’ll be crocheting into the
backside of the chain. Chain 1. Work 33 [36, 39, 42,
43] sc. Chain 1, turn.
Row 1: sc(bl) across the row. 33 [36, 39, 42, 43] sts.
Repeat Row 1 until the back panel measures 2½ [3,
3, 3, 3½]"
Underarm Panel
At the back of the work, join yarn to the other side of
the shoulder panel from where you worked the back
panel. Ch 1. Work 12 sts (all sizes). Ch 1, turn.
Row 1: sc(bl) across the row. (12 sts).
Rep Row 1 until underam panel measures 1½ [1½,
1½, 2, 2]"
Repeat underarm panel on the other end of the shoul-
der panel (front side).
Assemble Bodice
With right sides together, crochet back seam, crochet
front seam, crochet underarm seam.
SKIRT
Note: Skirt is worked in the round. Rounds are joined
with a sl st. Do not turn work at the end of the round.
Foundation
With size H/5.0mm hook, join yarn at center back
seam of bodice. Sc around the row edges only in the
“valleys” of the sc rib.
Eyelet Round
Chain 4, *(sk 1 st, dc in next st.), rep from * around.
Begin Lace
Round 1: Ch 3, work 4 dc in st directly below ch-3,
*(sk 2 sts, sc, sk 2 sts, 5 dc), rep from * around. If the
number of sts in your your skirt is not a multiple of 6,
work a partial shell at the end of the round. End with
sc. Sl st to join sc to ch-3. Sl st to center of shell. Ch 1.
Round 2: *(sc in 3rd dc of 5-dc shell, ch 2, sc in sc,
ch 2) rep from * around. End with ch 2, sl st to 1st sc.
Ch 1.
Round 3: *(5 dc in sc over each shell, sc in sc
between each shell) rep from * around. Sl st last dc to
1st sc.
Rep rows 2 and 3 until the dress falls to your hip bone
when you try it on. Change to size I/5.5mm hook,
continue in pattern until skirt falls just above your knee
(or to your desired length). End with row 3.
Fasten off.
Sleeves
Sleeves are worked in a similar fashion to the skirt.
Work each sleeve as described below. All sizes are
worked in the same manner because the armhole siz-
ing was created when you crocheted the bodice.
Foundation
With size H/5.0mm hook, join yarn at underarm seam.
Sc in valleys of row edges. Work 2 stitches at corner
between underarm and beg of shoulder panel. Sc
around shoulder panel, work 2 sc in back corner, sc in
valleys of row edges. Join with sl st.
Round 1: Ch 3, 4 dc in st directly below ch 3, *(sk 2
sts, sc, sk 2 sts, 5 dc ), rep from * around. If the num-
ber of sts in your your skirt is not a multiple of 6, work
a partial shell at the end of the round. End with sc. Sl st
to join sc to ch 3. Sl st to center of shell. Ch 1.
Round 2: *(sc in 3rd dc of 5-dc shell, ch 2, sc in sc,
designer in profile: amy o’neill houck
The vowel sound in Amy’s last name is the same as in ouch. Just in
case you were wondering. I wondered until I met her in person and
asked. I figured I’d save you the awkward question.
Amy is a crochet and knitting designer and teacher, a writer, a
technical editor, and a mom to two of the cutest kids I’ve ever met. She
grew up a faculty brat in a college town in upstate New York.
A lefty who learned to crochet right-handed, Amy insists the yarn
hand has the more complicated job of tensioning the yarn–crocheting
is necessarily a two-handed activity. She loves yarns of all sorts, and
rarely blames the yarn for producing an undesirable fabric. This is a
common idea expressed by many passionate crochet designers–pro-
ducing a lovely product takes thought and skill; to say crochet is ugly
is not only to throw the baby out with the bathwater, it’s also to tacitly
admit you haven’t tried very hard.
Amy approaches all aspects of crochet in terms a greater con-
text, be it design, education, environmentalism, or consumerism. As
she puts it, “I think crochet can be a vehicle for change in all sorts of
ways: education–it helps young minds with math, concentration, fine
motor skills; environmentalism—I think about my yarn purchases the
same way I think about all my purchases: Who made this? How does
its manufacture affect the earth and those involved in its production?
Politics—I love working with yarn companies who make social entre-
preneurship a big part of their mission by using organic raw materials,
working with cooperative spinners, dyers, artisans, supporting the com-
munities where they get their yarn.”
A secondary skill Amy has developed is that of removing choco-
late stains from fabrics of all sorts. A big, big fan of dark chocolate,
specifically, she jokes (I think) that if you look closely you might find the
mark of chocolate on the dress she designed. Having tried desperately
myself to remove a chocolate stain from a belt I crocheted for a book
once, this makes me smile. We all do it. Admit it.
Amy started calling herself a designer after her first design was
published. “I’m not too shy about titles,” she says. “I think if you want
to be something, you should start thinking of yourself with that title; it
helps you reach that goal.”
Amy writes a blog at www.hookandi.blogspot.com and has a pro-
fessional site at www.aohdesigns.com.
crochet me 
crochet
me
the crochet book
for the DIY generation!
Young designers everywhere are “taking back” crochet and demonstrating it
doesn’t have to be frumpy and uncool, but instead it can be hip, stylish, edgy
and fun. That’s what the online magazine Crochet Me is all about. Kim Werker,
editor of Interweave Crochet and the founder of crochetme.com, is leading a
crochet revolution by reinterpreting crochet design and pushing the limits
of what it can be. This book takes the attitude and community of the online
magazine and brings it to a book filled with unique, original patterns.

inside you’ll find:

• E ighteen fashion-forward patterns from sweaters, dresses, scarves and bags to home
accessories and gifts
• P rofiles of up-and-coming designers that give an entertaining and inspiring insight
into the new generation of crocheters—what inspires them, how they find community
with other crocheters, and creative ideas for breaking the rules and representing your
own crochet style
• E ssays that empower readers to think of crochet in a new way
• B asic crochet techniques along with tutorials on sizing, design and special techniques
This book will inspire everyone to start their own crochet revolution.
this is crochet for the people!
Kim Werker is the editor of Interweave Crochet magazine and the founder of the
online magazine, Crochet Me, which receives over 110,000 visits each month.
This keeps her in touch with up-and-coming designers and crochet enthu-
siasts from around the world. She is the coauthor of Teach Yourself VISUALLY
Crocheting, and the author of Get Hooked: Simple Steps to Crochet Cool Stuff, a book
for teens. She has appeared on Uncommon Threads on the DIY Network. Kim
lives and crochets in Vancouver, Canada.

Paperbound, 8½ x 9, 144 pages

100 Photographs; 30 charts
$21.95 US/$27.95 Canada
ISBN: 978-1-59668-044-9
october 2007

interweave.com
Interweave Press LLC is distributed to the book trade in the U.S. and Canada by Independent Publish-
ers Group, in the UK and Europe by Search Press, in New Zealand by David Batemman, Ltd, and in Aus-
trailia by Keith Aninsworth Pty Ltd. Interweave Press LLC is also the publisher of 13 craft magazines
including Interweave Knits, interweave crochet, Spin-Off, PieceWork and FiberArts.