I am so happy to have had the opportunity to design the Autumn Chill sweater for the Furls CAL this month. This sweater uses Tunisian crochet and super soft Whims Merino yarn for the ultimate cozy sweater. In my opinion, you can’t have enough solid “basic” sweaters, and I wanted to keep the design classic.
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Autumn Chill Inspiration
I can’t be the only one who has noticed that there seem to be waaaaaay more sweater designs for women than there are for men. I get that the majority of crocheters are women, and I know I personally find it much easier to make things for myself so that I can try them on as I go, but I also know that menfolk deserve sweaters too! In my crusade to design things men won’t hate (the title of a future crochet book? Probably), I came up with the idea for the Autumn Chill Sweater. This pattern is written in a variety of sizes for men or women. The classic look can work for anybody, and it’s super comfy! I chose a simple drop-shoulder design worked in Tunisian Full Stitch. This makes it so easy to adjust for length! The sleeves taper down to the wrist, and there are two sleeve length options for each size so you can pick the one that works best for you.
You can get the free pattern from the Furls Crochet-a-long website using the button below! Read on for more info including needed supplies and videos that will help you along the way.
Materials
- Whims Merino Worsted (100g/120y) in Charcoal, 1400-3200 yards, 12-27 balls
- Tunisian Crochet Hook Size J 6.00mm. For sizes above large (40-44″), you will need a hook with an extender cable. I used these beautiful Padauk Tunisian Hooks from Furls!
- Tapestry needle for finishing work.
Sizing
The sweater is designed for chest/bust sizes ranging from 28″ up to 64″. This covers women’s XS all the way up to men’s 5X! As written, the pattern is long enough for men’s sizes, but the length is very easy to modify for shorter torsos – simply reduce the number of rows of the front and back panel before the collar shaping. The sample shown is men’s medium (and thanks to my husband for putting up with my need for a model!). I used the longer arm variation – but there is also a shorter arm option for people with… well, shorter arms! (For comparison – you can scroll down to the bottom of the post to see a picture of me wearing the same sweater – I am a women’s large, so would use the same bust measurement. If I were really making it to fit me though, I would have used the shorter arm.)
Video Help for the Autumn Chill Sweater
How to Crochet TFS
Tunisian Full Stitch is one of my favorite Tunisian stitches. I love the look of the finished fabric, and there’s no fuss about “which loop” you need to work into and how. The important thing to keep track of when doing TFS is whether you start before or after the first stitch for each row. You’ll have to alternate to keep the fabric straight! Check out the video below for more info.
Seaming the Autumn Chill Sweater
The simple drop shoulder design makes seaming this sweater a breeze! You’ll first attach the arms, and then seam up the side of the sweater and across the bottom of the arms. The video below will walk you through the process from start to finish!
Adding Ribbing
The home stretch – adding ribbing! You can, if you choose, crochet a strip of ribbing separately and then sew it onto your sweater for the collar, bottom ribbing, and sleeve ribbing. I prefer to do an applied ribbing and crochet it directly onto the sweater. It saves me a step in sewing at the end. The only real downside to this technique is that you’ll have to turn the sweater back and forth a lot as you work each direction on the ribbing.
Beat the Autumn Chill!
I can’t wait to see all of your finished projects! Grab a hook and some yarn and get a start to beat that chilly autumn breeze. This sweater just begs me to curl up on the couch with a steamy mug of cider. Mmmm!
Here’s me in the same sweater my husband modeled above – you can see that the arms are a little long for me since I made the sweater with the “longer arm” version so it would fit my husband! Still love it and soooo cozy!
