Crocheting a Double Rainbow Cardigan

This Double Rainbow Crocheted Cardigan brings a smile to all of those who see it.  My inspiration for the sweater was The Over the Rainbow Toddler Sweater by Yarnspirations.com/bernat.  This multicolored treat ranges in sizes from 2T to 6 and uses 7 shades of worsted weight yarn with a J (6.0mm) hook. When I saw the photo of the sweater, I knew I wanted to make it, but I needed to make several changes to express my vision for the piece.

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The Double Rainbow Crocheted Cardigan starts with half-double-crocheting the double rainbows on the back section.  Then the bottom layer is added. The original pattern instructions include detailed information for creating the rainbow and for crocheting the color sequences.  However, instead of the 7 shades of worsted weight yarn, I substituted 6 colors that were truer to the rainbow hues. Another significant change that I made was to eliminate the aqua in the basic design. With this transition, first I had to make changes in the color sequences and number of rows for each color in the rainbow itself.  Then, I changed the number or rows and color sequence for the bottom section.  I noted that the authors of the pattern included different numbers of rows for the various colors.  The random arrangement was attractive and easy to improvise. Since I was working with my own vision,  I had to be guided by my granddaughter's measurements as I executed instructions for size 4T.

After the back is completed, directions are given to square off the rainbow for the back part of the shoulders.  The front of the sweater is worked from the shoulders down through the v-shaped neckline and straight down to make each front of the sweater. Since I was substituting my own color sequence, I just had to make sure that I varied the number of rows in a pleasing matter. Once I completed the first front, I wanted to doublecheck that the opposite side matched exactly. ​I also had to confirm that the front pieces matched the back in length.

The pattern called for the sleeves to be crocheted top down and then sewn into the sweater.  I selected a different strategy.  Once I sewed the shoulders and the side pieces, I took the stitch count for the top of the sleeve and crocheted the same number in single crochet into the rounded armhole.  I followed the directions for decreasing the number of  stitches as  I moved from the shoulder to the wrist.  I eliminated the extra colored stripe and stayed with blue and red for the sleeve. The sleeves are longer than the child's arm and are designed to be folded up to form a contrasting cuff.

To finish off the sweater., I stitched two rows in half-double crochet along the bottom, fronts, and neck of the garment. Now, instead of the three sets of ties, I chose a sleeker version, by adding a 4 row single crochet placket of 18 stitches for 3 buttons and buttonholes.  

My granddaughter tried valiently to follow my directions to make poses that would show off the best features of the front and back of the cardigan.  She looked adorable, but it wasn't until she was called onto the deck to observe the bunnies in her backyard, that we really got a wonderful natural smile. Many thanks to my sweet granddaughter who puts up with her Nana's requests even when she doesn't quite understand why I am putting her through these paces.  

The completed Double Rainbow Cardigan was an exciting piece to execute and photograph.  The original sweater was attractive, but I am very pleased with the color and design changes that I made.  Many thanks to the designers at Yarnspiration  who wrote the pattern for this sweater so that I could put my own stamp on it.

Readers, have you ever found a pattern that was interesting, but you were still inspired to work with it to develop your vision?  As I continue on my stitching journey,  I find that with increased confidence, I am able to combine elements from different designs that express me as an individual.  In future blog posts, I will be gleaning from the many free patterns and as well as purchased pattern books to create pieces that use the best features of two or more patterns.   This new venture promises to be exciting!

As always, I appreciate your feedback and reflections.  I welcome you to join me on my stitching journey.