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3 Beginner Friendly Crochet Garments

Janne Kleivset
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Interested in learning about some beginner friendly crochet garments?

But you feel it’s out of your reach because you’re relatively new to crochet or haven’t made anything like that before. Maybe you want to make a crochet sweater or crochet top? Well you’re in the right place, because I’ll teach you which crochet projects are beginner friendly crochet garments.

You’ll learn all about the anatomy for the patterns & I’ll teach you to spot them among any crochet pattern.

Because crocheting garments doesn’t have to be as hard as it might seem. If you choose one of the easier constructions you don’t have to feel lost once you start making it. If you do decide to make a crochet garment after reading this, I’ve added a coupon code that gives you 15 % off my crochet garments. In that way you have a place to start .

Related: Learn how to crochet a sweater even though you’re a beginner.

3 Beginner Friendly Crochet Garments

CHOOSING THE RIGHT BEGINNER FRIENDLY CROCHET GARMENTS AS A FIRST PROJECT:


For your first garment crochet project, I’m going to suggest you choose one of the beginner friendly crochet garments when it comes to construction or anatomy. This will ensure that you’ll more easily be able to finish the crochet project without frustration.

So what are those crochet garments with easy construction or anatomy you say?

Well, it’s in my opinion & experience crochet garments that mostly contains some forms of squares, rectangles or easy shaped squares/rectangles. I’d even add trapezes to the list, because that’s what crocheted arms often look like, essentially.

Those crochet garments are also often made up of more than one part (square/rectangle/trapeze) & are crocheted together/sewn together to finish them.

In the opposite directions you have crochet garments made in one big piece, with complex shaping & everlasting instructions.

Why are those crochet garments containing squares, rectangles & trapezes beginner friendly?

Because crocheting squares, rectangles & trapezes for garments actually are just as easy as making test squares, potholders & other beginner crochet projects. It’s often just bigger squares/rectangles/trapezes. That means that each row will have more stitches, however making them is essentially the same. The only difference is that 1 row will take longer to finish for a bigger project than a smaller one.

So how am I going to be able to crochet/sew all those parts together?

Assembling those crocheted pieces is actually much easier that it might sound like. With the help of slip stitches or single crochet stitches, you’ll easily be able to crochet together each of the parts. You can read all about it in the Beginners Guide to Crochet available on the blog.

Related: How to crochet together.

summer sweater crochet pattern

OVERVIEW OF THE BEGINNER FRIENDLY CROCHET GARMENTS:


To be able to help you get going with crocheting garments, I had to choose a few types of beginner friendly crochet garments that is easy to make as a first crochet garment. I ended up with 3 different styles that is easy to make:

  • 4 part sweaters/tops
  • 2 part tops
  • 1 part cocoon sweaters

All of them can be made from just squares/rectangles/trapezes. Because of that I’m convinced that you’re going to master crocheting them fast. But to be able to crochet them, you’d have to take action, & actually start making one of them when you have finished reading this blog post about making garments.

1. 4 PART SWEATERS/TOPS


The 4 part sweaters/tops is to be honest my favorite crochet garment. It’s because there are unlimited possibilities when it comes to different designs and looks.

So what are those 4 part sweaters/tops you say?

The 4 part sweaters/tops is made up of 4 parts as the name says. The first one is the front part, essentially covering your tummy, breasts, & up to your shoulders. The second one is the back part, essentially covering your back & up to your shoulders. The two last parts are the arms, ranging from long arms, to t-shirt length arms.

What does the different parts look like?

In crocheted sweaters tops that are made up of 4 parts like this, the front and back parts are often the same. They will most likely have a shape of a square or rectangle, depending on the length of the sweater/top. Some crochet patterns will have those rectangles/squares getting shaped at the waist, for better fitting, however mostly this will be a few rows where you’d have to decrease the number of stitches, & sometimes increase after the waist. For box shaped sweaters you’ll not have to increase or decrease at all.

What if I don’t know how to increase or decrease stitches?

When it comes to increasing or decreasing stitches, this is done in different ways depending on what the crochet pattern asks you to do. However it doesn’t have to be as hard as you might think. Increasing stitches mostly is done with making 2 or more stitches in 1 stitch. Decreasing stitches mostly is done with making 1 stitch over 2 stitches or skipping stitches.

That doesn’t seem that hard?
How do I find crochet sweaters/tops that is constructed like this?

There are a lot of crochet sweaters & tops that are constructed in 4 parts. Often the description of the crochet pattern you get to read before you purchase don’t explain how the garment is constructed. Because of that you’ll have to train you eyes to spot these kinds of crochet designs, often studying the different pictures available. In the picture below you’ll see a crochet sweater that is a 4 part sweater. In this picture you can spot the crochet seam on the arms, letting you know that the arms are attached. Next you can see the seam on the sides of the body, which gives you the hint that it’s made up of a front and a back part. With this technique you’ll be able to spot 4 part crochet sweaters and tops from pictures.

summer sweater crochet pattern

3. 2 PART TOPS


The 2 part tops are even easier than the 4 part tops and sweaters. It’s because it’s made with just two parts, & that sounds easy right?

So what are those 2 part tops you say?

Well, it’s crochet tops made with just 2 parts. The first part is the front part, & the second part is the back. Often these designs are made up of the front and back parts being exactly the same. Which means hurray ….it’s easy!

What does the 2 parts look like?

The parts often looks like squares or rectangles. Sometimes they contain shaping, which means you’ll have to increase or decrease stitches. However the best thing is that you’ll actually be able to find tops that is box shaped too, which means there are no increasing or decreasing when it comes to shaping.

How to find 2 part crochet tops?

There are many crochet tops made up of just those 2 parts. Again you’ll have to spot the seam on the sides like explained for the 4 part sweaters/tops. The top below are a rectangle crochet top without increasing/decreasing, that are seamed on the sides.

coelum top crochet pattern design

3. 1 PART COCOON SWEATERS


The final crochet garment that is really easy to make is cocoon sweaters.

Why are cocoon sweaters easy to make you say?

Well, it’s because they are made with just 1 part. Yes, you read correct, just 1 part… There are of course different types of cocoon sweaters, & some might be a little more complex, however the easiest cocoon sweaters are made up of just that 1 part.

What shape are the cocoon sweater part?

The cocoon sweaters are made up of just a square. It’s as easy as that. Essentially making a cocoon sweater is just as easy as making a test square. Or as easy as making a crochet blanket.

What makes a cocoon sweater a sweater & not just the square?

It’s crocheting the square together to make armholes that makes the difference. What you’re going to need to do is to fold the square double, & crochet a seam on each side to make armholes. When following a crochet pattern this seam is going to be explained for that crochet project for you.

laxus cocoon cardigan crochet pattern design

Now that you know 3 types of beginner friendly crochet garments that are easy to make, are you ready to take the steps to make your first crochet garment?

Related: Why a Gauge Swatch is Important when Crocheting a Garment

Related: Learn how to crochet a sweater even though you’re a beginner.

Janne Kleivset

Janne Kleivset

Founder, Crochet Pattern Designer & Owner of Joy of Motion Crochet.

Janne has helped millions of crocheters find their next crochet project with more than 250 free crochet patterns and 110 crochet tutorials on her blog.

With more than two decades of crochet experience, and crochet designing since 2011, she's been featured on multiple prominent sites such as Lion Brand Yarn, in crochet magazines and the OML "Make" book.

Learn more about Janne.



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