Hello everyone π
This particular post is long overdue and I only just found the time to create it. So here goes.
Last month, I got my very first international client and I was so overwhelmed with joy. The client reached out to me through WhatsApp and after chatting for a while, he concluded that he wanted a crochet polo shirt.
About two days after we had concluded on the cost and other logistics, he reached out to me again to make the same crochet friend for his friend who saw and liked the design as well. Again, I was so excited but the only constraint was time. I barely had two weeks to craft two XXL male crochet polo shirts but somewhere deep down, I strongly believed I could pull this off and I did!
I got to work the day payments were made and today, I'll be taking you through the process of creating the crochet polo shirts in brown and navy blue colours.
Materials Needed
π€: Crochet yarn
π€: 3.5mm crochet hook
π€: Measuring tape
π€: Darning needle
π€: Cutter
π€: Stitch Markers
π€: Packaging bag
Procedure
I used a single strand of acrylic yarn to make these polo shirts because this makes the shirt βveryβ light weight and flowy. Using the measurements I got, I began working. I divided the chest measurements in two and started working the back panel of the polo shirt.
This shirt is made up of a combination of two patterns, first is a row of double crochet stitches and second is a row of mesh pattern using the double crochet stitch as well.
I alternated between these two patterns from the start to finish of the back panel of this shirt, with a chain three at the end of every row which acts as a turning stitch.
For the front panel, I pretty much repeated the same pattern from the back panel until ten inches away from the end of the shirt; this is around the chest area.
At this point I divided the shirt into two equal halves and placed a stitch market there. I counted three stitches from the center of the shirt to each side and placed stitch markers on either side.
Then I continued making the crochet shirt one side at a time. I made the first six inches on the right side without any decreases and for the rest of the four inches, I made decreases which would serve as the slant edge for the collar of the shirt.
I cut off my yarn at that end, reattached it to the left side and repeated that same procedure. This brought me to the end of both the front and back panels of the shirt.
Next, it was time to couple both panels together. I did this at the back side of both panels, using single crochet stitches.
Ps: If you want your coupling to look neat and flat it's advisable to use a smaller hook size for the coupling.
After coupling the shoulders it was time to couple the sides of the shirt. To do this, I measured ten inches from the shoulder and placed a stitch marker on both sides of the shirt. This would serve as the arm hold. Then, I proceeded to join both panels of the shirt from the bottom to where my stitch markers were placed on either side.
- SLEEVES
For the sleeves, I inserted the yarn at the center of the armhole and worked slip stitches around the armhole. Next, I worked a row of double crochet stitches round the armhole and then proceeded to continue the same pattern of the shirt on the armhole making sure to chain three at the end of every row.
I did this for a total of thirteen rows. For rows fourteen to sixteen I made single crochet stitches only, to serve as the finishing for the armhole. I repeated this for the other side of the shirt and that brought me to the end of the sleeves.
- PLACKET AND COLLAR
For the placket of the shirt, I inserted my hook and yarn at the bottom of the space I kept, close to where I had inserted my stitch marker and made single crochet stitches up to the six inches mark I had made initially. I repeated this single crochet stitch pattern for about eleven rows and this is how I made one half of the placket. I repeated this for the other side of the shirt. Once I got both sides of the placket, I skillfully attached them to the body of the shirt, ensuring they overlapped each other.
After making the placket, it was time to make the collar of the shirt. I inserted my hook and yarn at the very end of the placket and worked single crochet stitches to the other end of the placket. I continued working single crochet stitches back and forth until I got the desired length and width for the collar of the shirt.
Next, I worked single crochet stitches for five rows at the bottom of the shirt to serve as the finishing for the bottom. The last thing I did was sew in the loose strands of yarn and this brought the creation of the shirt to an end.
In a bid to make the shift even more flowy I steam-blocked both of the shirts and this made them not just light but really flowy. I liked how the shirts looked at the end and I was really pleased that I could pull this off in just ten days. The late nights did pay off after all.
I had fun creating these beauties and I look forward to serving more people from home and abroad. In another post, I would be sharing with you the challenges I faced and how I was able to overcome them and also some lessons I gathered along the way.
For some reason, I had a soft spot for the navy blue crochet polo shirt but everybody around me seemed to prefer the brown crochet polo shirt better. Which of the colors is your favorite? Also, would you love to get yourself one of these?
Images used belong to me and were taken using my mobile device except stated otherwise.