The Thistleberry Sweater pattern by Coco.Crochet.Lee came out yesterday! I had the pleasure of test crocheting this pattern and I LOVED the experience.

I made the medium size with a C (2.75mm) hook and 9 skeins of Loops and Threads Joy DK. See my Ravelry project page here.

Three Reasons Why You Should Crochet the Thistleberry Sweater RIGHT NOW

It makes the perfect holiday outfit. A sweet ruffle and fancy cables means you can dress this sweater up for your next holiday party!
CROCHET SWEATER ARE SO FAST. Knitters, I’m so serious. Crochet sweaters should be the new thing. I made my sweater way too long (oops!) and still finished it in three weeks.
Learn cables! If you have tried crochet cables yet, this sweater is a great introductory pattern for the technique. The repeat is simple and only on the front of the sweater. My strategy was to make all the other pieces first and then reward myself with some fun and challenging cable work.

I’m definitely a capital K Knitter, but I’ve been crocheting for nearly 10 years. I haven’t ventured out much to try stitches other than the basics. This sweater taught me how to rib and how to cable. I even learned how to count my rows! After the first few rows of the back, I could read my crochet and no longer felt like I had to count each stitch in the fear that I’d forgotten to crochet the last one.

I learned some lessons too and here’s what I would change next time…

Try sport or fingering weight. Even though I got close to gauge with my DK-weight yarn, I wasn’t pleased with the fabric. {*Ahem* Could it be because you chose 100% acrylic, Natalie?} I’d love to make this sweater again in a lighter fabric, just not too airy because you don’t want to lose stitch definition in the cables.
USE WOOL YOU FOOL. Please, no one ever let me make a 100% acrylic sweater again. Why must I repeatedly learn from my mistakes? Acrylic is the perfect yarn for so many items- blankets, toys, baby gifts. However, acrylic does not give or drape or breathe… which can make you feel like a hot link sausage in your beautiful red cabled sweater.
Shaping. Sometimes your body is just not the same blueprint as that sweater pattern you love. When I choose a sweater size that matches my bust measurements, my hips are going to suffocate. Beginning with a larger size and adding a few spaced out decreases at the waist would be a super easy addition to this sweater. Don’t be afraid to modify a pattern to fit your body!

Lee has adjusted the pattern to have a more traditional neckline instead of the off-the-shoulder look that mine resulted in. So don’t worry if you’d like your neckline to be more modest, Lee’s got you covered!