The Crochet Corner: Seat-cover to Cardigan
Now, there's one thing you need to know about me: I don't like to waste material.
On top of that, there's one new thing I've learned about myself in recent years: I don't like to buy extra yarn.
... that's not entirely true: one can never have too much yarn!
But as I was trying to start a business, I realized very quickly how important it is to be frugal and thrifty with your earnings - especially when your trying out new things that may not sell later on!
Taken from original FB post (1/20/17):
"Crocheted Chair Cover -
Just made to see if I could. Bonus that it ended up matching the rug."
Yes, this seat cover was originally a "just 'cause" project - I wanted to see if I could make it, so I made it "just because!" At that point, it was the most difficult project I'd done, but I managed to walk away from it with my sanity in tact and the mastery of a beautiful new-to-me stitch pattern: "snapdragon."
I kept this seat-cover until last year (2025), when I was really on a roll with some new sweater-patterns and needed more material to practice making square-necklines.
I discovered a relatively large roll of the leftover navy from years earlier... then I started eyeing the chair still sitting at my quilting station... and then I reasoned that I didn't have the rug to match it anymore (in fact, the cover didn't really match anything I now had decorating my home-studio)... and so, she became a cropped sweater! But I wasn’t too happy with the way she turned out…
Only because the color is so dark it’s hard to see the stitch pattern of the granny squares.
Honestly, I really like how this design looks - I think I need to try recreating it, just with a different color.
Additionally, I went spring-cleaning through my closet and came upon the "ghosts of crocheter's past":
Some of them are so recent that I can actually pin-point when I got the yarn, and the original project. But others are so old, I literally have know idea anymore when or where they came from, their original purpose.
What I do know is that these pieces have been in my possession for a LONG time - and don’t even get that much use out of them. Either because I’m not too happy with the final look, or because I just don’t get the opportunity to wear them often.
So, as I am a crafty little gremlin with very "itchy fingers," it makes sense for me to take them apart and start all over again. This time to make something that:
I've always wanted,
Need to complete my wardrobe,
Will use for a very, very long time…
So, without further ado: Let’s unravel!
Technically these rolls are significantly smaller than when I first started… they were actually much bigger when I started…
Once everything's neatly wrapped into their coconut-sized balls, it's time to sit down and figure out the granny square pattern I actually want to use for this one.
Because the granny squares are going to be the focal point of this cardigan, starting with them is imperative, as it not only sets the tone for the final look, but will also dictate just how large I can make the sweater.
So, here’s the “plan of attack” so to speak:
I’ll need to make my granny squares first, so that they can act as the focal point of the cardigan; basically, the color scheme and stitch pattern I use for the rest of the body, will be in service to the squares - what makes them look best.
Once the squares are done, I’ll effectively crochet the stripe pattern around the assembled squares… literally!
This should create a more seamless effect with the cardigan is done, as the front “panels” will be built into the “back” - essentially making this sweater a single piece.
The new daisy-patterned granny square
Because I want a “full-length” cardigan (meaning, something that falls below my hips), I decided that 6 of these daisy-squares should be enough for the back.
The math for this part is simple: after I make one mock-up of the square’s pattern (to see if I even like it), I simply block and then measure it (because blocking it will “stretch” out the pattern to it’s full size); with accounting for an extra inch of trim for where my squares will be joined, the total measurement of a single square is 6 by 6 inches - giving me a total of 36 inches for the length of the cardigan.
Just the right length from the back of my neck down to my mid-thigh.
You can’t have a proper cardigan without a pair of pockets!
I’ve also decided to make two additional squares for the pockets on front (though with their designs slightly altered so that something as heavy as my phone will fit securely in them).
I recommend doing the pockets last, because, as of writing this entry, I don’t know if I’ll have enough material to repeat the same daisy-square. It’s more important to me to make sure that the body and sleeves of the cardigan are completed first.
pocket on the front of finished cardigan
Ultimately, I’m really happy with how this cardigan turned out!
I’m just a little bummed that right now it’s a little too warm to wear it out and about. But, as I like to say, this is Kentucky… there could be an opportunity brewing right around the corner.
If I were going to do this project over, I would’ve picked a different stitch pattern for the body and the sleeves. My goal in this project was to use up all of the yarn I scrapped from my past projects, and I ended up having quite a bit left over.
Not enough for another sweater - but perhaps just enough for a matching hat and scarf set.
I think I was being a little too stingy with my material and could’ve come up with a really creative stitch-pattern to incorporate with the daisy-pattern.
But, on the other hand, because I also run an alterations studio, there just wasn’t enough to experiment in between jobs- not when I have clients waiting on their orders, in addition to several caches of overdo projects.
In the end, I’m so glad I managed to recycle these old projects.
This has been a great refresher course over more intentional-creation, as opposed to following trends or winging projects.
As someone who has fallen down the “topical rabbit-hole” in recent years, it’s important to remember that even crocheters and other artisans can end up just making things for the sake of making them. And while that can be joyful, and even necessary, in its way, consistently making content just for the sake of making it can cause more trouble than its worth:
Burnout from overworking, mounting financial pressures, and (I would argue) a loss of the catharsis that comes from working with your hands - especially if the process becomes so automated that you’re literally just going through the motions of the project.
It’s just not sustainable, both financially or psychologically; I feel like I’m truly at my happiest at my job when there’s intention and focus behind the goal.
