How we love fall around here!! This year we’ve been doing some camping now that our youngest is almost 2. I’ve been dying to take our pop up camper out and about and it’s finally happening!
If you’re new here, welcome to our crazy corner of the internet where I share free knit and crochet patterns and blog about my crazy life with four boys under age 10. For this design, I bribed my third son to model for me (don’t worry, it was just for a small pack of gum. 😉
I love designing baby things, but I also really enjoy making things for my boys. Last year I designed a sweater for each of them and they are asking me to do it again – so here’s one down! You can check out those other sweaters here!
I really love this orchard sweater and so does my little guy. Red is one of my boys’ favorite colors and I love a classic elbow patch sweater.
In case you can’t tell, this is my playful, sometimes mischievous child. He has that grin! I think this one is going to be trouble as he gets older, the girls in particular really seem to like him and he never meets a stranger.
Designed in chunky weight yarn, this sweater works up quickly and is cute with or without the elbow patches. You can wear the collar as a funnel neck as seen above, or you can turn it down like this:
Either way it’s a classic little kid sweater that is sure to please!!
To favorite this on Ravelry or buy the ad-free PDF click here!
Orchard Sweater
What You’ll Need
Yarn: Berroco Comfort Chunky (50% Acrylic, 50% Nylon; 150 yards [138 meters]/100 grams): #5750 Primary Red (4 (5, 6, 7) skeins)
Hooks: US size K/10.5 (6.5 mm) for Body; US size J/10 (6.0 mm) for ribbing
Notions: Tapestry needle, three 7/8” buttons, sewing needle, matching thread, two elbow patches (3.5” x 5”)
Skill Level: Easy
Size: Finished Chest Size 26 (28, 30, 32)” to fit child’s size 4 (6, 8, 10)
2” positive ease recommended
Gauge: 13 sts and 12 rows = 4” [10 cm] in esc with larger hook
Special Stitches
Esc – Insert hook into next st, yo, pull up a loop, yo, pull through first loop on hook, yo, pull through two loops on hook.
Esc2tog – Insert hook into next st, yo, pull up a loop, yo, pull though first loop on hook, insert hook in next st, yo, pull up a loop, yo, pull through first loop on hook, yo, pull through all loops on hook.
PATTERN
Ribbing
With smaller hook and MC, ch 11.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across, turn. (10 sc)
Row 2: Ch 1, sc in back lp only of each sc across, turn.
Rep Row 2 until piece meas 13 (14, 15, 16)”, ending with a WS row.
Back
Change to larger hook.
Row 1: Work 42 (46, 50, 54) esc evenly across long side of ribbing, turn. (42 (46, 50, 54) sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, esc in each st, turn.
Rows 3-18 (22, 26, 30): Rep Row 2.
Armhole Shaping
Row 1: Sl st in first 2 sts, ch 1, esc to last 2 sts, turn, leaving last 2 sts unworked. (38 (42, 46, 50) sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, esc in each st, turn.
Row 3: Ch 1, esc2tog, esc to last 2 sts, esc2tog, turn. (36 (40, 44, 48) sts)
Rep Rows 2-3, 6 (7, 8, 9) more times. (24 (26, 28, 30) sts)
Rep Row 3, 1 (2, 2, 3) more times. (22 (22, 24, 24) sts)
Fasten off.
Front
Work Ribbing same as Back.
Work Front same as Back to Armhole Shaping.
Armhole Shaping
Row 1: Sl st in first 2 sts, ch 1, esc to last 2 sts, turn, leaving last 2 sts unworked. (38 (42, 46, 50) sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, esc in first 16 (18, 20, 22) sts, turn, leaving rem sts unworked. (16 (18, 20, 22) sts)
Row 3: Ch 1, esc2tog, esc to end, turn. (15 (17, 19, 21) sts)
Row 4: Work even in esc, turn.
Rows 5-6: Rep Rows 3-4. (14 (16, 18, 20) sts)
Rows 7-8: Rep Rows 3-4. (13 (15, 17, 19) sts)
Rows 9-10: Rep Rows 3-4. (12 (14, 16, 18) sts)
Size 26 Only
Rep Row 4 once more.
Sizes 28 (30) Only
Rep Rows 3-4, 2 (3) times more. (12 (13) sts)
Size 32 Only
Repeat rows 3-4, 4 times more. (14 sts)
Rep Row 4.
All Sizes
Neck Shaping
Row 1: Ch 1, esc2tog, work to last st, turn, leaving last st unworked. (11 (11, 12, 13) sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, esc2tog, esc to end, turn. (10 (10, 11, 12) sts)
Row 3: Ch 1, esc2tog, esc to last 2 sts, esc2tog, turn. (8 (8, 9, 10) sts)
Row 4: Rep Row 3. (6 (6, 7, 8) sts)
Row 5: Rep Row 3. (4 (4, 5, 6) sts)
Fasten off.
Join yarn at opposite armhole edge and repeat from row 2 of armhole shaping.
Sleeve
Work Ribbing same as Back until piece meas 7 (7, 8, 8)” from beginning.
Change to larger hook.
Row 1: Work 24 (24, 28, 28) esc evenly across long side of ribbing, turn. (24 (24, 28, 28) sts)
Rows 2-5: Ch 1, esc in each st, turn.
Row 6: Ch 1, 2 esc in first st, esc to last st, work 2 esc in last st, turn. (26 (26, 30, 30) sts)
Rep Rows 2-6, 2 (3, 4, 5) times more. (30 (32, 38, 40) sts)
Work even for 6 (6, 8, 10) rows.
Cap Shaping
Row 1: Sl st in first 2 sts, ch 1, esc to last 2 sts, turn, leaving last 2 sts unworked. (26 (28, 34, 36) sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, esc in each st, turn.
Row 3: Ch 1, esc2tog, work to last 2 sts, esc2tog, turn. (24 (26, 32, 34) sts)
Rep Rows 2-3, 2 (4, 3, 4) times more. (20 (18, 26, 26) sts)
Rep Row 3, 9 (8, 12, 12) times more. (2 sts)
Fasten off.
Collar
With smaller hook, join yarn at Left Front neck edge in the corner of opening.
Row 1: Ch 1, sc2tog corner and first skipped sc, sc across next 6 skipped sts, sc2tog last skipped sc and corner space, turn. (8 sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, sc blo in each st across, turn.
Row 3: Ch 1, sc blo in first 7 sts, sc2tog blo last st and one st of Body, turn.
Rep Rows 2-3 around collar to Right Front neck edge.
Finishing
Overlap bottom of collar and stitch in place.
Sew buttons in place as seen on photos.
Make button loops across from buttons as follows:
Join yarn with smaller hook in left edge of ribbing, ch 20, join with slip st to same space as joining. Fasten off.
Sew elbow patches on with sewing needle and matching thread.
Weave in ends.
Well, that wraps it up for this one. I hope you’ve enjoyed this free crochet pattern for the Orchard Sweater – be sure to check out all of my free crochet patterns here!
To favorite this on Ravelry or buy the ad-free PDF click here!
Happy Crocheting!
Amanda
To save this project on Pinterest, click the image below.
Oh.My.Goodness, he is adorable and so is the sweater, thank you! Boys looks so handsome in red.
Thank you so much!! Red really is a great color for little boys 🙂
Perfectly adorable model and a beautiful sweater!!
Thank you so much!
I have sent 2 emails and left 2 comments on Ravelry looking for some help and guidance with the collar on this sweater. Please respond.
Hello Melissa,
I’ve never received an email and I don’t get on Ravelry much. Can you describe the problem you are having with the collar?
Is the year super bulky (6) or just bulky (5)? I have lots of yarn in my stash and need to know what works the best.
Thank you!
Hi Kathleen! This is a bulky (5) yarn. 🙂
Thank you very much! I look forward to making this sweater for one of my grandsons.
He will love it! 🙂
Hi,
Beautiful pattern.
I am doing this right now, a little confused though. Do we need to do armhole shaping twice for front, one for left and one for right? It doesn’t mention there.
Thanks for the pattern:)
All of the armhole shaping is on the same row – so you do the front once and the back once. I know in knitting you have to shape on two different rows, but in crochet you can shape all on the same row by slip stitching in stitches and then leaving some unworked at the other end.
I haven’t done the back yet but it’s clear from the pattern how the armholes are done there – by leaving stitches unworked on either side.
But please can you look at the front in the pattern and tell me how armholes are done. It’s not the same as back, I feel I am missing something.
I finished the front upto armholes. On going further I am getting one shoulder part as it says to leave more than half stitches unworked. Theres nothing on the right side of front part after finishing the armhole shaping and then in the pattern it says neck shaping and no repeat either.
Can you help please?
Thanks 🙂
The front armholes are worked exactly the same, where you leave 2 sts unworked on each side. You leave half the stitches unworked so that you can come back and do the other side later. If you look after the neck shaping it says to join yarn at opposite side and repeat the shaping. I guess I should change it to say that you repeat from armhole shaping row 2.
Amanda, thank you so much for your patience and this beautiful pattern.
I can’t wait to finish my sweater.
Also, in neck shaping first row, we start with 12(12,13,14 ) stitches. Ectog reduces 1 stitch and leaving one stitch at the end reduces one again, so we should have 2 less (and not 1) which makes the count 10(10,11,12) and the same carries over to the subsequent rows. Could be I am wrong but can you check please.
In collar shaping, we started with 6 unworked stitches. [(50-(22+22), from armhole shaping] but in the first row of collar shaping it says 8 unworked stitches?
Thanks a ton for your help dear.
I have a question – I would like to make this with a thinner yarn (sport #3), what would I have to do to make this work for a size 10?
Working in a different weight yarn will mean totally redoing the stitch count. You could try making a larger size but the measurements for the armholes and such might come out totally different. You would need to figure out how many stitches per inch would give you the same chest measurement.