Kristen's Crochet Meriwether Wrap

Instagram Handle: @dosoknits
Pattern: Meriwether Wrap Top by Nicole Knutsen from Issue No. 13 of Making magazine
48" bust
Materials Used: BC Garn Lino in Khaki and Furls Streamline crochet hook, size 3.5mm
Modifications: I continued the decreases on the front piece to meet the edge of the wrap tie. I will also be adding a loop to put my tie through to keep it in place.

I love flipping through all of the new publications that come into the store. When the preview issue of Making No. 13  arrived in our office, I couldn't resist looking through for inspiration for a new project. Instantly, I fell in love with this garment, the Meriwether Wrap Top. Yes, I was drawn to it because of the wrap feature, but I really thought this garment could fill a hole in my wardrobe. Seeing the styling in the magazine over both a dress and paired with lightweight pants, inspired me to add this into my closet; I had nothing similar to it at all.

The Meriwether Wrap Top is a crocheted garment using fingering weight yarn. Since I was interested in this being a summer and transition garment, I decided to use a linen yarn. It wasn't hard to decide that I wanted to go with our  BC Garn Lino in the color Khaki.
There was definitely a bit of a learning curve when I began this garment:

1. I had never crocheted a garment before.
2. I had never worked with linen yarn before.

When I began the project, I noticed I just had to be cognizant of my gauge. The linen yarn has less give or flexibility when compared to a wool yarn, so I had to be aware of the tension I was using when holding and working with the yarn. There was definitely a sweet spot.

Overall, the construction of this garment is interesting and extremely easy. The ribbed texture is created using single crochets through the back loop. This changed the fabric of the linen drastically. From the skein, the linen yarn has 0% stretch, nothing. However, the ribbed texture of the fabric allowed the linen to stretch immensely. Honestly, it felt like magic. I was so impressed with it, that I shared a visual demonstration of the stretch comparisons on my Knitting Vlogcast in Episode 35

Using the Furls Crochet hook in this project was a game changer. I decided to invest in this crochet hook about halfway through the back piece, the first piece you work on. With my previous hook, I was encountering hand cramping usually after 30 minutes of working on the garment. Additionally, the head of the hook was quite round and blunt, so getting my hook into the stitches was quite difficult.

Not with the Furls hook though! This ergonomic hook fits so comfortably in my hand. I instantly felt no more hand cramps while working on the garment. Maybe I just developed more fine motor skills in these muscles after working for a while on this project, but honestly, I credit the crochet hook. Also, the head of the Furls is just sharp enough that getting into my stitches was so much easier; I could crochet for longer and quicker after switching to a new tool.

That is honestly one of my biggest making tips. If a tool is not working for you, do not be scared to just switch to a different brand or style of tool. It can be the thing that makes a project click!