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Welcome to a fashion show and a detailed discussion around yarn substitution for my Evolving Bella crochet pattern!
Tadah!!! My gorgeous friend Stacey looks absolutely sensational in her Evolving Bella! I am totally in love with her power model pose, the yarn, the colours and the fit. All the things...! You might want to arm yourself with a cuppa and a snack because we have a fair bit to browse and talk about...
Here's a quick run down about the Evolving Bella crochet pattern:
Pattern release is Saturday November 2nd!
Bella will be published in English, in both UK and US terms, available via Ravelry and Etsy as a paid ad-free PDF download.
Pattern PDF is around 29 pages filled with clear written instructions, heaps of stitch charts with links to support videos and blog posts to help you through the trickier bits and provide more detail for some techniques. I delayed my pattern release to create a support blog for how to sew in that zip too, so you've really got all the bases covered!
Bella is graded to 13 sizes with the finished garment bust circumference ranging from approximately 85cm through to 155cm.
Instructions describe short sleeve and long sleeve options.
Top-down construction which allows you to try it on as a work in progress and easily adjust length.
In terms of difficulty, this is easy to intermediate (but not ideal for a beginner). The main stitches used are (UK terms) dc and tr, so you got this! If you have made the Evolving Aveline Sweater, you are VERY well suited to tackle Bella. The beginning stitches are very similar, but the yarn is a little heavier weight so the gauge is a bit different. It’s probably a bit easier to make the garment itself than the Aveline, and your new challenge is sewing in a zipper!
Having said that, it could be tackled by an adventurous beginner. By this I mean someone who is comfortable making and can recognise the basic stitch set of (UK terms) ss, ch, dc and tr stitches, count stitches, who can maintain fairly even tension over a large piece of work AND who is willing to make mistakes, frog and learn a lot along the way! This could be your first garment!
First Up, This is Where I Started
Below is my original Bella prototype which was made with NORO Silk Garden for the main fabric and some Scheepjes River Washed for the contrast bits. This blog post describes how it came to be and it shows more photos and a video as well for drape.
Amazing what difference yarn choice makes so let's get into that now...
At the end of this blog you'll find the schematic and charts describing how much yarn is required (yay!) ...but I strongly recommend looking through all the following information before you make any decisions about yarn:
For my Evolving Bella Hoodie prototype, I raided my stash so it's a bit of a mix:
Yarn A (main body) is alternating single strand of NORO Silk Garden 279 and Silk Garden Lite 2087 every 2 rows using a 4mm hook (though please note, I calculated yardage as though Yarn A was all Silk Garden; I alternated only because that's all I had), and
Yarn B is Scheepjes Riverwashed 949 (1 strand for contrast trims and 3 strands for feature slip stitch embroidery).
NORO Silk Garden is a blend of 45% silk, 45% mohair and10% wool. Balls are 100m/50g which translates to 2m/g.
Yarn B = Scheepjes River Washed is a blend of 78% cotton and 22% acrylic. Balls are 130m/50g, so approximately 2.6m/g.
If you haven't come across talking in m/g before, here's a blog with generic advice about how to approach yarn substitution that breaks this down, but really the only point I want to make here for now is noting the fibre content as a point of comparison to the yarns used during testing.
Tester Samples and Yarn Details
Back to Stacey looking fabulous! I usually join my own test group and Stacey's Bella was the sample that I made to test the Size 10 using some awesome Australian products: Bendigo Woollen Mills Multicoloured 4ply Sock in 2326 Evening Shadows (double stranded with a 5mm hook) as Yarn A and Luxury 4ply in 308 Curry as Yarn B.
Greys and yellow - always a great combination in my book and I think the way the variegations in the Evening Shadows plays out is quite elegant.
The contrast trim and chunky slip stitch around the raglan lines and hood is a key part of this design. The main fabric is pretty easy stitching and it's these contrast details that really bring it home. The edging trims have been worked with 2 strands of Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 4 ply and 4 strands were used with a bigger hook to make the chunky slip stitches.
Feature lines of chunky slip stitch embroidery go up around the hood and they even line up when the hood is down. It’s the little details, right!? These feature lines are added at the end so are easy to leave out if you prefer, but they were a large part of my design inspiration.
Here's the hood in action... Stacey kept giggling while I snapped these pics and they turned out great!
Apart from Stacey's beautiful modelling, these photos also show the soft drape achieved with the double stranded BWM Multicoloured 4ply Sock. Its super soft and cuddly fabric thanks to the fibre composition: 70% wool and 30% nylon. Long standing Peppergoose peeps will know I am a fan of sock yarn for garments because the wool (usually merino based) is inherently springy to hold shape and the nylon element increases durability!
I mention this because compared to garments made in the prototype yarn (mainly silk and mohair fibre), Evolving Bellas made with a wool based sock yarn such as the Bendigo Woollen Mills Multicoloured 4ply Sock will wear better for longer and over time the garment won't sag and stretch.
In fact, despite matching gauge when swatching, because of the elastic fibre composition of the sock yarn compared to the prototype yarn, over the span of a finished garment the final blocked gauge came in slightly tighter across rows. This only affected overall Bodice and Sleeve length by 1.5-2cm and length is easily adjusted due to the top-down construction, but it's worth noting all the same because the schematic and measurements chart of the pattern shows my prototype.
Take home message here: If working double stranded in wool based sock yarn, the Bodice and Sleeve lengths may come out a little under schematic compared to the prototype yarn, but if needed it's easy for you to add a couple of rows/rounds to compensate. Studying how your swatched changed during blocking means you can try it on as a WIP and apply this knowledge to guide how many rows or rounds you may wish to add.
Next up...
Check out this fabulously happy Evolving Bella sample! It's a Size 4 and Naomi @madebydrnome tells me she hasn't stopped wearing it because its so comfy!
Naomi used Bendigo Woollen Mills Multicoloured 4ply Sock in 2325 Fruit Punch as Yarn A (double stranded with a 6mm hook) and Luxury 4ply in 315 Boysenberry as Yarn B (2 strands for trims and 3 strands for the slip stitch embroidery).
When I worked with the Evening Shadows I just let the colour variations flow off the hook randomly but Naomi's Fruit Punch yarn has a series of different colours. The long gradient of colour change is not exactly the same across balls because BWM twist the colours together rather than dye it after construction.
Naomi commented she could mostly match up the 2 colours of each strand to generate the lovely gradient-striped effect you see below. Sometimes though, she had to cut one of the yarns to match them again otherwise 2 different colours start combining and she didn't like that effect as much. This is a wonderful bit of insight to consider when choosing your yarn and colours!
As always, thank you to Naomi for helping me test and for such fun photos!
Bella in blue...
My mum Bev tested a Size 9 Evolving Bella and here's her sample in classic blues, perfect for a relaxed weekend! Mum was not available for modelling and I am grateful to another friend of mine to step in as a mystery model (who... just quietly, commented how snuggly and comfy this was to wear... but don't worry mum, she gave it back... eventually). Thanks mum!
This sample was made with Bendigo Woollen Mills Multicoloured 4ply Sock in 2332 Blue Jeans (double stranded with a 5.5mm hook) as Yarn A and Luxury 4ply in Navy Blue as Yarn B (2 strands for trims and 4 strands for the slip stitch embroidery). Worth noting for the slip stitch embroidery: the more strands used, the more chunky the effect but it's a bit more tricky to keep all the strands flowing smoothly together!
Before I move on..
A huge thank you to Bendigo Woollen Mills for yarn support for these 3 test samples!
My grandmother, my mother and my younger self have been BWM customers for decades and I am honoured to be able to receive such support and show off their quality yarns to the world (yes, they do ship worldwide). I love how Evolving Bella worked in these yarns!
Now we leave Australia and head to Europe...
Annemie Celens whipped up this vibrant Size 6 sample in the Lana Grossa Colorissimo she purchased. Thanks Annemie for helping to test and for these uber cool pics, you're projecting joy and stylish comfort!
This yarn is 100% Virgin Wool; 300m/100g and Annemie achieved gauge using it double stranded with a 5mm hook as Yarn A. Her Yarn B is Scheepjes Stone Washed in 826 Fosterite (1 strand for trims and 3 strands for slip stitch embroidery).
Scheepjes Stone Washed and River Washed are essentially different colour ranges of the same fibre composition and yarn weight so either can be used as Yarn B. The question on many Scheepjes' fan's lips is - can it be used for the whole project?
Well, in true me fashion I got a bit swatch-happy and explored a bunch of different yarns to experiment! (Watching how one design can morph into a rainbow of aesthetics simply by changing the yarn and colour plan is something I never get tired of).
A Discussion Around Other Substitute Yarns...
Here's a spread of swatches that includes some Bendigo Woollen Mills Multicoloured 4ply Sock yarn, Scheepjes yarns I have in my stash from previous yarn support and also some luxury yarns from boutique independent yarn producers I met at the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show earlier this year.
Interesting array isn't it!?
In terms of Scheepjes, Our Tribe (70% superwash merino, 30% polyamide) works well to achieve gauge double stranded using a 5mm hook and that's the green to purple swatch at the far left end of the image. This will perform similarly to the tester samples because it's a sock yarn of similar composition held double.
So, Stone Washed? Yes, it could be used single stranded for Yarn A but I prefer Stone Washed combined with Scheepjes Mohair Rhythm (70% mohair, 30% microfibre) using 1 strand of each to create what I think is a really interesting fabric! Why do I prefer this? read on...
From previously working with Stone Washed and River Washed I know that it doesn't move much during the blocking process so your WIP gauge is the same as your finished gauge. The acrylic content stabilises the cotton from sagging too much over time and its light with medium warmth. Nice and comfy for garments, all good.
Now, you can achieve gauge with single stranded and a 5mm hook, but because the yarn is thinner than the NORO (2.6 m/g vs 2 m/g) the fabric is a bit holey and thin looking. Double strand it with Scheepjes Mohair Rhythm and you have thickened it up, added significant warmth and created a whole other visual aesthetic too!
The pic below shows 3 swatches. On the left is an uber soft and luxurious 8ply "La Bella" yarn from Great Ocean Road Woollen Mill that we'll talk about in a minute... For now let's focus on the 2 swatches on the right.
The middle swatch was created with 1 strand Scheepjes Stonewashed in 803 Onyx held together with 1 strand of Mohair Rhythm in 687 Jitterbug and using a 4.5mm hook.
The swatch on the far right is Stone Washed in 810 Garnet, this time single stranded with a 5mm hook for 2 rows alternating with 2 rows held together with 1 strand of Mohair Rhythm in 673 Foxtrot, using a 4.5mm hook. Yep, experimentation!
Notice for these two swatches you can't really see light behind stitches where there is a gap in the wooden planks. The Stone Washed yarn has a small amount of halo ("fuzz") but the addition of Mohair Rhythm completely fills out the fabric so it's nice and solid while staying very light. I haven't made a sample in either of these combinations but the gauge works as an option for Yarn A. I say go for it!
This lustrous vision of blue swatch on the left in the above pic is "La Bella" from GOR Woollen Mill (Great Ocean Road Woollen Mill), a completely off grid environmentally conscious yarn producer and dyer in Ballarat Victoria. Fabulous!
La Bella is 80% merino and 20% alpaca (sigh... so soft and delicious!) and runs at 200m/100g. 2m/g is a common metres per length for 8ply/dk weight yarns and is the same m/g as the prototype NORO Silk Garden but... the fibre characteristics are very different.
Although alpaca can stretch a little, the high merino content is springy and the ply twist on this particular yarn is satisfyingly firm, all of which explains why the La Bella swatch is smaller (off gauge) compared to the Stone Washed swatches, even despite using a 5mm hook!
It's lustrous and regal, but light is bursting through that gap in the planks of wood and this is a good demonstration of what I mean by a fabric being a bit holey. You might like that look which is cool, but it's not what I was going for. The gauge is small (just visually you can see it's smaller than the on-gauge swatches on the right, so the garment would also be smaller than intended if I threw caution to the wind and went ahead with it anyway. If I up hook size to 6mm to achieve gauge, the holey-ness is exacerbated.
So let's combine it with a thin yarn and continue to experiment... (ok, you can see why it took me a long time to get this pattern ready haha I went down a rabbit hole). Very happy I did though because this is gold!
Tadah again!! My final test sample of Size 3 and I feel VERY lux wearing it!
A special thank you to Great Ocean Road Woollen Mill for yarn support to create this sample. I will wear it with pride! I crocheted the main fabric combining 1 strand of La Bella in Navy Blue #1 with 1 strand of Summer Fiesta in Rustic Red #4 and using a 4.5mm hook. For the contrast bits I used La Bella - 1 strand for the trims and 3 strands for the slip stitch embroidery.
The La Bella is 80% merino and 20% alpaca. The Summer Fiesta is 70% merino and 30% linen. All breathable, natural quality fibres (which I generally prefer to wear) and I adore the soft yet dense fabric this creates!
The high merino content translates to elasticity and durability and there's something about this colour combination that's conservative yet vibrant and makes me think of designer label clothing somehow... Quite a different vibe to where I started!
So... which yarn and colours are you going to choose?
Here are the Measurement for each Size and Yarn Requirements:
The Yarn Allowance table shows single stranded Silk Garden so how do I know how much to get of each yarn if I am double stranding it?
Whether you're double stranding sock yarn (same thickness) or combining a thick yarn with a thin yarn, the principle is the same. They all have to cover the same distance to make the set number of stitches and rows for a given size to gauge so you need the metres specified for each strand that is being used as part of Yarn A.
Let's look at a quick example for interpreting the yarn allowance information:
For my Size 10 sample modelled by Stacey:
Yarn A: BWM Multicoloured 4ply Sock in 2326 Evening Shadows (double stranded with a 5mm hook) - I would need 1897m of each of the 2 strands making up Yarn A, meaning I would need 1897 x 2 = 3794m total.
Each ball is 400m so I would need 3794 / 400 = 9.48 (ie. 10) balls
Yarn B: Luxury 4ply in 308 Curry - I would need approx 364m.
Each ball is 720m so I would need 1 ball.
Remember I have included approximately 10% more allowance than was actually used in my projects as contingency because tension (and therefore yarn consumption) varies between crocheters. My actual Size 10 sample and swatch together used 8.3 (ie. 9) balls.
Still, if you think you might want to add some length add a bit extra to your shopping list as described at the bottom of the Yarn Allowance table.
What about all the different hook sizes? Which hook size do I use?
Start with a 4.5 or 5mm hook and swatch for gauge using whatever your chosen yarn combination is for Yarn A. Make the swatch, block it and check gauge. Adjust hook size as necessary and repeat the process to achieve gauge.
If you cannot quite get gauge, I recommend prioritising matching stitch gauge over row gauge because for this design stitch gauge corresponds to bust circumference (fit) and the top-down construction means you can easily adjust length if row gauge is a smidge out.
Okay, now you're all set...
This took me a loooong time to put together and I probably won't go this far for my future designs but I think it's a great example to show some of the things worth considering for when planning to crochet a garment from a pattern!
The garment itself is not complicated but by playing around with different yarns and colours (and hook sizes as necessary to match gauge) the aesthetic possibilities are endless. The answer (as it always is) ....is swatching!
Before I go... again my sincere thanks to Bendigo Woollen Mills and Great Ocean Road Woollen Mill for their active support for this crochet pattern and of Australian designers!!!
I hope you enjoy all the information I shared in this blog and please subscribe here if you did. Also, please share this post and add Evolving Bella to you favourites on Ravelry. Thank you if you do!! It really helps to spread awareness of my designs and is a no-cost way of supporting a small business.
Don't forget, Evolving Bella pattern release day Saturday Nov 2nd 2024!
Until then happy planning and yarn shopping!
Susannah
(Peppergoose)
There are no affiliate links in this blog. Thank you to Bendigo Woollen Mills and GOR Woollen Mill for pattern support to test this crochet pattern!
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