Crochet has long been something we associate with summer: airy tops, bags and headscarves in cotton. This winter crocheted garments are turning up in wool, alpaca and mohair, in sweaters and cardigans made to keep you warm.
For you who knit, this is a good opportunity. You do not have to crochet a whole garment to join in. A crocheted edge, a pair of crocheted sleeves or a small detail can give a knitted garment a new shape.
Crochet has moved into the winter wardrobe
The yarn producers noticed it first. In the new autumn and winter collection from DROPS, several of the sweaters and cardigans are crocheted, among them Red Moon Sweater, Mossy Ridge Sweater, Carmine Moon Sweater, Winter Hush Cardigan and Misty Sunrise Jacket. Crochet is no longer only for the summer shelf.
The fashion press sees the same thing. Who What Wear writes that crochet this summer came as headscarves, tops and skirts, and that crocheted vests and lace-like knits are now moving into the winter wardrobe. KnitPro points to granny square jackets, patchwork and unexpected colour combinations as some of what you will see most of this autumn.
Why crochet and mohair go together
Knitting and crochet do two different things. Knitted mohair is soft, it drapes and gives. Crocheted stitches lie closer together and give a fabric that holds its shape. When you put them together in one garment, you get something neither of them manages alone: a garment that is soft where it should be soft and firm where it needs to hold.
A crocheted edge that holds its shape
On Light Green Daylight – The Cardigan the front edge is crocheted on at the end, in three strands and with a gold thread in the outermost row. It is the crocheted band that makes the front edge fall straight instead of rolling, and makes the cardigan look finished even when it hangs completely open.
Crocheted sleeves with firmness
Fix You – The Top is knitted in black mohair, straight and roomy. The sleeves are worked in double crochet (single crochet in US terms) straight out from the armhole, four rounds of In Love Pink and eight rounds of Peach Cream. They stand out from the shoulder with a firmness the body does not have. This is a good way to try crochet without crocheting a whole garment.
When the whole project is crocheted
If you want to crochet from start to finish, a bag is a good place to begin. Always Lovable – The Bag is crocheted with yarn held double and silk thread in organic colour stripes, and the flap is finished with a wavy ruffle edge. It is crocheted as one rectangle that is folded and assembled, so you see the whole shape from the first row.
How to get started
- Start with an edge. Crochet a row of double crochet along a knitted edge. Then you learn where to insert the hook, without having to keep track of a whole pattern.
- Move on to a detail that shows. Crocheted sleeves or a crocheted band give the garment a shape knitting does not. Feel free to use a contrast colour, so the detail is what the eye finds first.
- Crochet a whole project. A bag or an accessory gives you plenty of practice before you take on a whole sweater.
The techniques for crocheting onto knitting, and the double crochet stitch, are explained in Knittipedia.
Did you know …
Crochet also has a folk tradition, and in Norway it is called pjoning. The same technique is known as Bosnian crochet, and in Scotland as “shepherd’s hook”. It was mostly done by male shepherds, with a hook that was short and wide in the handle. Simple everyday garments were made, mostly mittens, for work at sea and in the forest, and for blacksmiths who needed protection against heat.
Source: Store norske leksikon, Hekling
Sources: DROPS Design, new autumn/winter designs, Who What Wear, knitwear trends, KnitPro, Fall 2026 trends and Store norske leksikon, Hekling.
Anne-Turid <3