Southern Pines – Top Down Cabled Crochet Sweater

About the Southern Pines Crochet Sweater

This pattern was inspired by the Falling Pines Poncho pattern, which I designed back in 2017. Ever since I finished working on Falling Pines, I knew I wanted to transform it into a sweater.

It has taken me 2 years to get there, but the experience in garment design I have gained in that time has been essential in making this sweater design everything I hoped it could be!

The name of this sweater has retained its link to the pine needle imagery, but the Southern element was added because most of the design work was done whilst I was on holiday down in the beautiful South Devon countryside.

Note that the similarly cabled Falling Pines Crochet Poncho has been updated to include 3 sizes. It’s a great alternative to this pattern if you love the motif but aren’t sure you’re ready to take on the complexity of a sweater (and dealing with gauge as well as the pattern), then you might want to try the poncho (which is free to read on the blog).

And if you want to start small, I also have a Falling Pines Beanie Hat Pattern which is a great way to practice working with more intricate crochet cable patterns. The tam style crochet hat pattern is ad-supported and free to read on this website.

Sizing & Style

The pattern is written in US terms (with UK equivalents given in the abbreviation list) for sizes XS – 3X. It includes a schematic with approximate finished measurements for each size, including the bust, length, upper arm circumference, cuff and neckline.

The sweater is a classic fit (neither too tight or baggy) and the item you see here is a size Small. I’m wearing it in the pics and 5ft 1 (and a bit) and a UK size 8-10 (US 4-6).

The sweater is worked down to the waist where the hem is designed to pull the top in, to give it a little shape.

However, because the jumper is crocheted top down, it is easy to change the length to make a longer length and and have the sweater fall straight onto the hips (without the shaping) if you prefer.

Guidance is given for such adjustments in the pattern.

This project is suitable for advanced (or adventurous!) beginners or intermediate crocheters. The pattern is worked in the round and requires the use of post stitches, simple increases and decreases.

The pattern includes some photos of the construction process to help those less familiar with top-down garments.

If you’ve never made a top down garment before or if you want to learn more about how they work, you may find this post demystifying the process helpful.

How to purchase a Dora Does crochet pattern:

I sell my PDF crochet patterns in my Etsy, Ravelry and Love Crafts stores. You can purchase this pattern on any of these platforms, depending on your preference. Simply click the relevant links throughout this pattern page to be taken to the listing, or visit the store homepages in the links at the start of this paragraph.

Materials

You will need 4.5mm Crochet Hook for the body of sweater and 4mm hook for cuffs, hem and neckline.

I used a Clover Amour Crochet Hook for this project – one of my favourites – learn more about different crochet hooks here.

The sweater requires approximately 450 – 900g or 1000 – 1950m of DK Yarn, depending on size chosen. Specific meterage by size is given in the pattern.

Pattern pictured uses Eden Cottage Yarns, Milburn DK, 85% Bluefaced Leicester, 15% silk; 50g ball = 112m / 122yds. Shade: Estuary.