How to Create Elastic Shirring

Back to List

How to Edge a Napkin (or Anything Else) with Crochet

How to Make a Basic Sweater Something Special

November 26th, 2008 in patterns & designs, restyle, gifts, embroidery

Erika Kern, contributor

39 users recommend

A spray of lazy daisies turns a bargain sweater into a great boutique find.

Before: This sweater has a great shape and I love the color, but it lacks personality.

After: With some yarn, two stitches, and a little time, a $20 bargain becomes a whimsical sweater worthy of the finest boutique.

A spray of lazy daisies turns a bargain sweater into a great boutique find.

Photo: Erika Kern

Add Comment
Print

I often find myself longing for beautiful boutique sweaters, but their $100, $200, and sometimes $300 price tags stop me in my tracks (especially these days!). Here's an easy way to turn this basic sweater into a fabulous find. I bought a new sweater with a wide, scooped neck, but you can use this technique on any sweater you find. It's a great way to spruce up a thrift find or something you already have in your closet. It's also a wonderful gift idea for that fashionable friend on your list.

You'll need:

A sweater
Yarn (Make sure your yarn is the same material as your sweater. If you're stitching on wool, use wool; on cotton, use cotton, and so forth. My sweater is a washable wool blend, so I used washable wool yarn.)
Large tapestry needle

I don't use a hoop when working on knitwear because it stretches out the fabric far too much. I use my fingers to add any tension I may need while stitching. You can use any stitch you wish when working on knits, but I liked the idea of a bunch of lazy daisies densely packed on one shoulder and then scattering out down the front and back of the sweater.

Here's how to make a lazy daisy with a French knot center:

The first petal of a lazy daisy is just a detached chain stitch. Start your stitch as you would a chain stitch, bringing your yarn up through the sweater and down into the same hole, making a loop. Bring your needle up away from your first stitches, through the loop.

Finish your stitch by locking the stitch down on the other side of the loop.

Begin your next petal alongside your first. Continue using the detached chain stitch until you have five petals resembling a daisy.

Use a French knot as the center of your flower. Holding your yarn tight, wrap the yarn around your needle two times.

Keeping the yarn tense, insert your wrapped needle into the sweater.

Pull the needle through the sweater, still keeping that tension until the knot is flat against the sweater.

A finished daisy is ready to be joined by many more.

Once you have one daisy done, it's just a matter of time before you have dozens! I didn't have a pattern for where the flowers went; I just stitched, then looked, then stitched some more. Don't be afraid to work this way—there are no mistakes. If you don't like how something looks, just take it out and stitch it somewhere else. Have fun with your work! The joy will translate to your work and you'll have the happiest sweater in town!

Did you make this?
After you make this project, show off your work to other members!
Post your project in the gallery

View 1 member project gallery

My embroidered Sweater insperated by Erika Kern

My embroidered ...
ringelpunkt

posted in: patterns & designs, restyle, gifts, embroidery, sweater, lazy daisy

Add Comment Print

Comments (12)

Macu writes: I like your sweater very much, now I want try if I can do it, despite I dont know nothing about embroidery and that stuff!!
Sorry for my english. Greets from Argentina!

Posted: 11:10 am on October 18th

glamspoon writes: so simple, but so elegant!
Posted: 4:06 pm on October 3rd

Minakshi writes: This is so preety and simple, would love to make it!!
Posted: 1:11 am on September 17th

ringelpunkt writes: At last - i did it!
Posted: 12:28 pm on September 12th

susanstars writes: That is awesome, Erika! I want to make one too... :)
Posted: 8:15 pm on December 6th

LindaPermann writes: I made it! (If you enable the "patterns and designs" tag I'll post in the gallery-- for now here's a link: http://lindamade.wordpress.com/2008/12/06/and-the-winner-is-2/). Very fun!
Posted: 4:41 pm on December 6th

erika_kern writes: Thanks! It's so easy to do too.
Posted: 1:08 pm on November 26th

LindaPermann writes: oooh, i love it!
Posted: 12:35 pm on November 26th