Have you ever spent hours creating beautiful crochet garments only to find that it just doesn’t fit right? It’s either too short, too long, too tight, or just… off. You’re not alone. I’ve been there, and the frustration is real!

As someone who is petite with long legs and a short torso, I’ve always struggled with store-bought clothes. Pants gap in the back and vary from tight to too loose at the hips. If it’s not a blouse, many tops look baggy through the torso and fit my shoulders. Or I choose the smaller size, so it fits more of my body but uncomfortable in the shoulders. Crop tops are just tops on me…

But when I discovered crochet garment making, a whole new world opened up. Crochet allows me to create perfectly tailored tops, cardigans, and skirts. But first, like many, I faced challenges: from choosing the right yarn that would be comfortable to wear all day, matching gauge, and not knowing where to make adjustments for improved comfort. These were hurdles I had to overcome, but once I did, the joy of wearing my handmade garments increased exponentially.

As I have embarked on a journey to learn more about crochet garments, I noticed how many crocheters avoid making even one crochet tank because they believe it to be hard, or believe that they can never meet gauge. Through my love of garment making and enjoyment in helping others succeed, I have decided to share what I know with you.

I am on a mission to educate thousands of crocheters on how easy it can be to create crochet garments that not only look good, but fit well, even simple designs. With that in mind, I am thrilled to introduce you to my new mini-course, From Stitch to Style: Making Simple Crochet Garments, where you’ll learn how to avoid these frustrating pitfalls, master gauge, and create garments that fit YOU perfectly.

My Crochet Garments Story:

As a petite person with long legs and a short torso, finding clothes that fit has always been a struggle. Store-bought garments just never looked the way they were supposed to on me. Tops were too long, skirts hike up in the back and look shorter than they are, and nothing ever seemed to hit in the right place. My inner vision of turning any hallway into a mini fashion show began to fade. Then, I discovered that I can make crochet garments—tanks, sweaters, cardigans, skirts—pieces I could finally control the fit of!

At first, discovering crochet garment patterns felt like a day at a play space of crawling tubes and slides with unlimited tokens for games, cheese pizza and soda. I thought I could make garments that fit my wide shoulders, had enough room for my hips and be the length I needed to compliment my frame. But soon, I hit a wall.

I’d follow a pattern with the same yarn and hook size, just to discover that the fit wasn’t quite right. I didn’t understand why. Sometimes the sleeves were a bit tight and too short, or the fabric felt stiff, heavy and uncomfortable to sit down in. As much as I loved making them, these pieces ended up in the back of my closet. It wasn’t until I learned about the importance of gauge and fiber content that things really started to change.

My Challenges with Yarn and Gauge:

When I started, I didn’t understand gauge, so I skipped it. This led to endless frustration of things being too long, too loose, or too tight. I was upset that it wasn’t fitting since I used the yarn and hook listed within a pattern. I would be a smidge larger or smaller, and proceeded with starting a crochet garment not knowing that the slight difference multiplies over the entire project. This meant that even a 1/8th larger would eventually become an inch or more larger as the project got wider or longer.

Yes, this implies that sometimes even the designer doesn’t know about the impact of their recommended yarn choices.

When it came to yarn for my crochet garments, I started with acrylic yarns like many first time crocheters, and then started dabbling in the use of worsted weight cotton. There is nothing wrong with using either fiber type, as long as you know how it will impact the overall drape of the finished crochet garment. And yes, I’m implying that even some designer don’t know the impact of their recommended yarn choices on the overall fit and look for others. I used to be one of those designers—I used whatever yarn I had in my stash or could get from the local big box craft store.

Let me be clear that I love all fibers. Acrylic and cotton are sturdy yarns, which lends them to creating stiffer fabric if you use a hook smaller than what is listed on the yarn label. So crochet garments made from cotton with a small hook means a stiff fabric with no stretch—perfect for making a denim jacket or shaped hat, but not great for a skirt or close fitting tank top.

How it began to change

Once I started getting patterns books and discovering educational classes taught by renowned designers within the fiber world, I ventured beyond the usual yarns to experiment with acrylic and cotton blends, wools, and thinner yarns. It wasn’t until late 2020, that I designed my first patterns in fingering weight #1 yarn! It was scary at first because I thought it would take forever to finish the project, but I loved the finished results, especially the drape.

Now I can make simple or crochet garments with lots of shaping techniques that perfectly fit my short torso, wide shoulder, long arm, long leg and wide hip petite body. And I’m excited to teach you the foundations so you can start creating crochet garments that fit your uniquely beautiful body!

Let me introduce you to the answer to your crochet frustrations

That’s where the From Stitch to Style mini-course comes in. I created this course to help crocheters just like you avoid the mistakes I made and learn the essential techniques that take your crochet garments from frustrating to fabulous.

Features:

• No logins to keep up with: this mini course is delivered by newsletter. Each week’s instructions, homework and links for worksheets and video will be in your inbox. Easy peasy.
• No yarn limitations: One stitch is featured each month (three total stitches), and you can pick whatever yarn weight to learn the stitch and measure gauge to plan a garment
• Need to know measurements: Understand how to take accurate body measurements and plan garments that suit your unique shape—even when your body fits multiple sizes.
• Plan your crochet garment: Use the provided schematics to plan the overall shape of your garment, receive tips for simple adjustments, and know how much yarn is needed. No more yarn chicken or being left with 1.5 skeins .

Benefits:

• Know that it will fit the way you want— tight, close, loose or oversized.
• Save time and yarn by knowing the stitch and row count to frog less often. Yes, it’s time to use that yarn with the halo that is so soft against the skin but a pain to frog.
• Gain the confidence to create garments that flatter your shape, no matter your body type.
• Build a handmade closet full of crochet garments that you wear weekly to be stopped by strangers to compliment and inquire about where you bought it. It feels really good to say, “Thank you! I made it!”
• No pressure to rush through the lessons, as you can access your email anytime of the day, and you have access forever. And no ads to sit through or skip when watching a video.

Why should you join From Stitch to Style?

From Stitch to Style: Making Simple Crochet Garments is different than other tutorials because it’s about building the foundational skills. Yes, we will following a “pattern” to learn three stitches, but it’s also understanding stitch multiples and how that translates to determining the size of a crochet garment that fits YOU.

The crochet courses I have seen feature finished patterns for a make along format, or teaching one how to write patterns, or other technical aspects of becoming a fiber professional. This mini course aims to help you understand the information “hiding” in gauge, the impact of different fibers, and planning a garment with simple shapes. This course empowers you to take control of every aspect of garment-making, so no more guessing, or following a pattern that doesn’t includes tips for customization.

Customer Success Stories:
Here’s what some of my students have said after applying these principles:

• Beth: “Courtney is super helpful and responds quickly! When I reach out with a question, and I have a lot because I’m new to crocheting garments, she explains things in a way I can understand. She gives me multiple options to solve my problem and doesn’t make me feel stupid. I enjoy watching her videos because she makes whatever subject she is talking about fun. Courtney pushes you to try new techniques and grow your crochet skills. She is very encouraging and supportive along the way. I enjoy her patterns, they are well written and easy to follow. Also super cute! I highly recommend checking out Courtney’s programs and patterns🤩”
• Cheryl: “I learned how to measure gauge; how to be confident in my ability to actually make a wearable garment; different stitches I had never seen before, let alone done; and how to not be afraid to try new stitches and do more than the dreaded granny square.”
• Anderlon: “I am a new crocheter and after taking Courtney’s course, it helped me learn tasks that were difficult for me to understand. Her explanations were simple and straight to the point, and definitely worth the cost.”

Have you ever struggled with fitting crochet garments? Have you avoided making a crochet garment? Share your story below!

Ready to create crochet garments that fit like a dream?

The From Stitch to Style enrollment is closed for now, but you can join the waitlist (and my newsletter) to learn tips and be the first to know when you can join this mini course in the near future. Click here to join the waitlist today!

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Conclusion

We’ve covered a lot in this post—from the frustrating early days of crochet garment-making to the incredible transformation that happens when you understand gauge, body measurements, and fiber type. From Stitch to Style is for YOU, the crocheter that is willing to overcome their crochet challenges with support, and begin creating crochet garments for their handmade closet and take on custom orders.

Crochet wearables shouldn’t be a source of stress—they should be fun, creative, and make you feel amazing. With the right tools and techniques, you can create garments that fit perfectly every time. So, don’t let another frustrating project get you down—join From Stitch to Style waitlist and unlock your potential very soon!