Knit Free Pattern: Short-Row Hooded Sweatshirt with Strawberry Surface Crochet

Introduction

This hooded sweatshirt is the kind of project you reach for again and again: a boxy, unisex pullover with a gently curved hem and a shaped hood that sits just right. It is designed for advanced beginners who are comfortable with knit and purl and ready to try short rows and simple shaping. Worked flat in worsted-weight alpaca blend, the fabric is soft, warm, and light, with a smooth stockinette surface that shows off the scattered strawberry motifs. Those little crocheted berries in spice tones add a playful farmhouse touch, and they are added last, so you can place them exactly where you like.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: Worsted weight alpaca blend (70% alpaca, 30% wool; 200 yds/100 g). Main color (MC) Oatmeal: 5 (6, 6, 7, 7, 8) skeins, approx. 1000 (1150, 1250, 1400, 1500, 1600) yds.
• Contrast colors (approx. 50 yds each): A Spice Red, B Cinnamon, C Nutmeg, D Paprika.
• Knitting needles: 5.0 mm (US 8) circular, 32" for the body and 24" for the hood, or size to obtain gauge.
• Crochet hook: 4.5 mm (US 7) for surface crochet.
• Notions: Stitch holders or scrap yarn, stitch markers, tapestry needle, tape measure.
• Finished size: Chest 40 (44, 48, 52, 56, 60)" [101.5 (112, 122, 132, 142, 152) cm]. Length from shoulder 26 (26.5, 27, 27.5, 28, 28.5)" [66 (67.5, 68.5, 70, 71, 72.5) cm]. Sleeve to underarm 18 (18.5, 19, 19.5, 20, 20.5)" [45.5 (47, 48.5, 49.5, 51, 52) cm]. Hood depth 14 (14.5, 15, 15.5, 16, 16.5)" [35.5 (37, 38, 39.5, 40.5, 42) cm].

Abbreviations

• CO: cast on
• BO: bind off
• RS / WS: right side / wrong side
• K / P: knit / purl
• St(s): stitch(es)
• W&t: wrap and turn — slip the next stitch to the right needle, bring the yarn to the front (or back), slip the stitch back, then turn your work to go the other way
• Inc: increase (knit into the front and back of the same stitch)
• Dec: decrease (knit two stitches together)
• Sl st: slip stitch (crochet)
• Ch: chain (crochet)
• Dc: double crochet

Gauge

18 sts and 24 rows = 4" (10 cm) in stockinette stitch with 5.0 mm needles. Knit a swatch, block it, and measure a 4" section in the middle; if you have more stitches, go up a needle size, and if fewer, go down.

Tips Before You Start

• Short rows create the curved hem and the hood shaping. Work each wrap snugly and pick up the wrap when you knit past it, so no holes show.
• Keep a row counter or tally marks for the sleeve increases and armhole decreases; they are easy to lose track of in plain stockinette.
• Block the pieces before adding the strawberries. The motifs sit flatter and stay evenly spaced on finished fabric.
• Place strawberries away from seams and the hood edge so they do not get caught or distorted during seaming.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Notes: The hoodie is worked flat in pieces and seamed. Short rows use wrap-and-turn (w&t). Surface crochet strawberries are added after blocking. Instructions are written for the smallest size with larger sizes in parentheses.

Back

Row 1 (CO): With MC, CO 90 (100, 110, 120, 130, 140) sts.

Row 2 (RS): Knit.

Row 3 (WS): Purl.

Short-row curved hem

Row 1 (RS): K20 (22, 24, 26, 28, 30), w&t.

Row 2 (WS): P20 (22, 24, 26, 28, 30), w&t.

Row 3: K to 5 sts past previous wrap, w&t.

Row 4: P to 5 sts past previous wrap, w&t.

Rows 5–14: Repeat Rows 3–4 five times, until all sts have been worked, ending with a WS row (90 (100, 110, 120, 130, 140) sts).

Next Row (RS): Knit all sts, working wraps together with their sts.

Next Row (WS): Purl.

Body: Work in stockinette stitch until piece measures 16 (16, 16.5, 16.5, 17, 17)" [40.5 (40.5, 42, 42, 43, 43) cm] from CO edge, ending with a WS row.

Shape armholes: BO 5 (5, 6, 6, 7, 7) sts at beg of next 2 rows (80 (90, 98, 108, 116, 126) sts).

Next: Dec 1 st each side every RS row 3 (4, 5, 6, 7, 8) times (74 (82, 88, 96, 102, 110) sts).

Next: Work even until armhole measures 7 (7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5)" [18 (19, 20.5, 21.5, 23, 24) cm], ending with a WS row.

Shape shoulders and back neck: BO 6 (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) sts at beg of next 2 rows, then 6 (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) sts at beg of next 2 rows. Place remaining 38 (40, 40, 42, 42, 44) sts on holder for back neck.

Front

Work as for Back until armhole measures 5 (5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5)" [12.5 (14, 15, 16.5, 18, 19) cm], ending with a WS row.

Shape front neck, Next Row (RS): K26 (29, 31, 34, 36, 39), BO 22 (24, 26, 28, 30, 32) sts for neck, knit to end (26 (29, 31, 34, 36, 39) sts each side).

Left side: Dec 1 st at neck edge every RS row 5 (5, 5, 6, 6, 6) times (21 (24, 26, 28, 30, 33) sts).

Next: Work even until armhole measures same as Back to shoulder, ending with a WS row.

Shape shoulder: BO 6 (7, 8, 9, 10, 11) sts at beg of next RS row, then 6 (7, 8, 9, 9, 10) sts at beg of next RS row, then 9 (10, 10, 10, 11, 12) sts at beg of next RS row.

Right side: Work as for Left side, reversing shaping.

Sleeves (make 2)

Row 1 (CO): With MC, CO 42 (44, 46, 48, 50, 52) sts.

Next: Work in stockinette stitch, inc 1 st each side every 6th row 12 (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) times (66 (70, 74, 78, 82, 86) sts).

Next: Work even until sleeve measures 18 (18.5, 19, 19.5, 20, 20.5)" [45.5 (47, 48.5, 49.5, 51, 52) cm] from CO edge, ending with a WS row.

Shape sleeve cap: BO 5 (5, 6, 6, 7, 7) sts at beg of next 2 rows (56 (60, 62, 66, 68, 72) sts).

Next: Dec 1 st each side every RS row 12 (13, 14, 15, 16, 17) times (32 (34, 34, 36, 36, 38) sts).

Next: BO 3 sts at beg of next 4 rows, then BO remaining 20 (22, 22, 24, 24, 26) sts.

Hood

Sew shoulder seams.

Pick-up row: With MC and RS facing, pick up and knit 38 (40, 40, 42, 42, 44) sts from back neck, 22 (24, 26, 28, 30, 32) sts from right front neck, and 22 (24, 26, 28, 30, 32) sts from left front neck (82 (88, 92, 98, 102, 108) sts).

Rows 1–4: Work in stockinette stitch for 4 rows.

Short-row shaping for hood

Row 1 (RS): K to last 10 sts, w&t.

Row 2 (WS): P to last 10 sts, w&t.

Row 3: K to 5 sts before previous wrap, w&t.

Row 4: P to 5 sts before previous wrap, w&t.

Rows 5–14: Repeat Rows 3–4 five times, until 10 sts remain unwrapped on each side, ending with a WS row.

Next Row (RS): Knit all sts, working wraps together with their sts.

Next: Work even until hood measures 14 (14.5, 15, 15.5, 16, 16.5)" [35.5 (37, 38, 39.5, 40.5, 42) cm] from pick-up edge.

Next: BO all sts. Fold hood in half and sew top seam.

Neck Edging

With MC and RS facing, pick up and knit 1 st in each st around neck edge. Join in round. Work in k1, p1 rib for 1" [2.5 cm]. BO in rib.

Surface Crochet Strawberries (make 12–15, scattered)

Rnd 1: With 4.5 mm hook and A, join yarn with sl st at desired spot on RS of hoodie. Ch 2, work 5 dc in same sp, join with sl st to first dc. Fasten off.

Seeds: With B, embroider small straight stitches for seeds.

Leaf: With C, work a small sl st for leaf at top. Repeat with D for variation. Scatter strawberries randomly over front, back, and sleeves, avoiding seams.

Assembly and Finishing

Sew side seams and sleeve seams. Set in sleeves, matching underarm points and easing the cap into the armhole. Sew the hood's center top seam. Weave in all ends on the wrong side. Block the hoodie to the finished measurements, pinning the curved hem and hood into shape, and let it dry completely before adding the surface crochet strawberries.

Pro Tips and Variations

• For a warmer hoodie, work the hood in k2, p2 rib for the first few inches, then switch to stockinette.
• Use a single spice color for all strawberries for a quieter look, or alternate colors in a repeating pattern across the front.
• Add a small crocheted strawberry to the hood tip or sleeve cuff as a matching accent.