Intermediate
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Sweaters 15 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Heart panel sweater crochet pattern with mesh sleeves
Flat heart panel, 61-chain start, 5.5mm body hook, 6.0mm mesh sleeves. Worked in rows, seamed at the shoulder.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 5.5 mm
- Rounds
- 15
Worsted
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
15
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This sweater starts as a flat panel, built row by row from a 61-chain foundation in half double crochet, then shaped into a heart across rows 10 through 30. Once the panel is complete, the bottom edge is ribbed in the round using alternating front and back post double crochet, and sleeves are added at marked armholes in a double crochet mesh worked on a larger hook. Have both hook sizes on hand, along with stitch markers for the armholes and enough acrylic yarn to carry through body, sleeves, and cuffs. The red and white color combination shown here is just a suggestion, so feel free to personalize the sweater with your own favorite yarn colors.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Losing count in the back bump row
- Row 1 requires working into the back bump of each of the 61 chains to land on 60 stitches. Count in small groups of ten as you go so a missed bump doesn't shift the whole row.
- Mixing up front and back post stitches
- The ribbed bottom edge and cuffs both rely on alternating front post and back post double crochet. Check the post direction every few stitches rather than at the end of the round, since a swapped stitch is hard to spot after several rounds.
- Skipping the hook change for sleeves
- The mesh sleeve rounds call for the 6.0 mm hook, a full size up from the body. Set the 5.5 mm hook aside once the armhole single crochet round is done so it doesn't get picked up by habit.
The materials list
- Acrylic yarn (Loops & Thread and Mainstay recommended)
- 5.5 mm crochet hook (for the sweater body)
- 6.0 mm crochet hook (for sleeves)
- Darning needle
- Scissors
- Stitch markers
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 2 short forms
Initial Chain & Rows 1–9
Make a slip knot and chain 61 (keep chains loose).
Round 1
Work 1 half double crochet (HDC) into each back bump (60 stitches).
Rounds 2–9
Chain 1, turn, and continue HDC in each stitch.
Ribbed Bottom Edge
Round 1
Attach yarn and make 1 double crochet (DC) around the bottom edge.
Rounds 2–6
Alternate 3 front post DCs and 3 back post DCs for ribbing effect.
Creating the Sleeves
Round 1
Attach yarn and work single crochets around the armhole.
Rounds 2–25
Use 6.0 mm hook and create mesh pattern (DC, chain 1).
Rounds 26–27
Decrease width by making single crochets on top of DCs.
Rounds 28–34
Work ribbed cuff with 2 front post and 2 back post DCs.
Shaping the Heart (Rows 10–30)
Round 10
HDC 29 stitches, switch to white yarn for 2 white stitches, then finish with red (29 stitches).
Rounds 11–23
Increase white stitches as follows:Row 11: 4 white stitches. Row 12: 6 white stitches. Row 13: 8 white stitches. Row 14: 10 white stitches. Row 15: 12 white stitches. Row 16: 14 white stitches. Row 17: 16 white stitches. Row 18: 18 white stitches. Rows 19–20: 20 white stitches. Rows 21–22: 22 white stitches. Row 23: 24 white stitches.
Rounds 24–25
Begin decreasing the white stitches.
Rounds 26–28
Continue decreasing to complete the heart shape.
Completing the Panel
Rounds 29–43
Work 14 rows of HDC with red yarn.
Round 44
Chain 1, skip 1 stitch, alternate HDC and chain 1 across.
Rounds 45–47
Work 3 rows of single crochet.
Assembly, in order
Joining PanelsPlace panels together (wrong sides out). Sew together along the sides, leaving sleeve openings.
Sleeve OpeningsMeasure 7–8 inches from the top. Mark with stitch markers for armholes.
Shoulder StrapsUse 12 stitches on each side and sew shoulder seams.
Finishing TouchesWeave in all loose ends using a darning needle for a clean finish.
Check these before you start
- Keep the foundation chain of 61 loose, since a tight starting chain will distort the first row of 60 half double crochet stitches and throw off the panel width.
- Place stitch markers at the armholes before starting the sleeve rounds, since the sleeve foundation depends on finding that marked point accurately, not on counting rows by eye.
- This pattern uses red as the main color with white for the heart motif, but the yarn colors are your choice, so personalize the sweater with your own favorite combination.
On one line
| Rounds | 15 |
|---|---|
| Parts | 5 |
| Level | Intermediate |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 5.5 mm |
| Yarn | Worsted |
Set-up
- Confirm you have enough acrylic yarn on hand to complete the body panel, both sleeves, and the ribbed cuffs without running short mid-round.
- Set aside stitch markers before you begin so the armhole placements at 7-8 inches from the top are ready to mark, not improvised.
- Read through rows 10-30 once before starting the shaping, since the heart forms over a defined stretch of rows rather than a single round.
Finishing
- Complete the ribbed cuffs at rounds 28-34 using the front post and back post double crochet pattern before moving to seaming.
- Sew the shoulder seams using 12 stitches on each side, aligning the panel edges before joining.
- Weave in all loose ends with a darning needle for a clean finish on both the inside and outside of the panel.
Construction
The heart shaping falls specifically across rows 10 through 30, meaning the panel is worked flat and increases or decreases are confined to that middle stretch rather than spread across the full 9-row starting section.
The panel is built flat in rows through row 9 before any ribbing or sleeve work begins, which lets the heart motif be shaped with straightforward turning rather than tracking increases around a seam.
Time per section
| Initial Chain & Rows 1-9 | about 45-60 minutes because it covers 9 straight rows of half double crochet across 60 stitches |
|---|---|
| Shaping the Heart (Rows 10-30) | about 1.5-2 hours because the motif shaping runs across 20 rows and needs close row-by-row attention |
| Sleeves and Ribbed Cuffs | about 1.5-2 hours because the mesh pattern spans rounds 2-25 before the cuff ribbing at rounds 28-34 |
Photographs of this one
Every one was taken by whoever published the pattern, in the order the source listed them.
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.