How-To: ‘Arts-and-Crafts’ Your Summer Wardrobe

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I’m sure you’ve noticed the popularity rise of crocheted and knit pieces on TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest. Not only have these items been seen on popular social media users, but clothing companies such as ZARA, Urban Outfitters, and H&M are some of the many stores starting to sell crocheted and knit tops, dresses, pants etc. However, these price tags can be steep, reflecting the amount of time spent making the pieces. Instead of buying a pair of granny-square crocheted pants or a spunky knit sweater, let’s dive into how to ‘arts-and-crafts’ your summer wardrobe.

So how do you know where to start? I recommend beginning by pulling inspiration from people or items you see online. Some good places to start are @amarillawool on Instagram; two Entrepreneur young women based in Toronto have started a business crocheted super unique pieces such as bikini tops, slouchy shoulder bags, and my personal favourite, their checkered bucket hats. Although it’s super important to support small businesses, if you want to take a crack at making your own piece there are many instructional videos on YouTube that will show you how to crochet similar pieces.

@amarillawool on Instagram: blue and white checkered bucket hat

@amarillawool on Instagram: blue and white checkered bucket hat

@amarillawool on Instagram: custom tic tac tote bag

@amarillawool on Instagram: custom tic tac tote bag

Another good place to look is @ellaemhoff on Instagram. More widely known as the Vice-President’s stepdaughter, Ella is a graduating student at the Parsons School of Design in New York and drew my attention after seeing her superwash merino knit pants. She curated a graduating collection called the ‘Thesis Collection’ of crocheted and knit pieces inspired by her childhood/adolescent diary and photographs that you should check out. Even though her pieces are highly technical and complex, they are a great place to pull inspiration from: look at her colourways, item fits, and selected clothing pieces. If you’re still not sure about what you can make, Pinterest never fails to provide a creative starting place; try looking up ‘crocheted bag’, ‘knit top easy’, ‘crocheted tank top’ etc.

@ellaemhoof on Instagram: Ella in the bonnet and sweater vest from her ‘Thesis Collection’

@ellaemhoof on Instagram: Ella in the bonnet and sweater vest from her ‘Thesis Collection’

@ellaemhoff on Instagram: ‘scrap pants’, using scraps of her previous projects, Ella knit these striped pants with a drawstring waist

@ellaemhoff on Instagram: ‘scrap pants’, using scraps of her previous projects, Ella knit these striped pants with a drawstring waist

Having taken up crocheting as my summer/quarantine hobby, I’ll walk you through a general guide on how to crochet a granny-square tank top for the summer. Since the granny squares have small holes in them, you can either wear it over a bralette for a date, a bikini to the beach, a white shirt for a picnic, or sew a fabric lining on the front of the top and wear it wherever! You will need to choose three colours (you can modify this variation) with one ball of yarn for each colour you desire. You also required: around a 4.5mm crochet hook, a large sewing needle with a hole large enough to weave a string of yarn, scissors, and marking pins (optional).

There are many variations of the classic granny square (circle vs square), and you can play with different types by finding instructional tutorials on YouTube. The squares in the video are four rings wide, while the top contains five squares across and two squares down for a total of 10 squares (this can be modified depending on your bust measurements). After crocheting the granny squares, you can stitch them together using a zig-zag stitch I’ve linked below. You can use a single piece of yarn to make the straps, but I opted to make thick straps by single-stitching three chains wide to make a long strap. After marking where you want the straps to attach, sew those onto your top. You can get creative with the back of the top; some options are to loop the yarn through the holes of the squares to create a criss-cross tie back, sew on buttons for a clasp, or stitch the back squares together and instead of attaching the straps to the back of the top, you can tie them around your neck for a cute halter top!

Crochet and knitwear are stylistic and straightforward ways to elevate your wardrobe this summer. The textile design and soft texture can help turn any outfit into a unique look - by making these pieces yourself, you’re adding a touch of your creative style to anything you wear!

Rebecca Yan