Round yoke designs are all the rage in the knitting community, but what about the crochet community?
While we have fewer designs to choose from, there are still some beauties to be found.
In this roundup you will see a variety of round yoke sweaters and tops from crochet designers from around the world.
Usually round yoke sweaters fit better when you lift the back neckline.
I created this list based on the patterns that I’ve found that would be compatible with my method of achieving that, which you can learn from a tutorial right here on the blog.
None of these are affiliate links and I don’t hold responsibility for the quality of the patterns (outside of those I publish myself).
If you buy one of the patterns in this list and have issues with it, please contact the respective designer.
Below you will find Etsy links and Ravelry links. If you have trouble viewing Ravelry, you might benefit from applying this method that I use to safely visit the website.
Contents
Why make a round yoke top?
The round yoke construction is considered the easiest to use for beginners and advanced crocheters and knitters in general.
It is considered that easy because all you have to do is make a round yoke (a circle with a circle cut out in the middle to accommodate the head) and then attach a straight or shaped body and sleeves to this circle.
You can try it on as you go, to check whether you need to add more rows or to increase faster or slower. You only need a few measurements, such as the bust (or upper bust) and bicep circumference to get a decent fit.
Of course, for a proper fit without bulges and waves, you do need to make a lot more adjustments than if you work flat pieces that you sew together.
Still, a round yoke sweater is a good gateway into the world of handmade garments and fitting.
Adjustments you can make to round yoke sweaters
My first few projects made with this construction had all sorts of issues –
- the sleeves were too narrow;
- the neckline was too low in the back;
- the yoke was too tight around my upper body;
- there was a bulge under my front neckline;
- a wave formed at the back, right under the yoke.
I tried different things to combat these, but you should be aware that they are possibilities, especially if you have a curvy body.
There are simple and complicated ways to combat these from the get-go and here are some things that have worked for me:
- work with an elastic yarn – high twist or high wool content (especially merino) or both – the more elasticity, the more you can get away with in terms of fit;
- choose a lacy pattern – the lace has a lot of give and can distort slightly for a smoother appearance, without being as stiff as an allover stitch pattern, which can create bulges;
- work with positive ease – choose a size from the pattern that has positive ease in the body and in the sleeves;
- start decreases for the sleeves later (after the elbow) if your arms are thicker;
- move stitches from the back to the front, or from the front and back to the sleeves, or from the sleeves to the front; for example, if your arms are thicker than the size you chose works for, but the body is too loose, you can move stitches from the body to the sleeves;
- if you still have too many stitches at the back and get a wavy fabric, do not decrease at the underarm! you should decrease along the princess seams, which are about 1/3rd of the way from each side seam;
- make increases earlier for straight shoulders or later for sloped shoulders – the pattern maker only designs for one type of shoulders, but if you have straight shoulders you need a faster increase rate; if you have sloped shoulders you need a slower increase rate;
- make the yoke longer for wide shoulders or shorter for narrow shoulders – if your shoulder width is larger, you need keep going until the fabric of the yoke reaches your shoulder bone; from there you can work straight to reach the depth needed for your arm;
- lift the back neckline – this will prevent that empty space from forming at the top of the back when wearing your top.
If you want more practical tips on getting crochet clothing in general to fit better, sign up to my email updates here and get the guide I created just for this.
List of round yoke sweaters, cardigans and summer tops
Below you will find a list of circular yoke sweater patterns from designers who gave permission for me to use one of their photos.
For each design, I made a little introduction, then went into detail on how to lift the back neckline.
I tried to feature one pattern from each designer that I’ve found (and from whom I have permission), but I might add to this list over time if more patterns become available.
Calliandra summer top
by Andrea Cretu
This is my own design. It’s a summer top with a lacy yoke and a plain body. It’s perfect for gradient yarn. You can read more about the pattern here.
The neckline treatment will happen just like in the video tutorial about lifting the back neckline of crochet round yoke tops.
In stitches cardigan
by Mary Beth Cryan
A lovely summer cardigan with cute details that are stitched in bands on the yoke.
For this pattern, you can increase the height of stitches in all the rows. This will make the colored bands slightly wider at the back.
You will also need to increase the motifs on the back when you do the embroidery.
Julia Top
by Hortense of Knitting with Chopsticks
A cute summer top with a little opening in the front and short sleeves. The plain fabric allows the pom pom ties to take front stage.
The back neck adjustment is easy in this pattern, as you only have one type of stitch. You can make tall stitches on every row.
Adelaide Lace Sweater
by Veronika Cromwell
A lacy yoke sweater with long sleeves. The yoke features the beloved crochet pineapple motif.
The back neckline adjustment for this pattern will be slightly complex.
You can increase the height of the double crochet stitches, and add on the edges of the pineapples, to keep the fabric flat.
Rosea Sweater
by Janne Kleivset of Joy of Motion Crochet
An elegant lacy yoke with bands of eyelets and a plain body. It seems perfect for tonal hand-dyed yarns.
To lift the back neckline in this pattern, you can replace half double crochet stitches with extended versions, to keep the appearance of the stitches, keeping the rows of eyelets intact.
Tranquility Sweater
by Susanna Biaye
A sweater with round yoke with a fun mix of lace and bobbles. The bobble detail is repeated around the bottom and sleeve edges.
The best way to lift the back neckline in this pattern is by only lengthening the single crochet stitches and leaving the rows of lace and bobbles as they are.
Any Yarn Will Do Sweater
by Dora Does
A classic top-down round yoke sweater, designed with beginner garment crocheters in mind.
You can apply the technique of lifting the back neckline in every row here, since the yarn used is on the thick side.
Color Block Sweater
by Ashlea Schumaker
A simple design with beautiful texture and multiple color blocking possibilities.
To lift the back neckline, you will only have to modify the Sc stitches on every second row, leaving the clusters intact.
Sagittarius Sweater
by Ana-Maria of Crochet Highway
A lovely cold weather sweater with little arrows covering the entire yoke and the ends of the sleeves.
For this pattern, the back neckline adjustment will have to only happen in main color rows, and probably every second row, since the main stitch pattern is made up of very small stitches.
Shanti Sweater
by Ashlea Schumaker
A simple top down design, perfect for beginners, due to the plain fabric with a simple ribbing on the edges.
Adding a back neck adjustment on this pattern is easy because you just replace a few stitches each row with a taller version.
Wrapping up
If you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about crochet garments or to explore more patterns, check out these articles about fitting crochet garments:
- Size inclusive body measurements for crochet garment design
- How to measure yourself for fitting handmade garments – 19 points
- Body measurements for garment design – survey results April 2023
More articles are coming soon, so sign up to my email updates if you want to know when that happens.
Also pin this article and come back later on, as I will update it with new round yoke sweater and top patterns.
