Designing a Garment

I bought Crochet Couture by Lily Chin many months ago. I have found it an invaluable reference book. I am working on a top and I'm following the guidelines that she has outlined in the first section of the book.

I've taken a top that fits me well and created a template on a large gridded pad that I bought at an office supply store. To start, I laid the top on the pad and drew the outline. Then I studied the measurements at key points--hem, waist, bust, armhole depth, and shoulder and neck widths. The paper is marked off in 1-inch grids, so I didn't need a tape measure; I just counted the squares.

I must admit that I've had that done for many moons. But, I've found a yarn I think will be great for a project. I spent some time swatching and decided on a stitch pattern. Next, I did the math to determine the number of stitches to begin with, how many to decrease for the waist and the number of rows to work those decreases over. I wish I could say that it all worked out perfectly the first time.

I've lost count of the times I've ripped out and started over. But, this time (yes, THIS time) I believe I'm finally on the right track.