Asymmetrical crochet sweater with one side falling longer than the other, which breaks the straight hem every crochet garment seems to end on. The uneven line skims over the hip instead of cutting across it. Free pattern, and you will want a second one in another colour.
A one-shoulder asymmetrical neckline tied with a ribbon and lace trim at the cuffs gives this cream Tunisian crochet sweater a romantic, editorial quality that sets it apart from every other sweater in the collection. The waffle-like grid texture of the Tunisian simple stitch body catches the light beautifully in a soft microfiber yarn, and makers who want something with a similarly unexpected neckline detail will find the slouchy off the shoulder crochet sweater a useful companion piece to bookmark.
Asymmetrical Sweater Crochet
Worked with a Tunisian hook and Mondial Microsoft microfiber yarn, the fabric has a dense yet lightweight drape that gives the finished sweater its elegant slouch. The lace trim at the cuffs is added separately and is the only truly delicate element in an otherwise straightforward construction.
Quick Facts
- Skill level: Advanced (Tunisian crochet experience strongly recommended)
- Construction: Four flat panels (back, front, two sleeves), blocked, mattress-stitched, and finished with a sideways-worked ribbed neckline and hand-sewn lace trim
- Main hook: 8.0 mm Tunisian hook with cord or cable
- Finishing hook: 6.0 mm traditional or Tunisian hook
- Yarn: Acrylic yarn held together with a strand of lace-weight mohair for warmth and softness (Mondial Microsoft used in the original)
- Trims: 2 to 3 meters of slightly stretchy apparel lace in a matching color
- Estimated time: A multi-week make — each panel is substantial, and the construction and finishing are detailed
Customization Ideas (Before You Begin)
Because this sweater is fully measurement-driven, every proportion is yours to adjust:
- Skip the lace trim. The customization note in the original pattern offers a practical alternative: work the same back-loop-only single crochet ribbing used on the neckline around the cuffs and hem instead. No hand-sewing required.
- Change the asymmetry. The open shoulder is a design choice — seaming both shoulders gives a conventional neckline, or you can make the open side wider by adjusting the stitch marker placement.
- Adjust the sleeve taper. Starting the decrease rows later gives a more relaxed, wider sleeve; starting them earlier produces a more fitted arm.
- Use a single yarn. The mohair-plus-acrylic held together gives warmth and a slight halo. A single smooth worsted or aran weight on the same hook produces a cleaner, crisper fabric.
- Make it longer or shorter. The body length is controlled entirely by the number of straight rows worked after the armhole increases. Add or subtract rows to suit your proportion.
Materials and Tools
- Acrylic yarn held together with a strand of lace-weight mohair (or any yarn combination suited to the 8.0 mm hook)
- An 8.0 mm Tunisian crochet hook with a cord or cable approximately 30 cm long, and a stopper at the end
- A 6.0 mm traditional or Tunisian hook (or any smaller hook between 5.0 and 7.0 mm) for finishing rows and ribbing
- Measuring tape
- Stitch markers
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
- Iron or garment steamer for blocking
- 2 to 3 meters of slightly stretchy apparel lace in a matching color
- Sewing needle for the lace trim
Basic Stitch to Know
The Stitch Pattern
Every row in the body consists of two passes:
Forward pass (V-stitch effect)
- The loop already on your hook counts as the first stitch.
- For the next stitch: insert hook under the vertical bar or front loop, yarn over, and pull up a loop normally.
- For the stitch after that: manually twist the vertical bar or front loop before inserting your hook, then yarn over and pull up a loop.
- Alternate between 1 normal loop and 1 twisted loop across the row. The very last loop of each row should always be a twisted loop.
Return pass
- Yarn over and pull through only the first loop on the hook (this creates the edge stitch).
- Yarn over and pull through two loops at a time. Repeat across the entire row until only one loop remains.
The Pattern
Step 1: The Back Panel (Top-Down Construction)
Using the 8.0 mm Tunisian hook:
- Foundation: Measure your body width and crochet an even number of foundation chains to match. Add an extra 10 cm worth of chains to account for the fabric contracting horizontally once stitched. (Dasha uses 50 chains as her reference.)
- Row 1: Chain 1. Insert your hook into the second chain from the hook and pull up a loop. Continue pulling up a loop in each chain across the row. Work a standard return pass (yarn over, pull through 1; then yarn over, pull through 2 continuously).
- Rows 2–15 (straight section): Work in the alternating V-pattern stitch (1 normal loop, 1 twisted loop) for 15 rows, or until you reach the top of your armpit.
- Row 16 (armhole increases): Add two increases at the beginning and two at the end of this row:
- Start: Insert hook between the first two vertical spaces to pull up an extra loop, then into the next space for a second extra loop.
- Body: Work across in the normal pattern.
- End: Pull up a loop from the last stitch, locate the small space right under that last stitch for an increase loop, then insert the hook into the outer side loop for the final increase. Complete the regular return pass.
- Rows 17–32 (lower body): Continue straight in the standard V-pattern stitch for 16 more rows, or to your desired torso length, without further increases.
- Row 33 (final clean row): Switch to the smaller 6.0 mm hook. Work one final row of the pattern — the smaller hook closes up any structural gaps. Chain 1, cut yarn, and pull through to finish the panel.
Step 2: The Front Panel
- Repeat all instructions from Step 1 identically to build a matching front panel.
- Ensure the armhole increases occur at exactly the same row count as the back panel to keep the garment symmetrical.
Reading crochet patterns can be tricky when you’re just starting out, feel free to follow the video tutorial below instead!
Step 3: The Sleeves (Make 2)
Using the 8.0 mm hook:
- Sleeve sizing: Measure the total distance from the top of your body panel down to the armhole increase row. Double this number to find your sleeve width. (Dasha uses 38 chains, approximately 42 cm wide.)
- Upper sleeve: Work the foundation pass and continue straight V-pattern rows until the panel reaches your elbow. (Dasha works 16 straight rows.)
- Elbow decreases (Row 17): Taper the sleeve by working decreases on the return pass of every second row:
- Return pass decrease: At the beginning of the return pass, yarn over and pull through two loops together immediately. Work across normally until 3 loops remain. Yarn over and pull through all 3 remaining loops together.
- Following row: Pull up loops normally, treating the decreased stitches from the previous row as a single unit when picking up.
- Wrist finishing: Continue alternating decrease rows and normal rows until the sleeve reaches the wrist (36 rows total). Switch to the 6.0 mm hook for the very final row to minimize gaps. Chain 1, cut yarn, and finish off.
Step 4: Blocking and Assembly
- Blocking: Steam-block all four panels using an iron or garment steamer to open up the stitches and flatten curling edges.
- Neckline planning: Lay the front panel directly on top of the back panel. Decide the neckline width. To create the asymmetrical layout, place a stitch marker on one shoulder only to mark where the closed seam ends — leave the opposite shoulder entirely open.
- Seaming the sleeves: Fold each sleeve lengthwise with right sides facing outward. Using a yarn needle, join the edges using the mattress stitch by picking up the horizontal bars between the outer V-stitches.
- Attaching the sleeves and sides: Align the open sleeve tops to the armhole openings on the body panels. Mattress stitch the sleeve to both the front and back panels. Continue the mattress stitch down the sides of the sweater to close the front and back panels together.
Step 5: Neckline Ribbing
- Turn the sweater completely inside out.
- Using a 6.5 mm hook, join yarn at the open corner of the unseamed shoulder. Work slip stitches across the top shoulder seam until you reach the stitch marker. Remove the marker and flip the sweater right-side out.
- Ribbed edge: Chain 5. Turn, then single crochet into the 2nd chain from your hook and in each chain across. (5 single crochets total.)
- Work 2 slip stitches into the base loops along the raw sweater neckline edge. Turn, skip the two base slip stitches, and work single crochet back loop only across the 5 ribbing stitches.
- Chain 1, turn, and work single crochet back loop only back down. Slip stitch twice into the sweater neckline base.
- Repeat this perpendicular ribbing process all the way around the entire neck opening. Join the ends with slip stitches, secure, and fasten off.
Step 6: Attaching the Lace Trim
- Sleeve cuffs: Wrap the lace around the sleeve cuff, leaving a 1 cm seam allowance. Fold the raw ends down 5 mm and stitch them together to form a closed lace ring.
- Pinning: Pin the lace rings to the inside edge of the sleeve cuffs and the bottom hem of the sweater body.
- Sewing: Thread a sewing needle with a single strand of matching mohair yarn (instead of standard thread) to keep the stitches hidden. Sew the lace down securely by hand using a neat, flexible freestyle stitch.
Alternative to lace trim: Work the same back-loop-only single crochet ribbing used on the neckline around the cuffs and hem for a standard crochet finish without hand-sewing.
Tips and Troubleshooting
- Add extra chains to your foundation — always. The Tunisian V-pattern stitch contracts horizontally as you work. Dasha’s specific tip is to add approximately 10 cm worth of extra chains beyond your body width measurement before you start. Skipping this produces a panel significantly narrower than intended.
- Match the armhole increase row exactly on the front and back panels. The armhole increases need to land at the same row on both panels for the sleeves to sit correctly. Count rows rather than measuring — row counts are more reliable in Tunisian fabric, which can stretch unpredictably when held up.
- Use the mattress stitch for all seams and pick up the horizontal bars only. Tunisian crochet fabric has distinctive horizontal bars between the V-stitches that make an ideal grip point for the mattress stitch. Picking through these gives a nearly invisible seam; picking through the top loops instead produces a visible ridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do I need a Tunisian-specific hook for this pattern? Yes. The pattern requires a long Tunisian hook with a cord or cable attached, because Tunisian crochet holds all the forward-pass loops on the hook at once — a standard fixed-length hook would run out of space. The cord allows the loops to slide off the hook-end onto the flexible cable, giving you enough capacity to work a full-width row.
2. What does “holding yarn together with mohair” mean and do I need both? It means you work with two strands simultaneously — one of the main acrylic and one of the mohair — as if they were a single thicker yarn. The mohair adds warmth and a softly fuzzy halo to the fabric. You can work with just the acrylic alone for a cleaner, crisper result on the same hook, or substitute a single yarn of equivalent weight.
3. Why does the pattern end each panel with a smaller hook? The final row on the smaller 6.0 mm hook pulls the stitches tighter, which closes up the small gaps that appear naturally in Tunisian fabric at the edges of rows. Without this finishing row, the panel edges can look slightly open or uneven — the smaller hook acts as a structural tightener before you cut and fasten off.
4. Can I make this symmetric instead of asymmetric? Yes. The asymmetry comes from leaving one shoulder seam open while closing the other. To make both shoulders closed and symmetric, seam both shoulder edges before working the neckline ribbing. The neckline will then be a standard boat neck or crew neck depending on how much you leave open at the top center.
