Sommerwald Tee

Sommerwald Tee: Crochet Summer Top by Annelies Baes

What is Being Made

The Sommerwald Tee is a lightweight summer crochet top designed by independent designer Annelies Baes. This garment features an elegant openworked stitch pattern throughout the body, creating an airy, breathable fabric ideal for warm weather wear. The design includes a distinctive playful element: the front ribbed edging is intentionally shorter than the back, adding visual interest and a modern silhouette. The pattern is fully written in eight sizes, ranging from XS to 4XL, making it accessible to a wide range of body types.

Crochet Techniques and Construction

This intermediate-level crochet project employs several key techniques to achieve its sophisticated appearance. The garment is constructed using a combination of ribbed edging and openworked stitch patterns. The ribbing is worked separately using a tighter gauge, then the main body is worked in the openwork stitch pattern at a slightly looser gauge to create the desired drape and breathability. The use of back loop only stitches (htrbl) in certain sections adds textural variation and helps define the garment's structure.

Stitches Used

The Sommerwald Tee incorporates several fundamental and intermediate crochet stitches:

• Chain (ch) – used for foundation chains and chain spaces throughout the pattern
• Double crochet (dc) – a foundational stitch used in various sections
• Half treble crochet (htr) – provides height and structure in the pattern
• Half treble crochet in back loops only (htrbl) – creates textured ribbing and defined edges
• 3-treble cluster (3tr-cl) – three treble crochet stitches worked together, a key decorative element
• 3tr-cl group – a cluster group consisting of a 3-treble cluster, two chain stitches, and another 3-treble cluster, forming the primary motif of the openwork pattern

The pattern is written using UK crochet terminology and includes a crochet chart for visual reference of the stitch pattern.

Materials and Gauge

The recommended yarn is Pascuali Filati Naturali Nepal, a natural fiber blend composed of 60% cotton, 28% linen, and 12% nettle. This fiber composition creates a breathable, lightweight fabric perfect for summer wear. The yarn comes in 50-gram skeins with a yardage of 180 meters (197 yards) per skein. The pattern calls for 4 to 8 skeins depending on size, with the shade Special Summer Green specified for the photographed sample.

Two crochet hook sizes are required: a 3.5 mm hook for the ribbed edging and a 3.75 mm hook for the main body of the garment. This slight variation in hook size allows the crocheter to achieve different gauges for different sections, creating proper fit and drape.

Gauge measurements: For the ribbed edging worked with the 3.75 mm hook, the gauge is 12 rows = 10 cm (4 inches) in height. For the body worked in the stitch pattern with the 3.75 mm hook, the gauge is 5 clusters across by 12 rows = 9 cm (3.5 inches) wide and 11 cm (4.25 inches) high. Achieving proper gauge is essential for obtaining the correct finished measurements across all eight sizes.