Striped Crochet Shirt in Schachenmayr Catania - S9018 - Downloadable PDF

Striped Crochet Shirt in Schachenmayr Catania – Pattern S9018

This free downloadable PDF pattern from Schachenmayr guides you through crocheting a stylish striped openwork shirt (Design S9018, also described as Gestreiftes Häkelshirt). The design features a cheerful, summery colour-blocked stripe sequence worked in a repeating lace stitch pattern, making it an excellent project for crocheters who want to build confidence with both colourwork and openwork techniques. The pattern is available in five sizes: XS, S, M, L, and XL, with all size-specific stitch counts listed in order throughout the instructions.

What Is Being Made

The finished garment is a lightweight crocheted top or shirt with cut-in sleeves worked as extensions of the body panels rather than set-in separately. The construction is classic and straightforward: a back panel and a front panel are worked flat, then joined. One notable construction detail is that the back panel is worked 2 cm shorter than the front panel, ensuring that the stripe pattern aligns perfectly across the shoulder seam when the two pieces are joined — a thoughtful design touch that elevates the finished look.

Techniques Used

• Flat crochet construction — both the front and back panels are worked in rows, following a written chart (Häkelschrift).
• Openwork / lace stitch pattern (Lochmuster) — a repeating 14-row lace pattern forms the main fabric of the shirt, requiring a stitch count divisible by 6, plus 1, plus 1 turning chain.
• Colour striping — a precise stripe sequence is followed throughout: rows 1–3 in linen, rows 4–9 in may-green, rows 10–12 in linen, and rows 13–14 in pink, then repeated from row 1.
• Slip-loop cast-on (Fußschlinge) — the pattern recommends beginning with slip-loop single crochets as the foundation row, though a standard chain cast-on is offered as an alternative.
• Sleeve shaping by extension — the cut-in sleeves are created by adding chains at the end of a row and working back across them, effectively widening the panel on both sides to form the sleeve area without separate sleeve pieces.
• Neckline shaping — stitches are left unworked or bound off at a specified row to create the neckline opening on both front and back panels.
• Seaming with a tapestry needle — the finished panels are joined using a blunt-tipped yarn needle (Wollsticknadel ohne Spitze).

Stitches Used

• Single crochet (feste Maschen) — used in the foundation row, sleeve extensions, and structural elements throughout.
• Chain stitches (Luftmaschen) — used within the lace pattern rows, as turning chains, and to cast on sleeve extensions.
• Lace / openwork stitch combinations — the 14-row Lochmuster repeat creates the airy, open fabric characteristic of the design; full stitch-by-stitch instructions are provided via the accompanying crochet chart.

Gauge

The pattern specifies a gauge of 24 stitches and 12 rows = 10 × 10 cm worked in the lace pattern (Lochmuster). Achieving this gauge is important for ensuring the shirt fits correctly across all five sizes, so swatching before beginning is strongly recommended.

Materials

• Yarn: Schachenmayr Catania, a sport-weight cotton yarn, used in three colours:
  • May-green (maigrün), colour 00389 — 150/150/200/250/250 g depending on size
  • Linen (leinen), colour 00248 — 200/200/250/300/300 g depending on size