In my last blog post I shared some thoughts on how to design granny square garments without any pattern and this top is actually the third garment I have made doing exactly that. Each one has been a process of experimenting, adjusting, and figuring things out as I go, and this camisole is no different, but this time I worked with a granny square that I designed myself!
There is no written pattern for this top, but read on and I think you will have everything you need to give it a try. The yarn I used was Drops Safran with a 3 mm hook.
The granny square
From the start, I planned on making a feminine lacy top with lots of texture, so when I started experimenting to make the granny square I included popcorn stitches which results a really nice raised, three-dimensional quality. It took a few attempts to get the design right (different arrangements, different numbers of rounds) but that kind of experimentation is part of the process!
I have made a video showing exactly how to make this granny square, and how to join as you go, which you can watch below. I will also write down the abbreviated instructions for those that prefer this:
The popcorn stitch is made with 4 triple crochet stitches.
First, make a magic ring.
Rnd 1. ch 3, dc 15 into the mr, sl st to the 3rd ch.
Rnd 2. [ch 4, skip a st, sl st] 7x, ch 4, skip a st and sl st to the first sl st.
Rnd 3. in the ch 4 space: sl st, work a popcorn st with a ch 4 and 3 tr, ch 4, popcorn st. Ch 3. In the next ch 4 space: 4 tr. Ch 3. In the next ch 4 space: 1 popcorn st, ch 4, 1 popcorn st. Ch 3. 4 tr in the next ch 4 space, ch 3. Continue until end of round and finish with sl st to the top of the 1st popcorn st.
Rnd 4. 3 sl st to the middle of the ch 4. Ch 7, 1 tr, 3 dc in the ch 4 space. [Sc to the ch 3 space, ch 4, sc to the middle of the 4 tr, ch 4, sc to the ch 3 space. In the ch 4 space, 3 dc, 1 tr, ch 4, 1 tr, 3 dc] x 3. Sc to the ch 3 space, ch 4, sc to the middle of the 4 tr, ch 4, sc to the ch 3 space. In the first ch 4 space, 3 dc, sl st to 4th ch.
How to make a triangle version
To create a clean straight edge along the bottom hem, I made triangles. Essentially they are half-squares that slot into the gaps left by the diagonal placement of the squares.
One thing worth mentioning about the triangles: at a certain point in the triangle construction I work from the back of the piece rather than the front. This is because the nature of the triangle shape means you end up working right to left and then turning the work, which causes the back of the stitches to show on the front. To avoid this, I simply crochet from the back at that point so the right side of the stitches faces forward. If this sounds fiddly, you can absolutely skip that step and just work normally, the stitches will look slightly different on that section, but it will not affect the structure of the triangle at all.
Layout and construction
The top is made up of 52 granny squares and 8 triangles in total. The squares sit diagonally, like diamonds, which means the points of the squares naturally create the neckline shape at the top, but also requires that you make triangles to get a straight edge at the bottom.
Rather than making all the squares first and sewing them together at the end, I joined as I went along, each new square is joined to its neighbour during the final round. I made the front panel first, then the back panel, and then joined the two together along the sides, but you can join any way you want (top to bottom for example) as long as the final layout ends up correct.
Here is how I constructed mine:
Straps and edging
There is no video for this part, but I will explain it as clearly as I can.
I started by joining yarn in the armhole, the point where the front and back panels meet at the side.
From there I worked a row of double crochets, single crochets and picot stitches up along the edge to the tip of the top granny square. I then chained 50 to begin the first strap and then worked down from the tip of the top granny square on the opposite side and finish in the middle where the front and back panels meet again. Specifically, I worked these stitches:
After joining yarn, ch 3. 2 dc in the ch 4 corner space, sc between the 1st and 2nd dc in the corner. Work a 3 ch picot stitch, then 4 dc in the ch 4 space. Work another picot stitch and then 4 dc in the 4 ch space. Sc between the 2nd and 3rd dc in the corner and then work a picot stitch. Work 3 dc in the ch 4 corner space followed by a picot stitch.
For the neckline edging, I joined yarn in the centre back and worked the same combination of double crochets, single crochets and picots to the top, then single crochets along the first strap, then single crochets, double crochets, and picots all the way along the front neckline, single crochets along the second strap, and finally single crochets, double crochets, and picots back to the centre back in one continuous line.
As a last detail, I went back to the base of each strap and added an extra row along the outside edge: 5 single crochets followed by a picot, repeated all the way up. This thickens the straps slightly and adds the same picot detail as the rest of the edging so everything ties together.
Have a go
I hope this gives you a clear enough picture to try your own version. You do not have to follow my layout exactly. Use fewer squares for a cropped look, more for a longer top, or a different square size altogether. That is the beauty of this kind of construction!
If you give it a try, I would love to hear about it. Leave a comment below with any questions or to share your finished top.
Are you new here? My name is Fanny Zedenius and I run a fiber art business in Sweden called Createaholic. You can find my best selling book about macramé for beginners here as well as my two newer books, and you can check me out on Instagram here. On this website I sell all the supplies you need to get started on your fiber art journey - be it macramé, weaving, crocheting or something else! I also occasionally post new blog posts where I share some of the creative projects I work on.
I hope you'll like your stay here in my corner of the Internet!
Love, Fanny