Bike Chain Car Coat Pattern

 

This coat is worked from side-to-side beginning with the left center front.  The shoulder seams are crocheted together, the collar and bottom bands are worked and then the sleeves are seamed and set in last. Although the stitch pattern and basic construction for this coat is easy, the blocking  and addition of a zipper makes it more difficult so I am assigning it an “intermediate” level of difficulty.

Size: 50″ at Bust and Hips

Materials: 17 sk Naturally Caron Country 185 yds, color 0017 Claret,  Crochet hooks sizes B and G, 25″ zipper (or length of your choice to conform to length of  center  front ),  (2) 17/16″ buttons, stitch markers, yarn needle, sewing needle, matching thread, stainless steel straight pins.

Gauge:  18 sts equal 4″ in bike chain pattern, 16 rows = 4″ in bike chain pattern

Stitches used: chain (ch), slip stitch (sl st), single crochet (sc), single crochet 2 tog (sc2tog), front post single crochet (fpsc), double crochet (dc)  

Bike Chain Pattern: 

Row 1:  Dc into ea st across, ch 1, turn.

Row 2:  Sc into top of 1st dc. *Sc around post of next dc (fpsc), sc into top of next dc*. Repeat from * to * to end, placing last sc into top of tc from previous row. Ch2, turn. Ch2  counts as a dc here and throughout the pattern.

These 2 rows make up the bike chain pattern henceforth called a “pair”.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Left front

With G hook, ch 94 ( not loosely).

Sc into the top 2 loops of 2nd ch from hook and ea ch across. (93 sc) Ch 2, turn.

Work bike chain pattern. Mark 1st dc row as right side of fabric. Work a total of 5 pairs.  You will have a sc row as your last row.  Fasten stitch with a stitch marker.

Increase for Shoulder

With another ball of yarn, attach yarn with a sl st at 1st sc of last row ( opposite end from your stitch marker). Ch 15. Fasten off.

Next row: Go back to the stitch marker and insert your hook into the last stitch you worked and continue in the bike chain pattern by working your next dc row. Dc into ea sc and into the top 2 loops of ea ch to end of row (increase made–107 sts total)

Continue to work the bike chain pattern until the front piece measures about 11″ wide or 21 pairs total rows.  Make sure you end with a sc row. Fasten off.

Decrease for Armhole

Turn. Sk 44 sts. Join yarn with a sl st at 45th st.  Dc into same place as joining.  Work a dc row. (63 sts)  Continue in bike chain pattern until piece measure 2″ from beginning of armhole ( your 1st dec. row).  End with a sc row. Do not fasten off, secure your last st with a st marker.

Increase for Back

With another ball of yarn, attach yarn with a sl st in first st of row just worked (opposite end from your st marker). Ch 45. Fasten off.  You will have 44 chs.

Go back to your secured st and work a dc row across all sts and all chs (107 sts).  Continue to work in bike chain pattern until the back measures 22″  between the back edges of the armholes or you have completed 42 pairs. Work one more dc row.

Decrease for Armhole

Continue to work in bike chain pattern, working the next sc row over 63 sts. Ch 2, turn. When armhole is the same width as left front, end with a sc row and secure your last stitch.

Increase for Shoulder

Attach another ball of yarn at  the 1st  st of the sc row just finished (opposite end from your secured st). Ch 45. Fasten off. You should have 44 chs.  Go back to your secured st and work a dc row across all sts and all chs. (107 sts).  Work in bike ch pattern until you have a total of 16 pairs. Work one more row of dc. Fasten off.

Shape Neck

 Turn. Sk 14 sts. Attach yarn at 15th st.  Work bike chain pattern until center front section measures the same as for left front.  Fasten off. Weave in all ends.

Sleeves (make 2)

With hook G, ch 54 ( not loosely) Sc top 2 loops of ea ch across. Ch 2, turn. (53 sts)

Work a sc row in bike chain pattern.

Work a dc row in bike chain pattern.

Work a sc row in bike chain pattern.

Inc. Row:  2 sc into top if 1st dc. Fpsc around post of next dc.  Work in pattern to last 2 dc.  Fpsc around post of next dc. 2 sc into top of last dc. ch2, turn.

Continue to work in bike chain pattern working an inc. row ever 4th row ( every other sc row).  I like to mark my inc. rows with a st marker so that I can see where my last increase was made.  Work 33 pairs or until sleeve is the length you desire.  End with a sc row.  Note: If you like your sleeves longer and want to work more rows, do not work any more increases.  Fasten off and weave in all ends.

Blocking

It is now time to block your work.  The blocking process is necessary because this pattern causes the fabric to skew to one side.  Please refer to this post  for more detail about how to block your coat.  DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!

Once your coat has been blocked you can join the shoulders.  Place the body of your coat on a table, right sides together.  I like to take some scrap yarn and separate it into 2-ply strands.  I knot the ends together and wind it into a ball.  Now I will use this thread to crochet the shoulder seams together.  You will note from the photo that I have used little girls’  hair clips to keep the pattern pieces from shifting.  Attach your yarn at the end of one shoulder and with hook B, sc across shoulders making sure that you catch both pieces with your hook,  that your rows match and that your work lies flat.  Do the same with the other shoulder.  Weave in all ends.  You can also sew your shoulder seams together if you wish.

Bottom Band

1)   Attach yarn with a sl st on wrong side at bottom right front corner. With hook G, Sc in same place as joining. Sc across bottom of coat placing 1 sc into the end of ea sc row and 1 sc into the end of ea dc row. Work about 186 sts making sure that you end up with an even number. Do not fasten off. Ch 8, turn.

2)   Dc in 3rd ch from hook and into top 2 loops of ea ch and into ea st across (193 sts).  Make sure you have an odd number of stitches.  Ch 1, turn.

3)   Work a sc row of the bike chain pattern to last dc. 2 sc into last dc. Ch 2, turn.

 4)   2 Dc in next sc, dc in next 2 sc, ch 3, sk 3 sc, dc to end of row.

5)   Work  a sc row to  ch 3 sp, 3 sc into ch 3 sp, to last 2 sts. Sc2tog over last 2 dc.

6)   Work 2 more rows of the bike chain pattern ending with a sc row. Do not fasten off. Sc 10 sts around end of tab. Join with a sl st in corner where tab meets body of coat.  Fasten off.

Collar

1)   With G, ch 7. Join chain with a sl st to corner st on wrong side of  left front neck edge. Sc in same st as joining. Sc around neckline placing 1 st in the end of ea sc row and 1 st in the end of ea dc row. Sc 2tog at corners. Ch2, turn. (7 chs plus 68 sc)

2)   Work dc row of bike chain pattern across 68 sts and 7 chs. (75 dc) Ch 1, turn.

3)   2 sc in 1st  dc, fpsc around post of next dc, sc in next dc.  Continue in pattern to end of row. Ch2, turn.

4)   Dc across row to last 6 sc. Ch 3, sk 3 sc, dc in ea of next 2 sc, 2 dc in last sc. Ch 1, turn.

5)   Sc 2 tog over 1st two dc. Fpsc over next dc.  Continue in pattern to finish the row.

6)   Work a dc row. Fasten off.

7)   Turn. Attach yarn with a sl st on wrong side at bottom corner of buttonhole tab where the tab meets the body of the coat.  Sc in same place as joining.  Work 11 sc around tab to last row worked. Sc in top of 1st dc, fpsc around next dc, continue in bike chain pattern to end of row.  Fasten off.

Zipper and Joining Sleeves

With zipper closed, place bottom plastic end of zipper under center front edges having front edges meeting in center of zipper.  Make sure that plastic selvage at bottom is not visible  from the right side.  Pin in place.  Open zipper and hand-sew to coat with matching thread.  Turn upper edge of zipper under and stitch in place. 

With right sides together, center underarm sleeve seam in bottom of armhole.  Clip or pin in place.  Continue around sleeve, clipping it to the armhole  and making sure that it is lying flat.  Crochet through both thicknesses using the size B hook or sew sleeve seam being careful not to make seam too tight.  Repeat with the other sleeve.

Finishing

Sew buttons in place on front band and collar under buttonholes.

Note:  I  promised to include a diagram but am having trouble with my drawing program. Below is a small graphic of the body of the coat.  If you click on the drawing, you will be able to see the dimensions.

Copyright: Carol Wolf November 2010

 

Assembly

Now that all the pattern pieces have been blocked, I was able to join the shoulder seams.  I like to separate my yarn into 2-ply strands and use a small crochet hook to crochet the seams on the inside of the coat.  You can see that I keep the pieces from slipping by securing them with little girls’ hair clips.

Once the shoulder seams were complete, I joined the underarm seams of the sleeves in the same manner.

Instead of setting in the sleeves at this time, I chose to work my collar and bottom bands first.  Turning a coat is difficult enough without the sleeves flopping around!  Then I pinned my zipper in place.

Sewing the zipper can be a little tricky.  It must be hand-sewn from the wrong side and it is always a problem to keep the stitches straight and the front opening from shifting.

I have finished typing up the pattern but it must be proofread  thoroughly for mistakes.  Once I have completed the entire coat, I will take pictures and post the free Bike Chain Car Coat pattern on my blog.  Look for the pattern the first or second week of November.

 

Hitting A Snag

I’m still working on the Bike Chain Car Coat and have hit a bit of a snag.  As I finished the body of the coat and began on the sleeves, it became obvious that I will probably not have enough yarn to make the collar and bottom band.  I had 18 skeins of Naturally Caron Country  and have already used 12 for the body of the coat.  My rules of thumb is that one side front equals one sleeve and I’m just barely there.

To give you some idea of what I had planned, I made a very amateur drawing of my design.  I ordered a 25″ red separating zipper for the center front and thought that I would put two tabs with buttons–one at the collar and one at the bottom band.  I found some nice buttons at JoAnns.

Now it appears as if I have two choices.  I can either turn the whole project into a sleeveless jacket or choose another way to make the collar and bottom band.  I’ve decided to try something I have always wanted to do–marry crochet fabric with woven fabric.  I think I’ll look for fabric that matches the color of my yarn and use this to make the collar and bottom band.  I have some beautiful red sateen on hand that matches exactly but I think that it is too dressy for this application.  Perhaps some micro-suede or corduroy? 

I’m still working on the sleeves and this whole project is taking a while because of my sore wrist and the small hook that I am using but I promise that I will produce a free pattern for this once I am finished.  I will give directions for the crocheted collar and bottom band as well as for the sewn version.  Stay tuned…

 

Bike Chain Car Coat in Progress

Here is a portion of the car coat that I started before I made the Bike Chain Hat and Scarf  for Paul.  This pattern is taking a while to complete.  The nature of the bike chain stitch is such that every other row is single crochet.  Since I am working side-to-side, each row is very long and I am using a fairly small hook (G).

In this pattern, the sleeves will be worked separately from the bottom up starting with a ribbed cuff.  I intend to use a zipper closure, something I have never done before on any of my designs.  I also plan to include a stand-up collar as well as a band across the bottom.  At this point, I’m not really sure how those two things will work out but I’ve been experimenting a little with my original swatch to see what type of stitch will go well with the bike chain stitch.

Working this way results in a bulky fabric.  Despite the fact that I am using Naturally Caron Country, which is a light worsted weight yarn, the front post single crochet stitches are creating a ribbed effect which is perfect for a coat.  It should hold its shape well and will be toasty warm in the winter.

Progress is slow because I am having a problem with my wrist again.  I try to work at least three double-rows each day so that I can eventually see an end to this project, have a nice new winter coat, and offer another free pattern on my blog.

In the above photo, you will note that I have left a rectangular area open for the sleeve.  Unlike most designs, this coat will have sleeves that will be set in after the shoulder seams have been sewn together.

Above you can see a close-up of  what I call the Bike Chain Stitch.

 

October Coat

This Fisherman’s Wool was on sale at JoAnn’s after Christmas.  They only had 4 skeins left but there are about 460 yards on each skein.  The October Coat by Oat Couture required 2085 yards in my size.  What to do…After inspecting the pattern closely I decided on the following changes:

1.  Shorten the coat to 24″

2.  Make the garment straight instead of A-Line

3.  Reduce the number of bobble rows used as trim

4.  Add buttons and buttonholes down the entire front

5.  Extend the collar around to the front bands and change the collar pattern to the ribbed stitch

The popcorn trim on the bottom of the coat was not only tedious to work, it also used huge quantities of yarn.  Each stitch took three double crochet stitches.  I also discovered that popcorn rows are much wider than an ordinary row even though you are using the same hook size.  This is because you are placing three stitches in every one!  Therefore, after much experimentation and a lot of unraveling, I settled on working the body of the coat with the next larger hook size.  The coat, which is now a sweater, is partly finished and waiting for the sleeves.