Working With Love Aubrey By Suzanne Lafleur
The Love Aubrey By Suzanne Lafleur crochet pattern is a cardigan design that works up quickly compared to many other lace or motif-based garments. It uses a combination of chain spaces and double crochet stitches to create an openwork fabric that drapes well. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, usually between 400 and 600 yards depending on the size you are making, and an 8mm hook is what Suzanne recommends as standard. I first made this cardigan for someone who wanted something lightweight for transitional weather. The gauge is critical on this one. Suzanne specifies roughly 14 to 16 double crochets across 4 inches in her stitch pattern. If your tension runs loose, which most of us do when the pattern looks straightforward, the finished garment will end up larger than intended and the drape changes completely. I had to rip out the first version because my stitch count was about 20 percent too low per row, which threw off the entire stitch repeat across the body panels.
Materials and Preparation
Yarn choice matters more than the label says. Cotton or cotton-blend worsted weight yarn gives the most accurate drape for this pattern. Acrylic worsted will work, but the fabric tends to hold its shape a bit more and doesn't hang as fluidly against the body. I've found that a soft merino blend in worsted weight sits somewhere in between and often produces the nicest result if you want warmth without bulk. Before you start, make a gauge swatch that is at least 6 by 6 inches worked in the actual pattern stitch, not just single crochet. Block it the way you plan to block the finished piece. This step takes about 20 minutes and usually prevents one major fitting issue later on.
Construction Overview
The cardigan is worked in two main panels for the front and back, then joined at the shoulders and sides. The sleeves are worked separately and set in. The neckline and edges are finished with a decorative border that follows the openwork motif of the body. Here is the practical breakdown of the construction sequence. Start with the back panel. You work from the bottom up in rows until the piece reaches the underarm depth specified for your size. At that point, you divide for the armholes and work each shoulder section separately. The front panels follow the same approach, though each front is worked as an individual piece rather than a continuous panel across the chest. This means you will have a center front opening with no closure hardware, which is intentional to the design. The sleeve caps require a bit of attention. You shape the cap by working short rows or by decreasing at the beginning and end of certain rounds, depending on the version of the pattern you are following. Suzanne's instructions are clear about this, but beginners often miss that the sleeve cap height needs to match the armhole depth on the body. If they do not align, you will struggle to set the sleeve in smoothly.
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Common Issues and Workarounds
One thing that catches people out is the stitch repeat. The openwork sections rely on a multiple of stitches plus a small number for the edge. If your initial chain is not the right length, the border will not line up at the end, and you will be left with a partial motif that looks unfinished. I ran into this on a medium-sized version where I had miscounted the dividing stitches between the back panel sections. The fix was to frog back to the underarm division, re-chain the correct number, and continue from there. It added maybe 30 minutes to the project but saved hours of unpicking later. Another practical problem is the sleeve setting. When you seam the sleeve into the armhole, the openwork fabric can stretch unevenly along the seam line. I found that pinning the sleeve cap to the armhole before joining, matching the stitch peaks to the seam points, keeps everything even. Use a stretchy stitch or a slightly smaller hook for the joining seam only. This reduces bulk at the underarm without affecting the drape of the body. The border around the neck and front edges is where some people lose patience. It is worked in rounds and involves a series of chain spaces that create the lace effect. Go slowly through this section. The pattern repeats are simple, but the tension needs to stay consistent so the border lays flat instead of curling or ruffling. If you notice curling, your hook may be too small for the border section, or you are pulling the yarn too tightly through the chain spaces.
Blocking and Finishing
Blocking is not optional for this pattern. The openwork fabric needs to be wet-blocked or steam-blocked to open up the lace stitches and let the drape settle into what the designer intended. Lay the finished panels flat, pin them to the dimensions in the pattern instructions, and allow them to dry completely. This usually takes 12 to 24 hours depending on your climate and the yarn fiber content. Once blocked, seaming is straightforward. Use a mattress stitch or a three-needle bind-off for the shoulders, and a slip stitch or whip stitch for the side seams and sleeve seams. Weave in all ends before the final blocking if you have not already done so. I usually leave the most difficult ends to weave in after blocking because the fabric opens up and makes those tails easier to hide.
Size Modifications
If you need a different size than what the pattern provides, the easiest modification is to adjust the stitch multiple at the beginning. Add or subtract multiples of the repeat without changing the overall construction method. Be aware that altering the width also changes the drape and the amount of coverage the openwork provides. A wider version will have more gap between the lace motifs, and a narrower version will look denser but may not have the same flowy feel. The Love Aubrey By Suzanne Lafleur pattern works best when you respect the gauge and block properly. It is not a pattern that forgives tension mistakes easily, but once those basics are in place, it is one of the more satisfying crochet garments to make because the construction is logical and the finished piece has real presence.
