Pattern Review: The Home Girl Sweater

I recently completed a (slightly modified) version of the Home Girl Sweater by Megan Shaimes of Megmade With Love, and I just want to gush about my undying love for it for a little bit, okay?

I always love Megan’s sweater designs. I’ve made a few now, and I just love her aesthetic. When she released this one back in the fall I was like “well, that’s it, you’ve done it, Meg. You made the sweater of my soul.” Oversized fit, just a little shapeless and boxy but not too shapeless, drop shoulders, loose but not too loose/low (by my own standard) neckline that I won’t have to mess with all day, long torso booty coverage… need I continue? JUST PERFECT.

I made a few tweaks to the pattern, but I’ll walk you through what I did and you can decide if this is the “sweater of your soul” too! Then you can find the pattern for this sweater FREE on Megan’s blog, as well as in her Etsy shop!

I made the size medium, using the same brand yarn Megan used in the pattern, but my gauge was intentionally tighter as I wanted to alter the fit of the sweater a little. I used Hobby Lobby Soft and Sleek DK in my favorite shade of gross green Dijon. The pattern calls for a H/5mm hook, but I used a G/4.25 mm and definitely achieved a tighter gauge. I really love the fit of the original garment, and I definitely want to make a looser, off the shoulder fit one for spring, but I like the slightly more fitted, tighter fabric I achieved. It’s perfect for winter into spring!

Final measurements comparison:

In the pattern: Bust: 40” Length: 24” front, 26” back

MINE: Bust: 37ish”, Length: 22″ front, 24″ back (typically I’m around a 34/36″ bust)

It has such an incredibly creative stitch motif in it, it almost looks knit! I’m obsessed! The lightweight drape of the yarn (even though it’s labeled as DK, pretty much everyone in the world except Hobby Lobby agrees it’s more of a sport weight or heavy fingering) combined with the stitch pattern is beautiful! The overall construction of the garment is pretty nifty too. It takes a lot to rope me into a garment with seaming – and this is ALLLLL the seaming. Like, everything. It’s really the only “downside” to the pattern. But it’s totally worth it! The structure you end up creating is really excellent (also, not to brag, but for once I actually seamed something in an attractive, well-lined up manner!).

I do have to say, other than all the seaming, my one “complaint” was the fact that the stitches run parallel with your body on the main body of the sweater, but perpendicular on the sleeves, if that makes sense? Due to the nature of the construction of the garment, I understand why Megan chose to do it this way though! Initially, I thought it was really going to bother me in the finished piece not having those lines all match up, but I actually really ended up liking the end result.

The stitch counts for the body I kept the same, but I ended up having to increase the sleeve width by some rows to make up for the fact my gauge was tighter (I ended up with 72 stitches at the end of my sleeves).

Obviously instead of the called for crochet ribbing I decided to add a little knitted twist. Using a 3.5mm needle I picked up 93 stitches along each of the bottom edges and knit in 3 by 2 twisted ribbing until I liked the length. Honestly, I stopped counting rows at this point! I did make the back slightly longer than the front though! The sleeves I worked in the same 3×2 twisted rib, but I used a 3.25mm and I only picked up 45 stitches there. I love, love, love the end result of the knit ribbing combined with the crocheted faux-knit texture. If and when I do make another larger fitting one, I probably will do the called for crochet ribbing. However, instead of making the ribbings and seaming them on, I probably would rib in such a way as to attach the ribbing onto the edges as I went.

I did lightly wet block mine when I was finished, but due to the nature of the acrylic yarn it didn’t alter the shape very much. Overall, I love the final fit. It’s just the perfect bit of positive ease, and the neckline is just to my liking! (*note: that the tank I am wearing is super long, tunic length- long torso problems! There is nothing cropped about it!)

I hope this love letter to Home Girl has encouraged you to make one yourself! I will definitely be enjoying this sweater for a long while! I’ll update you on whether or not I make a truer-to-pattern one in the Spring or not! Megan, by any chance if you read this, thanks for making the most “me” sweaters out there!

Wanna hear me talk about my adoration for this sweater some more? Right around 25 minutes in Episode 4 of the Podcast I gush about it lots more!