Amarena, the cardigan crocheted with the granny square technique.

There are those mornings when time seems to slip through your fingers. You rush out of the house, keys in one hand, bag in the other, and then — just past the doorway — you realize something is missing. A cardigan, a blazer, that detail that feels like both protection and style. I’m one of those who always regrets it too late.

So I decided: this time I wouldn’t be caught unprepared. I grabbed my crochet hook, yarns, and a pinch of imagination, and set to work to make a colorful, vibrant, and absolutely unique cardigan.

The starting point? Cream, the ultimate neutral that goes with everything. Then I let color in: Barnes Candy yarn, with its shades of pink, fuchsia, lilac, and purple, to which I added a touch of Barry pink. To give movement and texture, I embraced the gradient with Aretha Slim white, fluffy, and bright, and finally, the most desired detail of the season couldn’t be left out: Moby burgundy, because yes, we’re all a little obsessed with this deep bordeaux that perfectly completes the autumn wardrobe.

Steps to make the Amarena cardigan (granny square).

I made 23 granny squares: simple but powerful when combined into a fashion piece that speaks of craftsmanship and trend.

NEEDED:

• 1 BARRY CREAM
• 4 BARNES CANDY
• 1 BARRY PINK
• 1 ARETHA SLIM WHITE
• 8 MOBY BURGUNDY

• barry barnes barry
• aretha moby

INSTRUCTIONS:

With Barry cream yarn.

Start a magic ring, 2 chains, and then 2 double crochets.

2 chains, 3 double crochets, 2 chains, 3 double crochets, 2 chains, 3 double crochets.

Close with 1 slip stitch.

With Barnes Candy yarn

Add the gradient yarn while closing with the slip stitch.

Work 2 chains, 2 double crochets, then 2 separating chains.

In the corners: 3 double crochets, 2 chains, 3 double crochets.

Close with slip stitch.

With Barry pink yarn

Color change: 2 chains and 2 double crochets.

3 double crochets in the already worked spaces.

In the corners: 3 double crochets, 2 chains, 3 double crochets.

Always close with slip stitch.

With Barnes Candy and Aretha Slim white

Note: Aretha Slim must be worked double. I cut 20 m of yarn and used it this way, making 2 complete squares.

Always proceed with double crochets alternated with 2 chains in the corners.

With Moby burgundy

Two full rounds for each square.

Finally, one round of double crochet edging to unify the whole project.

Assembly

Once the 23 squares were finished, I started sewing them together with 1 half double crochet, following a pattern (attached in the photo) as a guide for layout and seams.

Sleeves

Once the squares were sewn, I worked the sleeve part with 1 round of double crochet and 1 round of single crochet.

I closed the part forming the sleeve with 1 slip stitch up to the corner under the armpit.

Here I repeated the same process (double crochet then single crochet) and closed working only in the two outer loops with slip stitch.

Edge

I divided the neck/nape part in half and started with 2 chains.

Throughout the square I worked double crochet, then switched to half double crochet on the front (chest).

At the end of the square, I made 52 chains: on the way back, I worked half double crochet until rejoining.

I repeated the same on the other side, creating two bow loops.

I continued in half double crochet to the back edge.

Finishing

With yarn needle and scissors in hand: I tidied up the threads left from the seams and, as if by magic, the cardigan was ready.

• needle scissors

The beauty of crochet is that it’s never just technique: it’s time we give ourselves, it’s the chance to turn an everyday need (that “maybe I needed a cardigan”) into a creative act.

This cardigan was born like this: from a morning rush and a sudden lack, it turned into a garment that tells colors, textures, and a little obsession with burgundy. A cardigan that is not just a garment to wear, but a piece of life stitched together with 23 granny squares.

And perhaps this is precisely the meaning of handmade: carrying a story with you, stitch after stitch.

Rosaria Tessiland®