NEEDLE WORK: CROCHET BIKINI WEAR

Hello everyone, It took me a while to get started on this project. As I have been preparing for my professional exams, I am done with them now. So I think I will have more time on my hands.

Thanks to @ocd and @needleworkcommunity for this topic. I especially love the idea of relating art to your character.

For my project, I decided to make a bikini - majorly because I have never been comfortable with the idea of it but I have decided to leave my comfort zone and try something new.

I went with the colors; Red, white and yellow.
Red because I am a fiesty person. I am also bold and confident so I feel like this color speaks to me.

Yellow because it is a happy color full of joy and positivity and that is what I am all about.

White because amongst others it symbolises simplicity. I love the simple things of life.

The steps are quite easy. I will group them into 3 parts.
Terms
Rw - Row
Ch - chain
DC - double crochet
Hdc - half double crochet
SC - single crochet
Ss - slip stitch

Materials
Any medium weight yarn (I used 100% acrylic yarn)
Size 3.5mm hook - for the bikini and 2.3 mm hook - for the flower motifs

PART 1 - THE BRA CUPS.
To start, I took the measurement from the nipple to under the breast. Mine is 3 inches. I made a Ch of 14 to give me 3 inches (yours could vary depending on the yarn, tension, and size)

Rw 1: I start working a DC on every stitch till I got to the last one
In the last chain make 3 DC Ch 2 3 DC in the same chain then work regular DC on the other side.
This should give regular DC on the side with the top having a Ch 2 space
At the end of this row, since I started with a Ch 14, I should have 16 DC on each side. Making it a total of 32 DC

Rw 2: turn the project and go back on it with regular DC, when you get to the previous Ch 2 space. Make 2 DC Ch 2 2 DC. Then proceed down with regular DC. Be careful not to miss a stitch (you could count to make it easier).
Repeat Rw 2 till you get the desired coverage for you. I did a total of 8 rows.
Make 2 identical bra cups and add your straps.

PART 2: THE BIKINI BOTTOM
For this part, I started with the crotch area. Which is usually 2 inches.
Step 1: I made a chain of 12 and worked a DC in every chain. I repeat this from Rw 1- Rw 8 which was 3 inches.

Step 2: To continue on the project I started increasing the stitches on both sides. To do this I made 2 DC in the first and last stitch.
To make the design there. I made a Ch 3 skip 3 spaces and do a SC in the next stitch, repeat till the end of the row. I did this on Rw 20 and 22
This is what it should look like

I wanted the bottom to be 9 inches, so I did a total of 22 rows (including the first 8 rows). The stitches may vary depending on how high-waisted you like it.

Step 3: I reattached the yarn at the beginning (the crotch area). To start on the back panel of the bikini bottom. I started increasing the Stitches immediately unlike the front panel. I also did a total of 22 rows.

PART 3 - THE FLOWER MOTIFS
Step 1 - make a magic circle.
Step 2 - 10 SC in the magic circle. Close it up with a ST
Step 3 - in the first stitch make 1 Hdc and 1 DC, the next stitch 1 DC 1 Hdc chain 1, and ST into the next stitch. In the same stitch make 1 Hdc and 1 DC, the next stitch 1 DC 1 Hdc chain 1, and ST. Repeat this process till the end. Then close it up.

Here's a short clip of me attaching the motifs to the bikini.

This is the final look, I hope you like it.
Thanks for stopping by ❤️

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