morse code secret colorwork ♡
you can download this pattern as an ad-free PDF: https://www.autumnolive.com/shop-patterns/p/morse-code-colorwork
morse code is made up of dots and dashes to represent each letter of the alphabet to spell out words or sentences — I put lyrics into an online morse code translator and used 1 stitch per dot and 3 stitches per dash, with 1 stitch between each symbol and 3 stitches between each “letter”
I put each word on a new row, a few apart and all odd rows in order to keep it uniform but you could also do more stitches between each word to represent the spaces instead— each phrase on mine happened to be 11 words so I was able to fit them perfectly into the number of rows I was working with
1 graph square = 1 HDC
(front) “its getting hot in here so take off all your clothes”
(back) “I am getting so hot I wanna take my clothes off”
I’ve put mine on a half double crochet t-shirt style top which can be done by making my oversized pullover or oversized cardigan patterns without the sleeves and ribbing
this style t-shirt results in a boxy drop shoulder garment which has a lovely drape when worked in a lighter worsted or lightweight yarn; you can expect to use about 1/2 the yarn called for in the patterns if using a DK/lightweight yarn (about 300g-500g)
I’ve included my example morse code graphics for use with this idea, but my sweater patterns also include blank panel graphs for each size to design your own graphics via stitchfiddle
you could use this idea with any half double or single crochet project!
T-SHIRT INSTRUCTIONS
scissors, yarn needle, tape measure
leave a 12” starting tail & begin with your size in the pattern or simply work a chain that reaches across your armspan at each point where you want the sleeves to end (somewhere between each shoulder & elbow)
work into your chain as row 1 on the front panel — half double crochet across, chain 1 & turn; if you are following the oversized sweater patterns, this means you now have the stitch count of row 1 without having done the ribbing or increases
continue working back and forth in HDC all the way up the front panel as desired, or as indicated for the specific row counts in the pattern; my panel is a simple rectangle with 80 stitches across & 45 rows in total
fasten off with a 12” tail; work the back panel the same way with identical dimensions
line up the two panels (I like to just line them up with wrong sides together & seam along the outside but you can do the opposite if you wish)
use the finishing tail at each top corner to whipstitch from the shoulder to the neck opening —about 1/3 of the width each; I seamed 27 stitches on each side and have 26 stitches untouched in the middle of each panel for my total width of 80 stitches across
seam up each side to your desired arm opening; I seamed up 25 rows on each side
I made this fun “salmon salmon sea-shirt” with my go fish! cardigans pattern —- includes 25 sea creatures to choose from!
