Cat Mad Crochet

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Deep Space Nine continues to be rich in crochet, but still only for the Bajorans. Every time I think I see something crocheted on someone else, it turns out not to be. I find myself quite fascinated by the use of crocheted garments as a cultural marker. It’s really well done. Really well done indeed. 

In season two, episode five, entitled Cardassians, we get a really cool crocheted, tunic-style cardigan worn by a Cardassian boy raised by Bajoran parents. This seems to be the standard shape for Bajoran crocheted sweaters. A sweater just like this appears several times in later episodes on different people, so I’m pretty sure that crochet gets reused as the series goes on, but here we see it for the first time, which is good because the wearer is actually a main character, and we can get a good view of his sweater!

This is the first view.

A little close up.

Even closer.

This cardigan uses an open lace stitch pattern worked, in my opinion, in a very moist, ugly yellow-green color. Ew. At least the stitch work is impressive. If you want to recreate it, you will need to find a stitch pattern with rows of chains that frame the main motif, which ideally allows for at least increases and decreases along the edge. A lot of the Bajoran tunics seem to be pretty straight through the body without a lot of shaping. For this sweater, perhaps something worked flat made up into a T shape with a little arm shaping along the edges would do the trick. If one were to recreate it, the sweater could be fitted to the wearer more, but then we don’t have limitations in which garments need to be reused for multiple wearers. 

As for stitch patterns, I might use Berry Lace from Crochet Stitches Visual Encyclopedia. I’m not quite sure how I would run the increase or decrease on this one, so this stitch pattern might be best suited for a sweater with a drop shoulder sleeve or a t-shaped garment with no shaping. 

Or I might use Lattice with Little Bells from The New Crochet Stitch Dictionary. I’ve worked out the interior and edge increases and decreases on this one, so it would be easy to work a raglan increase and make a nicely shaped cardigan with this stitch pattern. (I’m working on a wrap with this stitch pattern right now. I plan to write up my notes for it and will include all the increases and decreases when I do. Stay tuned!)

Crochet skipped a couple of episodes, but it’s back in season two, episode eight, entitled Necessary Evil. There’s only one piece, and it wasn’t overly easy to capture a picture of it, but I got a few. Major Kyra appears in some flashbacks to when she first arrived at the station when it was under Cardassian occupation. She wears a crocheted vest in a mushroom sort of color.

This is the first view. You can see the scalloped edges.

Here you can see the v-shaped neckline and the scallops going the whole way around the edge.

Here you have a closer view of the overall stitch pattern and the shells that make up the scalloped edge. You can see the little double crochets lined up in happily crocheted rows. 

So I think the body of this is made up of either double or triple crochets. The stitches are fairly tall, and they are doing that stringy thing I hate about tall stitches. If I was recreating this, I would use a linked double or triple crochet or a sort of double crochet together stitch like I used in the Copacetic Boyfriend Sweater. Either stitch pattern, linked doubles or double crochet togethers, would allow me lots of room to tailor this sweater to exactly how I want it to look, v-neck, arm holes, and all. A simple shell along the edge would complete the sweater. 

Two more episodes down, many more to go. I’m several seasons beyond these two in my watching and the crochet is getting sparser because we see far fewer Bajoran people trotting around in traditional dress. When we do see them, they are often rewearing crochet from earlier episodes. I will keep watching and documenting. More to come!