I first encountered spiraling stitch patterns as the centers of traditional thread crochet doilies. It’s fascinating to me how the swirls begin from a center point, then expand outwards in ever widening arms that wrap dizzily around. Spirals appeal to me so much that I have incorporated them in quite a number of my garment designs.

One in particular, Sophisticated Swirls, published in Crochet! Magazine, July 2006, and now out of print, has continued to draw interest from crocheters. The rights to that design, the written pattern and finished samples do not belong to me. What I do here is revisit the concept of the spiral stitch top. Finally, in self-published download land I can now say all that I ever wanted to say before but couldn’t, with fresh samples in some of my favorite yarns, detailed and revised instructions, tips for yarn substitutions, interior shaping and getting your perfect fit, awesome stitch diagrams and expanded sizing that now covers the range from XS through 4X with 12 sizes.

The top itself is quite simple, totally seamless and doable by anyone with solid basic crochet skills. Of all my top-down garment designs, this is the one toward which I would steer wearable crochet newbies because it is less complicated than my usual MO, with a forgiving fit that is easily altered and allows for fixes after the fact. For the experienced crocheter, DJC: Spirals offers a quick to crochet, fun way to use different yarns or experiment with body shaping and style variations.

For extra help, please visit the group and forum dedicated to Doris Chan designs, http://www.ravelry.com/groups/doris-chan-crochet