Alright, yarn lovers. This is your sign to dig into that stash and pull out those skeins you have been saving for something special. Maybe it is that mustard yellow you grabbed on sale, or the sage green that caught your eye last spring. This colorblock mesh cropped hoodie is the project that brings them all together.
The construction is genuinely interesting. You will work flat panels in a simple mesh stitch that creates this beautiful airy texture with a subtle dot pattern. Then you seam everything together and add a cozy hood with a drawstring. It looks way more complicated than it actually is.
Fair warning though. This is an intermediate project. You will need to be comfortable with flat garment construction, seaming pieces together, and working a set-in sleeve cap. But if you have made a basic sweater before, you can absolutely handle this. Let me walk you through everything.
Why This Cropped Hoodie Pattern Works So Well
The mesh stitch creates an open, lightweight fabric that drapes beautifully without being too heavy. It is perfect for layering over a tank top in spring or wearing with a turtleneck when the weather gets cooler. The cropped length hits right at the natural waist, which makes it flattering on so many body types.
What I really love about this design is the color blocking. Those bold horizontal stripes give you creative freedom to play with your favorite color combinations. The pattern calls for cream, mustard yellow, coral, and sage green, but you could easily swap in any four colors that make your heart happy.
The slip stitch ribbing at the hem, cuffs, and hood border adds a polished finish that elevates the whole piece. It looks like something you would find in a boutique, not something you made in your living room.
Finished Measurements and Sizing
This pattern covers six sizes from XS to 2XL. Here are the finished bust measurements with ease included:
The finished length from hem to underarm is approximately 11 inches / 28 cm for all sizes. Sleeve length from cuff to underarm is approximately 18 inches / 45.5 cm for all sizes. The hood measures approximately 13 inches / 33 cm tall and 12 inches / 30.5 cm wide when laid flat.
Instructions throughout are written for size M, with other sizes noted in parentheses in the format XS (S, M, L, XL, 2XL).
Materials You Will Need
Yarn: Worsted weight yarn, approximately 200 to 220 yards / 183 to 201 m per 100 g skein. For size M, you will need approximately 1400 to 1600 yards / 1280 to 1460 m total across all colors. Add approximately 10% more yardage for each size above M.
Here is the color breakdown:
Hooks:
Notions:
Yarn Suggestions That Work Beautifully
Lion Brand Yarn Pound of Love is an excellent choice. It is worsted weight, 100% premium acrylic, and gives great stitch definition for the mesh. Plus it is machine washable and comes in all the colors you need.
Paintbox Yarns Simply DK is another option, though you will need to hold two strands together to achieve worsted weight gauge. It is affordable with a great color range.
We Are Knitters The Wool would give you a more luxurious finish. It is 100% Peruvian wool with beautiful drape, though it requires gentle hand washing.
When substituting yarn, look for smooth plied yarn. Avoid very fuzzy or hairy yarns because they will obscure the mesh holes and you will lose that lovely texture.
Gauge (Do Not Skip This)
With J-10 / 6.0 mm hook in Mesh Stitch:
16 stitches x 18 rows = 4 inches / 10 cm (blocked)
With I-9 / 5.5 mm hook in Slip Stitch Rib:
16 stitches x 20 rows = 4 inches / 10 cm
I know gauge swatches feel tedious, but they are mandatory for garments. A difference of even half a stitch per inch will result in a significantly different finished bust measurement. Trust me on this one.
To swatch mesh stitch: chain 22, work the mesh stitch pattern for 22 rows, block, and measure the center 4 inches.
Important gauge note: In the mesh stitch pattern, count each single crochet (sc) as 1 stitch and each chain 1 space (ch-1 sp) as 1 stitch when counting stitch totals. This keeps the math consistent throughout the pattern.
Abbreviations
Special Stitches Explained
Mesh Stitch (worked over a multiple of 2 stitches plus 1)
This is the main stitch pattern for the entire hoodie. It creates that beautiful open grid texture.
Foundation Row: Chain an even number.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook, (ch 1, sk 1 ch, sc in next ch) across. Turn.
Row 2 (WS): Ch 1, sc in first sc, (ch 1, sk ch-1 sp, sc in next sc) across. Turn.
Row 3 and all subsequent rows: Repeat Row 2.
The turning chain at the start of each row counts as ch 1 only, not as a stitch. Always begin and end each row with a sc.
Slip Stitch Rib (worked through back loop only)
This creates the stretchy ribbed edges at the hem, cuffs, and hood border.
Setup row: With smaller hook, chain desired number of stitches.
Row 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn.
Row 2: Ch 1, sl st in back loop only (BLO) of each sl st across. Turn.
Repeat Row 2 for pattern.
Slip stitch rib is very dense and tight. Keep your tension relaxed. The fabric is very stretchy widthwise when worked this way.
SC2TOG (Single Crochet Two Together)
This is how you decrease. Insert hook in next stitch, yo, pull up loop (2 loops on hook), insert hook in following stitch, yo, pull up loop (3 loops on hook), yo, pull through all 3 loops. One stitch decreased.
Color Stripe Sequence
Understanding the color sequence before you start will save you headaches later. Here is how the stripes work from bottom to top:
For the body:
Each color block is 8 rows tall except the bottom mustard stripe, which is only 4 rows and acts as a transition above the cream rib.
For the sleeves: The sequence mirrors the body. Color B for 4 rows, Color C for 8 rows, Color D for 8 rows, Color C for 8 rows, then the sleeve cap is Color D.
For the hood: Color A (Cream) for the main body with Color B (Mustard Yellow) as an accent near the face edge.
Always change to the new color on the last pull-through of the last stitch of the row before the new color begins.
Step by Step Instructions
Back Panel
Hem Rib (worked sideways)
With smaller hook and Color A, chain 10.
Row 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (9 sl sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, sl st in BLO of each st across. Turn. (9 sl sts)
Repeat Row 2 until rib measures:
Do not fasten off. Rotate work 90 degrees to work along the long edge.
Pick Up Row
With larger hook and Color B, pick up and sc evenly along the long edge of the rib, placing one sc per rib row end.
Stitch counts for pick-up row:
If your pick-up yields an even number, sc2tog once at center to make it odd. An odd total ensures the mesh pattern begins and ends with sc.
Body Mesh (Color B, Mustard Yellow)
Row 1 (RS): Ch 1, sc in first st, (ch 1, sk 1 st, sc in next st) across. Turn.
Stitch count: 40 sc + 39 ch-1 sp = 79 sts.
Row 2: Ch 1, sc in first sc, (ch 1, sk ch-sp, sc in next sc) across. Turn. (79 sts)
Rows 3-4: Rep Row 2. Change to Color C at end of Row 4. (79 sts)
Body Mesh (Color C, Coral/Salmon)
Rows 5-12: Rep Row 2 of mesh stitch. Change to Color D at end of Row 12. (79 sts)
Body Mesh (Color D, Sage Green)
Rows 13-20: Rep Row 2 of mesh stitch. Change to Color C at end of Row 20. (79 sts)
Body Mesh (Color C, Coral/Salmon)
Rows 21-28: Rep Row 2 of mesh stitch. Change to Color D at end of Row 28. (79 sts)
Body Mesh (Color D, Sage Green)
Rows 29-36: Rep Row 2 of mesh stitch. Change to Color C at end of Row 36. (79 sts)
Checkpoint: After Row 36, your back panel should measure approximately 8 inches / 20.5 cm tall from the top of the hem rib, and 19.5 inches / 49.5 cm wide for size M. You should see 5 distinct color stripes above the cream rib.
Armhole Shaping (Color C, Coral/Salmon)
Row 37 (RS, begin armhole): Sl st across first 5 sts (4 sl sts + stop after 5th), ch 1, sc in same st (this is now the first working st), cont in est mesh pattern across until 5 sts remain, leave last 5 sts unworked. Turn.
After removing 5 sts each end: 79 – 10 = 69 sts.
Row 38: Ch 1, sc in first st, cont in est mesh pattern across. Turn. (69 sts)
Row 39 (dec row): Ch 1, sc in first sc, ch 1, sk ch-sp, sc2tog over next sc and following ch-sp, cont in est mesh pattern to last 4 sts, sc2tog over next sc and following ch-sp, ch 1, sc in last sc. Turn. (67 sts)
Row 40: Ch 1, sc in first sc, cont in est mesh pattern across. Turn. (67 sts)
Row 41 (dec row): Rep Row 39 decrease. (65 sts)
Row 42: Rep Row 40. (65 sts)
Row 43 (dec row): Rep Row 39 decrease. (63 sts)
Row 44: Rep Row 40. (63 sts)
Rows 45-53: Work even in est mesh pattern, no decreases. (63 sts)
Shoulder and Neck Shaping (Back)
Row 54 (RS): Work in est mesh across first 21 sts (right shoulder), leaving remaining sts unworked. Turn. (21 sts)
Row 55: Work even in est mesh. (21 sts)
Fasten off right shoulder.
Back center neck: 63 – 21 – 21 = 21 sts left in center. Leave these unworked for the back neck opening.
Rejoin yarn at left shoulder:
Row 54 (Left shoulder): Sk center 21 sts, join yarn in next st, ch 1, sc in same st, cont in est mesh across remaining 21 sts. Turn. (21 sts)
Row 55: Work even. (21 sts)
Fasten off.
Front Panel
Work exactly as Back Panel through Row 36. (79 sts)
Armhole and Neck Shaping (Front)
Row 37: Work armhole bind-off exactly as Back Row 37. (69 sts)
Row 38: Work even. (69 sts)
Row 39 (dec row): Rep Back armhole dec row. (67 sts)
Row 40: Work even. (67 sts)
Row 41 (dec row): Rep. (65 sts)
Row 42: Work even. (65 sts)
Row 43 (dec row): Rep. (63 sts)
Row 44: Work even. (63 sts)
Front Neck Split
Row 45 (RS): Work in est mesh across first 28 sts (left front), ch 2 (loosely, marks center), leave remaining sts unworked. Turn. (28 sts)
The center neck opening is 63 – 28 – 28 = 7 sts wide at this stage.
Left Front Neck
Row 45: Work across 28 sts. Turn. (28 sts)
Row 46 (neck dec, WS): Work in est mesh to last 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in last st. Turn. (27 sts)
Row 47: Work even. (27 sts)
Row 48 (neck dec): Work in est mesh to last 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in last st. Turn. (26 sts)
Row 49: Work even. (26 sts)
Row 50 (neck dec): Work to last 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in last st. Turn. (25 sts)
Row 51: Work even. (25 sts)
Row 52 (neck dec): Work to last 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in last st. Turn. (24 sts)
Row 53: Work even. (24 sts)
Row 54 (neck dec): Work to last 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in last st. Turn. (23 sts)
Row 55: Work even. (23 sts)
Row 56 (neck dec): Work to last 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in last st. Turn. (22 sts)
Row 57 (neck dec): Work to last 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in last st. Turn. (21 sts)
Row 58: Work even. (21 sts)
Fasten off.
Right Front Neck
Rejoin yarn at Row 45 from the right side (right of center neck opening). Skip center 7 sts.
Row 45 (RS): Sc in first st, work in est mesh across remaining 28 sts. Turn. (28 sts)
Row 46 (neck dec, WS): Ch 1, sc in first st, sc2tog, work in est mesh to end. Turn. (27 sts)
Row 47: Work even. (27 sts)
Row 48 (neck dec): Ch 1, sc in first st, sc2tog, work to end. Turn. (26 sts)
Row 49: Work even. (26 sts)
Row 50 (neck dec): Ch 1, sc in first st, sc2tog, work to end. Turn. (25 sts)
Row 51: Work even. (25 sts)
Row 52 (neck dec): Ch 1, sc in first st, sc2tog, work to end. Turn. (24 sts)
Row 53: Work even. (24 sts)
Row 54 (neck dec): Ch 1, sc in first st, sc2tog, work to end. Turn. (23 sts)
Row 55: Work even. (23 sts)
Row 56 (neck dec): Ch 1, sc in first st, sc2tog, work to end. Turn. (22 sts)
Row 57 (neck dec): Ch 1, sc in first st, sc2tog, work to end. Turn. (21 sts)
Row 58: Work even. (21 sts)
Fasten off.
Sleeves (make 2)
Cuff Rib
With smaller hook and Color A, chain 10.
Row 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (9 sl sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, sl st in BLO across. Turn. (9 sl sts)
Rep Row 2 until rib measures 9 inches / 23 cm for all sizes.
Do not fasten off. Rotate 90 degrees and pick up sts along long edge with larger hook and Color B.
Sleeve Pick-Up Row
Pick up and sc along long edge:
Row 1 (RS, Color B): Ch 1, sc in first st, (ch 1, sk 1, sc in next st) across. Turn.
37 sts = 19 sc + 18 ch-1 sp. (37 sts)
Sleeve Shaping
Sleeves increase every 6th row at each end to shape from cuff to cap.
Increase method: At start of inc row: ch 1, 2 sc in first sc (inc made), cont in est mesh. At end of inc row: work to last sc, 2 sc in last sc.
Rows 1-4: Color B. (37 sts)
Change to Color C.
Row 5: Work even. (37 sts)
Row 6 (inc row): Inc 1 each end. (39 sts)
Rows 7-11: Work even. (39 sts)
Row 12 (inc row): Inc 1 each end. (41 sts)
Change to Color D at end of Row 12.
Rows 13-17: Work even. (41 sts)
Row 18 (inc row): Inc 1 each end. (43 sts)
Rows 19-23: Work even. (43 sts)
Row 24 (inc row): Inc 1 each end. (45 sts)
Change to Color C at end of Row 24.
Rows 25-29: Work even. (45 sts)
Row 30 (inc row): Inc 1 each end. (47 sts)
Rows 31-35: Work even. (47 sts)
Row 36 (inc row): Inc 1 each end. (49 sts)
Change to Color D at end of Row 36.
Rows 37-41: Work even. (49 sts)
Row 42 (inc row): Inc 1 each end. (51 sts)
Rows 43-47: Work even. (51 sts)
Row 48 (inc row): Inc 1 each end. (53 sts)
Final stitch counts before cap shaping by size:
Sleeve Cap Shaping
Cap Row 1 (RS): Sl st across first 4 sts, ch 1, sc in same st, cont in est mesh to last 4 sts, leave 4 sts unworked. Turn. (45 sts)
Cap Row 2: Work even in mesh. (45 sts)
Cap Row 3 (RS, dec): Ch 1, sc in first sc, sc2tog, work in est mesh to last 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in last sc. Turn. (43 sts)
Cap Row 4 (WS): Work even. (43 sts)
Continue decreasing every RS row:
Cap Row 5 (dec RS): (41 sts)
Cap Row 6: Work even. (41 sts)
Cap Row 7 (dec RS): (39 sts)
Cap Row 8: Work even. (39 sts)
Cap Row 9 (dec RS): (37 sts)
Cap Row 10: Work even. (37 sts)
Cap Row 11 (dec RS): (35 sts)
Cap Row 12: Work even. (35 sts)
Cap Row 13 (dec RS): (33 sts)
Cap Row 14: Work even. (33 sts)
Cap Row 15 (dec RS): (31 sts)
Cap Row 16: Work even. (31 sts)
Cap Row 17 (dec RS): (29 sts)
Cap Row 18: Work even. (29 sts)
Cap Row 19 (dec RS): (27 sts)
Cap Row 20: Work even. (27 sts)
Cap Row 21 (dec RS): (25 sts)
Cap Row 22: Work even. (25 sts)
Cap Row 23 (dec RS): (23 sts)
Cap Row 24: Work even. (23 sts)
Cap Row 25 (dec RS): (21 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for seaming.
Hood (make 2 panels)
With larger hook and Color A, chain 49.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook, (ch 1, sk 1, sc in next ch) across. Turn. (49 sts: 25 sc + 24 ch-1 sp)
Rows 2-44: Work even in est mesh. (49 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail on one panel for seaming.
Assembly
Step 1: Block all pieces lightly before seaming.
Step 2: Seam shoulders. With tapestry needle and Color A, mattress stitch the right front shoulder to the right back shoulder, and the left front shoulder to the left back shoulder. Each seam spans 21 sts. Do not seam the neck opening.
Step 3: Seam sides. Fold body with RS facing together. Mattress stitch from hem to underarm on each side, leaving armhole open.
Step 4: Set in sleeves. Fold sleeve cap in half to find center point. Pin center of sleeve cap to shoulder seam. Ease sleeve cap around armhole opening. Seam with mattress stitch. Repeat for second sleeve.
Step 5: Seam sleeve from cuff to underarm along the long sleeve edge, RS facing together.
Step 6: Hood top seam. Hold the two hood panels RS together, aligning the top edges (the cast-on chains). Mattress stitch or sl st the top edges together across all 49 sts. This creates the center top seam of the hood.
Step 7: Attach hood to neckline. With RS facing, pin the bottom edge of the assembled hood evenly around the neckline opening of the garment, starting and ending at the center front neck edges. Seam with mattress stitch using Color A.
Drawstring
With larger hook and Color A, chain 110 (approximately 36 inches / 91.5 cm). Thread through the bottom row of sts along the hood face opening, starting and ending at center front. Add a small knot to each cord end to keep it from pulling through.
Time Estimate
Expect this project to take approximately 20 to 30 hours for a size Medium, depending on your working pace. The mesh stitch works up quickly once you get into a rhythm. The assembly takes a bit longer since you are seaming multiple pieces together.
Tips for Success
Take your time with the armhole and neck shaping. These sections have the most happening at once, and it is easy to lose your place. Use stitch markers to mark decrease points.
When changing colors, remember to switch on the last yarn over of the last stitch before the new color begins. This gives you clean color lines.
Block your pieces before seaming. It makes such a difference in how the pieces fit together and how professional the finished hoodie looks.
For the sleeve cap, ease is your friend. Take your time pinning the cap around the armhole before you seam. The cap should fit smoothly without puckers.
You Did It!
Thank you so much for making this colorblock mesh cropped hoodie with me. I hope you love wearing it as much as I loved designing it. If you make one, I would absolutely love to see it. Tag me on Instagram or share a photo in our Facebook group. Nothing makes my day quite like seeing your finished projects.
If this pattern is calling your name, go ahead and pin it to your crochet board so you can find it when you are ready to cast on. And if you have any questions while you are working through it, drop a comment below. I am always happy to help!
