Mar
okay so beach cover ups
So you wanna make a crochet beach cover up and honestly it’s way easier than it sounds but also there are some things nobody tells you upfront. I made my first one summer 2022 when I was literally just tired of spending like $60 on those flimsy tourist shop cover ups that fall apart after three washes. Plus I was binge watching The Office for the millionth time and needed something to do with my hands.
The basic concept is you’re basically making a rectangle or a few rectangles and then figuring out where your arms go. That’s it. Don’t let anyone make it sound more complicated because it’s not rocket science.
picking your pattern style
There’s like three main types you can do. The poncho style which is literally just a big rectangle with a hole for your head. The kimono style which is two rectangles sewn together with armholes left open. Or the tank style which requires a little more shaping but still pretty straightforward if you can increase and decrease stitches.
I started with the poncho because duh easiest option. You make one big piece, fold it in half, seam up the sides but leave arm holes, and boom you’re done. The measurements are gonna depend on how tall you are and how much coverage you want but a good starting point is making your rectangle about 40 inches wide and 30 inches long. That’s for someone around 5’5″ to 5’7″ ish.
yarn choices that actually matter
Okay so here’s where people get weird about beach cover ups. Everyone’s like oh use cotton because it’s breathable but then you’re sitting there crocheting with cotton all day and your hands hurt because cotton has like zero give. I used Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton for my first one and yeah it looked nice but my fingers were killing me halfway through.
Second time around in summer 2024 I used Red Heart With Love which is acrylic and everyone was like omg acrylic for summer are you crazy but honestly it worked fine. It’s lighter weight, it dries faster than cotton actually, and it doesn’t get that weird stiff feeling after you wash it. Plus it was like $3 a skein at Walmart so if I messed up or hated it I wasn’t out a ton of money.
If you want to get fancy there’s this stuff called Caron Simply Soft that comes in really pretty colors and has a nice drape to it. The drape is actually super important because you don’t want your cover up looking like a cardboard box. You want it to like flow and move when you walk otherwise what’s the point.
the actual construction part
For a basic poncho style you’re gonna chain like 120 stitches or something in that range. I always do a test swatch which I know sounds annoying but trust me you don’t wanna get 20 rows in and realize it’s way too small or way too big. My dog kept trying to lay on my yarn while I was doing this which was super helpful obviously.
The stitch pattern you pick matters way more than you’d think. I did my first one in just double crochet rows back and forth and it was fine but kinda boring. The second one I did this shell stitch pattern where you do like 5 double crochets in one stitch then skip a few stitches and it makes this really pretty lacy thing. Way better for beach wear because it’s got holes so you’re not gonna die from heat.
Here’s the thing that really annoyed me though – trying to keep track of my stitch count while watching TV. I’d get to the end of a row and be like wait did I add stitches somehow or lose some and then I’d have to count the whole thing. Eventually I just put stitch markers every 20 stitches or so which helped but also was one more thing to move around.
sizing and measurements you actually need
Measure from your shoulder to where you want the cover up to end. For me that’s like mid-thigh because I don’t need a full dress situation just something to throw on when I’m walking from the beach to the car or whatever. That measurement is your length.
For width you want it to go across your shoulders with some extra for movement. I usually do my shoulder width times two which gives you enough fabric to drape nicely without looking like you’re wearing a tent. The armholes should be like 8-10 inches depending on your arm size and whether you want it fitted or loose.
When you’re seaming up the sides to create those armholes just use a yarn needle and whip stitch it. Don’t overthink it. I watched like seventeen YouTube videos about the perfect seaming technique and honestly just stitching it together however works is fine. Nobody’s gonna inspect your seams at the beach.
stitch patterns that work good
The granny square pattern is actually perfect for this if you wanna make it modular. You crochet a bunch of granny squares and then connect them together. I haven’t done this yet but my friend did and it looked really cool plus you can work on it in small chunks instead of dealing with one giant piece.
V-stitch is another good one – you just do a double crochet, chain one, double crochet all in the same stitch. Creates a nice texture and works up faster than you’d think. The one I made in 2024 used this and I think I finished it in like three evenings while watching true crime documentaries.
Mesh stitch is probably the most beachy looking one though. It’s literally just chain spaces and single crochets or double crochets depending on how big you want the holes. Super lightweight, dries in like five minutes, and you can see your swimsuit through it which is kind of the point of a cover up anyway.
the kimono style if you wanna get slightly fancier
This one’s actually not that much harder. You make two rectangles instead of one. Each rectangle is like 20 inches wide and whatever length you want. Then you lay them out in a T shape – one rectangle goes across your shoulders and the other one hangs down your back and front.
You seam the shoulder parts together leaving a hole in the middle for your neck. The sides become your armholes automatically because of how it’s constructed. I know that sounds confusing but if you literally just lay two rectangles in a T shape and try it on you’ll see what I mean.
The cool thing about kimono style is you can add a tie belt or just let it hang open. I made one with some leftover Bernat Handicrafter Cotton (which was actually pretty nice to work with despite what I said about cotton earlier, I think because it’s mercerized or whatever that means) and I wear it constantly in summer.
finishing touches nobody tells you about
Edging makes such a huge difference and I didn’t realize this until my second or third one. Just going around all the edges with a round of single crochet makes it look finished instead of homemade in a bad way. You can also do a picot edge which is just chain three and slip stitch back into the same stitch – makes little bumps around the edge that look kinda fancy.
Fringe is another option if you’re into that. I’m not really but I’ve seen people add it to the bottom hem and it looks very bohemian or whatever. You just cut a bunch of yarn pieces and tie them on using a lark’s head knot which sounds complicated but it’s literally just folding the yarn in half and pulling it through.
Some people add pockets which seems excessive for a beach cover up but also like why not. Just crochet a small square or rectangle and sew it onto the inside or outside wherever you want a pocket. Good for holding your phone or sunscreen or whatever.
color choices and striping
I usually go with light colors because dark colors at the beach seems like a bad idea heat wise. White, cream, light blue, coral, those kind of shades. But honestly use whatever you want.
Striping is easy if you wanna add some visual interest – just switch colors every few rows. You don’t even have to cut the yarn if you’re doing two colors, you can carry it up the side. Though that does create a little line of carried yarn on the edge which some people hate but I think it’s fine.
Ombre is trendy right now and you can do that by using yarn that already has a color gradient or by switching shades manually. Like start with dark blue, then medium blue, then light blue, then white or whatever. Caron Cakes has those gradient yarns built in which is kinda cheating but also saves you from weaving in a million ends so.
how long does this actually take
My first poncho took me like two weeks but I was only working on it an hour or two at a time. If you sat down and really committed you could probably finish a simple one in a weekend. The kimono style took me longer because I kept messing up the measurements and having to redo parts.
The tank style one I tried to make last summer took forever because shaping the armholes and neckline required actually paying attention and I kept getting distracted by my phone or the TV or my cat knocking stuff off the counter. I eventually gave up on that one and just turned it into a poncho instead which is the beauty of crochet – you can usually salvage things.
washing and care
Most beach cover ups you can just throw in the washing machine on delicate. I use a lingerie bag so it doesn’t get stretched out or tangled. Acrylic ones can go in the dryer on low but cotton ones I usually lay flat to dry because they can shrink.
Salt water and chlorine don’t seem to hurt them but I try to rinse mine off after wearing it at the beach just so it doesn’t get crusty. Sand is the real enemy though – it gets stuck in all the little stitches and you’re finding sand in that thing for months. I’ve learned to shake it out really well before bringing it inside.
common problems you’re gonna run into
The edges curling up is annoying. This happens especially with all double crochet patterns. You can block it which means pinning it out while wet and letting it dry in shape, or you can just add that edging I mentioned earlier which weighs it down enough to stop the curling usually.
Running out of yarn is the worst because then you gotta try to match the dye lot and sometimes you can’t find it. I always buy one extra skein now just in case. If you do run out and can’t match it perfectly just make it a design feature and add stripes or whatever.
Tension issues make your fabric look wonky. Like some parts are tight and some are loose. This usually happens when you crochet at different times or in different moods honestly. I notice mine gets tighter when I’m stressed and looser when I’m relaxed which is weird but true. Try to keep your tension consistent or just embrace the handmade look.
The neckline being too tight or too loose is fixable. Too tight and you can cut the yarn and redo that section or just stretch it out aggressively. Too loose and you can add elastic thread to the edge or sew in a drawstring.
making it your own
Once you’ve made a basic one you can start messing around with the design. Add sleeves by crocheting tubes and attaching them to the armholes. Make it asymmetrical by doing one shoulder longer than the other. Use different stitch patterns in different sections like shells on top and mesh on bottom or whatever.
Appliques are fun if you’re into that – crochet some flowers or starfish or whatever and sew them on. I’m not really into that look but I’ve seen people do it and it can be cute in a kitschy way.
You can also make it reversible by using two different colors and crocheting them together or by making two separate pieces and seaming them together. Seems like a lot of work but then you technically have two cover ups in one which is efficient I guess.
The main thing is just start with something simple and don’t stress about it being perfect. It’s a beach cover up not a wedding dress. It’s gonna get sandy and wet and stuffed in a beach bag. Make it functional and if it looks good too then that’s a bonus.
