>OK. This was not as big a problem as I anticipated. What follows is crochet tech talk, strictly for readers who have requested a way to crochet the Lacy Top Cardigan with deeper armholes to fit. Everyone else will still have to wait for a happier post! 🙂

As I have mentioned in “Amazing Crochet Lace” and elsewhere, top-down garment construction allows you to try on the piece while you are crocheting. This is never an orderly fit. It is my experience that the body, particularly across the back, will seem sloppy and loose, while the underarm and armholes may feel tight and too high. Please consider that the fabric has a good deal of stretch, that crocheting the rest of the garment (particularly adding sleeves) will surely change the fit, and that blocking usually pulls everything longer. However, upon examining this pattern, I can see why you might want more breathing room in the armhole, particularly in the two larger sizes, L/XL (45) and 2XL (50). So here’s what I think.

Mercifully, all sizes complete the front neck shaping and the yoke increases before this adjustment happens. This lace stitch pattern has a four row repeat. The simplest way to add depth to the armhole without changing either the bust or sleeve circumference (once you have completed all shaping at fronts and corners, and before joining fronts and back at underarms) is to work four rows even in stitch pattern, putting you back at the same step. At that point you are ready to join the underarms in exactly the same way as written. However, four rows at this relaxed gauge will drop the underarm by approximately three inches. This will work well for the sizes L/XL (45) and 2XL (50). But may be too disproportionate for sizes XS (35) and S/M (40). I will address that later with a more involved solution.

Please refer to the pattern as published, as discussed in this post on July 8. To add 3″ to the yoke (armhole) depth, follow pattern as written, stop after Row 8 (9, 10, 10). Insert these four rows.
Size XS: Work Pat Row 4, then Pat Rows 1-3.
Size S/M: Work Pat Rows 1-4.
Sizes L/XL (2XL): Work Pat Rows 2-4, then Pat Row 1.
Return to instructions as written, continue with Row 9 (10, 11, 11)

Coming soon, pattern extras to grant deeper (but not this deep) armholes and a way to create more ease for generous upper arms without changing the bust circumference.