purlJam

# Lightning McQueen Racing Pullover
### Men's Collared Crochet Jumper with Checkered Collar & Rust-eze Logo

A bold, race-day-ready pullover inspired by Lightning McQueen — vivid red body, a black-and-white chequered racing-flag collar, and the iconic Rust-eze logo across the chest. Worked flat in four pieces in UK trebles, then seamed, with the logo added via intarsia/tapestry crochet from the attached stitch chart.

**Difficulty:** Intermediate
**Sizes:** S (M, L, XL, 2XL)
**Finished Chest:** 96 (106, 116, 126, 136) cm / 38 (42, 46, 50, 54) in
**Finished Length:** 66 (68, 70, 72, 74) cm

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## Materials

**Yarn:** Sport weight (5-ply), approx. 100 g = 280 m
- **MC – Race Red:** 900 (1000, 1100, 1250, 1400) g
- **CC1 – Jet Black:** 150 g (collar + logo outline)
- **CC2 – White:** 100 g (collar + logo)
- **CC3 – Sunshine Yellow:** 50 g (Rust-eze logo)
- **CC4 – Orange:** 50 g (Rust-eze logo accents)

**Hook:** 3.5 mm (main fabric); 3.0 mm (ribbing & collar edge)
**Notions:** Tapestry needle, stitch markers, bobbins for intarsia, scissors

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## Tension (Gauge)

22 tr × 11 rows = 10 cm square in tr fabric on 3.5 mm hook (after blocking).
**Check your tension before starting — the fit depends on it.**

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## UK Abbreviations
- **ch** – chain
- **dc** – double crochet (US sc)
- **htr** – half treble (US hdc)
- **tr** – treble crochet (US dc)
- **sl st** – slip stitch
- **BLO** – back loop only
- **st(s)** – stitch(es)
- **MC/CC** – main / contrast colour
- **rep** – repeat
- **RS/WS** – right side / wrong side

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## Construction Notes

Worked flat from the bottom up in four pieces (Back, Front, two Sleeves), then seamed. Bottom ribbing and cuffs are worked in dc BLO for stretch. The Rust-eze logo is worked in intarsia on the front body using the **attached stitch chart**. The chequered collar is picked up around the finished neckline and worked in the round in two colours.

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## BACK

With 3.0 mm hook and MC, ch 107 (119, 129, 139, 151).

**Row 1 (RS):** dc in 2nd ch from hook, dc in each ch across — 106 (118, 128, 138, 150) sts. Turn.
**Rows 2–7:** ch 1, dc BLO in each st across. Turn. *(Ribbing approx. 6 cm.)*

Switch to 3.5 mm hook.

**Row 8 (set-up):** ch 2 (does not count as st), tr in each st across — 106 (118, 128, 138, 150) sts. Turn.
**Rows 9–55 (51, 53, 55, 57):** ch 2, tr in each st across.

Work measures approx. 46 (47, 48, 49, 50) cm from start.

### Armhole Shaping
**Next row:** sl st across first 5 sts, ch 2, tr in each st until 5 sts remain, turn — 96 (108, 118, 128, 140) sts.
**Dec row:** ch 2, tr2tog, tr to last 2 sts, tr2tog. Rep dec row 2 (3, 4, 5, 6) more times — 92 (102, 110, 118, 128) sts.

Continue straight in tr until armhole measures 22 (23, 24, 25, 26) cm.

### Back Neck & Shoulders
**Next row:** ch 2, tr in next 28 (32, 35, 38, 42) sts, turn. Work 1 more row on these sts. Fasten off.
Skip centre 36 (38, 40, 42, 44) sts for back neck. Rejoin MC and work other shoulder to mirror. Fasten off.

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## FRONT

Work as for Back through bottom ribbing and the first 8 rows of tr.

### Logo Placement
The Rust-eze logo is centred horizontally and begins approximately **18 rows above the ribbing** (chest height). See **Attached Stitch Chart** section below for placement and intarsia method.

Continue as for Back through armhole shaping — 92 (102, 110, 118, 128) sts.

### Front Neck Shaping
Work straight until armhole measures 16 (17, 18, 19, 20) cm.

**Divide for neck:** ch 2, tr in next 34 (38, 41, 44, 48) sts, turn. Leave remaining sts unworked.
- **Dec row (neck edge):** ch 2, tr to last 2 sts, tr2tog. Rep every row 6 times — 28 (32, 35, 38, 42) sts.
- Work straight until armhole matches Back. Fasten off.

Skip centre 24 (26, 28, 30, 32) sts. Rejoin MC and mirror the second side, decreasing at neck edge.

**Math check:** 28 + 24 + 28 = 80? No — full row = 2×34 + 24 = 92 ✓ (size S).

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## SLEEVES (make 2)

With 3.0 mm hook and MC, ch 49 (51, 53, 55, 57).

**Row 1:** dc in 2nd ch from hook, dc across — 48 (50, 52, 54, 56) sts. Turn.
**Rows 2–9:** ch 1, dc BLO across. *(Cuff approx. 8 cm.)*

Switch to 3.5 mm hook.
**Row 10:** ch 2, tr in each st — 48 (50, 52, 54, 56) sts.

**Inc row:** ch 2, 2 tr in first st, tr to last st, 2 tr in last st (+2 sts).
Repeat Inc row every 4th row 14 (15, 16, 17, 18) times — 76 (80, 84, 88, 92) sts.

Work straight until sleeve measures 48 (49, 50, 51, 52) cm.

### Sleeve Cap
sl st across first 5 sts, ch 2, tr until 5 sts remain, turn — 66 (70, 74, 78, 82) sts.
**Dec row:** ch 2, tr2tog, tr to last 2 sts, tr2tog. Rep every row 14 (15, 16, 17, 18) times — 38 (40, 42, 44, 46) sts.
Fasten off.

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## CHEQUERED COLLAR

Seam shoulders before working collar.

With 3.0 mm hook and CC1 (Black), join at right back neck. Work dc evenly around neckline so that total stitch count is a **multiple of 4**: aim for 96 (100, 104, 108, 112) sts. Join with sl st to first dc. Do **not** turn — work in rounds with RS facing.

**Round 1:** ch 1, dc in each st around. Join.

**Chequered pattern (worked in tr, 2-st blocks):**

**Round 2:** ch 2, *2 tr in CC1, change to CC2 in last yo of 2nd tr, 2 tr in CC2, change to CC1*; rep around. Join. (48 / 50 / 52 / 54 / 56 two-st blocks.)
**Round 3:** ch 2, work tr in each st keeping colours stacked (tr over CC1 sts in CC1, tr over CC2 sts in CC2). Join.
**Round 4:** ch 2, **shift the check by 2 sts**: begin with CC2 over CC1 sts, CC1 over CC2 sts, alternating in 2-st blocks. Join.
**Round 5:** Repeat as Round 3 (stack).
**Rounds 6–11:** Repeat Rounds 2–5 once more, then Rounds 2–3 — produces 5 horizontal "rows" of checks, each 2 sts wide × 2 rounds tall.

Collar stands approx. 8–9 cm tall. For a folded collar, work 4 additional rounds.

**Edging:** With CC1, work 1 round of dc evenly. Fasten off and weave in ends.

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## ATTACHED STITCH CHART (Rust-eze Logo)

A separate stitch chart is attached to this pattern as a visual asset. **Use that chart for the grid — do not attempt to read a grid from this text.**

**Where the chart is used:**
The Rust-eze logo chart is placed on the **Front body only**, beginning approximately 18 rows (≈16 cm) above the bottom ribbing and centred horizontally on the chest. The chart panel measures approximately 50 sts wide × 28 rows tall.

**Centring math (Size S example):** Front = 106 sts. (106 − 50) ÷ 2 = 28 sts of MC each side before/after the chart panel. Adjust for your size: **(your front st count − 50) ÷ 2 = MC sts on each side of the chart.**
- M: (118 − 50) ÷ 2 = 34 sts
- L: (128 − 50) ÷ 2 = 39 sts
- XL: (138 − 50) ÷ 2 = 44 sts
- 2XL: (150 − 50) ÷ 2 = 50 sts

**How to read the chart:**
- Each square = 1 tr stitch. Each horizontal line = 1 row.
- Read **RS rows right-to-left**, **WS rows left-to-right** (because the work is flipped each row when crocheting flat).
- Colour key is printed on the attached chart (MC red, CC1 black outline, CC2 white, CC3 yellow, CC4 orange).

**Colour-change & yarn management:**
- Use **intarsia** with separate small bobbins for each colour block — do not carry yarn across long stretches behind the work as it will show through red.
- For single isolated stitches of a contrast colour, **tapestry crochet** (carrying the unused colour inside the next stitch) is acceptable.
- Always change colour on the **final yarn-over of the previous stitch**, so the new colour begins cleanly.
- Twist yarns on the WS at every colour change to avoid holes.

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## FINISHING

1. Block all pieces to measurements.
2. Seam shoulders using mattress stitch or sl st seam with MC.
3. Set in sleeves, easing the cap into the armhole.
4. Seam side and underarm seams in one continuous line.
5. Work the collar (instructions above).
6. Weave in all ends, paying special attention to logo colour-change tails.
7. Steam-block collar lightly so checks lie flat.

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## Final Tension & Size Validation

- Stitches per cm: 22 ÷ 10 = 2.2 sts/cm.
- Size S front width: 106 sts ÷ 2.2 = **48.2 cm** → full chest 96.4 cm ✓
- Size XL front width: 138 sts ÷ 2.2 = **62.7 cm** → full chest 125.4 cm ✓
- Sleeve top (size M): 80 sts ÷ 2.2 = 36.4 cm circumference at upper arm ✓
- Collar checks: 96 ÷ 4 = 24 two-st blocks per round, fully even ✓

Race on, champion. **Ka-chow!** 🏁