Every crocheter knows that the summer season is a great time to showcase their handmade crochet crop tops and bikinis. While these things are quick and fun to make, you need a basic understanding of construction and sizing to make the perfect fitting crochet bra cup.
So, what is there to know about crochet bra cup sizes? Getting the hang of making a bra cup can be a daunting task, especially since everyone’s bust is unique, and it can be hard to make the perfect bra cup that fits perfectly without the right understanding. There are several different aspects to keep in mind, and we’ll go over them here.
If you’d like to learn more about crochet bra cup sizes, this article will help you learn more about how to crochet the best-fitting crochet bra cup for your new summer crop tops!
Things To Consider When Crocheting Bra Cups
Before you take out your measuring tape to measure yourself, there are some things that you’ll first need to consider before you get started!
Construction
The construction of your bra cup will decide how well the garment will fit. Since your busts are not flat, don’t make the mistake of making a flat bra cup! The bra cups will need to be wider at the bottom of your busts and gradually curve inwards to hug the top of your busts perfectly.
There are a few ways to make a bra cup, but the simplest way to crochet a bra cup is to make a triangle bra cup. This is where you start with a foundation chain and crochet around both sides of the chain to build up the width and length of your bra cup.
Stitch Type
Crochet allows you to be creative with different stitch patterns, and there are many different stitches that you can use to crochet your bra cup.
However, we suggest sticking with the basic stitches like single crochet or half double crochet. These stitches will help you create a solid fabric that properly covers your bust.
Other decorative stitches may have large gaps in between the stitches, so you may need to sew in another layer of lining fabric to cover the key areas.
Fiber Type
The type of fiber that you choose will also decide how well the final garment will fit. Cotton is the holy grail when it comes to summer fibers, so many crochets will opt to make their crochet bras, and crop tops out of cotton.
However, if you are crocheting a bikini bra cup, we suggest that you look for a cotton/nylon or cotton/spandex mix. This is because cotton doesn’t return to its original size after it’s stretched, and it can get very heavy when it gets wet.
The nylon or spandex content in the fiber will add a little bit of stretch to the crochet fabric, which will help the fabric hug your body tightly even when it’s wet.
The best part is that a nylon or spandex blend fiber will return to its original size when it’s dry, which means your bikini top won’t become stretched out after only a few wears.
Size Chart
With your regular bras, you only need to take two measurements to find out your bra size: the top of your bust (widest part of your bust) and the bottom of your bust.
However, if you’d like to crochet your bra cup, there’s another measurement that you’ll need to take, and that’s the length from the bottom of your bust to the top of your bust.
This measurement will determine how long the foundation chain will need to be, and then you’ll crochet around both sides of the foundation chain to build up the cup’s width.
If you already know your cup size, here’s a handy guide for the appropriate foundation length and width for each cup size.
| Cup Size | Foundation Chain Length | Cup Width |
| A | 2” | 5” |
| B | 2.5” | 6” |
| C | 3” | 7” |
| D | 3.5” | 8” |
| E | 4” | 8.5” |
How To Crochet Bra Cups For Any Size
If you would like to make the perfect bra cup for yourself, there’s a way that you can do so without knowing your bra size or even your measurements. Here’s a pattern for the perfect bra cup for any size.
And if you’re looking for a visual tutorial, take a look at this helpful video from Naomi Marie Crochets on YouTube.
Note:
- This pattern is written so that you can use any size hook and any type of yarn, as long as the hook is suitable for the yarn size that you are using.
- This pattern uses single crochets to create a solid crochet fabric, but you can also use half double crochets so that the stitches are a bit longer (so it will take fewer rows to build the width of the cups). We don’t recommend going up to double crochets since that can have a lot of gaps between the stitches.
How To Make Single Crochets (sc)
Foundation chain + 1 (the 1 chain counts as 1 sc)
Insert your hook into the second chain from the hook, yarn over, pull through the loop (you now have two loops on the hook). Yarn over, pull through two loops. This counts as one sc.
How To Make Half Double Crochets (hdc)
Foundation chain + 1 (the 1 chain counts as 1 hdc)
Yarn over, insert your hook into the second chain from the hook, yarn over, pull through the loop (you now have three loops on the hook). Yarn over, pull through all three loops. This counts as one hdc.
How To Crochet A Triangle Bra Cup
- Foundation: Ch until the foundation is as long as the length between the bottom to the top of your bust.
- Row 1: Insert your hook into the second ch from the hook, sc until the end of the ch. Work 3 sc into the same ch at the end of the row. Sc across the other side of the row (bottom of the sc that you’ve just created). Ch 1 and turn.
- Row 2: Sc across until the middle of the 3sc from the previous row, work 3 sc into the same stitch, sc across the other side. Ch 1 and turn.
- Repeat row 2 until your triangle bra cup has reached the width size that fits you. You can use a measuring tape to measure the bottom of the cup, or you can measure it against your bust to see if it has covered you comfortably.
Note:
Some crocheters substitute the 3 sc at the top of the cup for *sc, ch, sc* into the same stitch below. This creates a more prominent ch space so that in the subsequent rows, you’ll be able to identify where to work the stitches into. However, you’ll see small gaps in the final result.
If you choose this option, make sure to use a stitch marker to mark the top of the chain so that the *sc, ch, sc* are worked in the same space every time, forming a decorative line where the chain spaces on each row are.
Optional: Decorative Border
This pattern will help you create a plain, basic bra cup. However, if you’d like to add a decorative border around the bra cups, you can use a row of shell stitches around the triangle bra cups.
If you fancy other decorative stitches, you can also use any other stitches that you like, but make sure that the number of stitches that you have can allow the repeats of the decorative stitches.
For example, shell stitches require a multiple of six, so make sure that you have a multiple of six stitches around your bra cup to allow for a complete number of shells.
How To Connect Two Bra Cups
Once you have finished your two bra cups, the next step is to connect them together.
For A cups and B cups, you can get away with using the slip stitch to connect your bra cup (so there’s no gap between the cups).
If you find that your two bra cups need to be a bit further apart, which is the case for bigger busts, you can add a few chains to add a bit of distance between the bra cups and then slip stitch into the other cup, making sure that the added chain is not twisted.
Then, you can add a plain or decorative band under the two connected bra cups, adding chains on both sides of the bra cups to reach around your back as well.
Crocheting The Back
There are a few options for the back, where you’ll need to have some kind of closure for the bra cup when you wear it.
The simplest option is to add buttons. You can crochet a buttonhole by crocheting *sc, ch, skip the stitch below* to create a small hole where the chain space is.
However, if you are crocheting with cotton, using a fixed closure like buttons or bra clasps can be quite tricky because cotton tends to stretch out after just a few washes.
That’s why a lot of crocheters opt to use a lace-up back. While this option is a bit more difficult to wear, the lace back can be adjusted to fit you every time (even if the cotton is a bit stretched out).
If you want to use lace back, make sure to crochet small holes along the length of the crochet band (similar to how you crochet buttonholes), and then use a simple chain as the lace to tighten the crochet bra.
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