Seven Steps to Knitting a
Successful Sweater
by Paula Ward
www.knit-a-sweater.com
© 2011, Paula Ward
Seven Steps to Knitting a Successful Sweater
You’ve invested in the yarn and spent hours knitting the sweater, and somehow it still
ends up in the back of your closet. There is nothing more disappointing than investing
time and money knitting a sweater that isn’t flattering. I’ve done it--more than once.
This is a frustrating and unnecessary waste of time and money. By setting aside wishful
thinking and looking realistically at your project, you can vastly increase your chances
of creating a wardrobe piece that you’ll love and wear.
Suze Orman, noted financial planner, has said, “Hope is not a financial strategy.” It isn’t
a design strategy, either. It’s important to get real about the yarn, the design, and
person you’re knitting for.
Following are some simple steps you can take to ensure a successful project.
1. The “Would you buy this in a store?” test.
Imagine (as best you can) the finished sweater. If you saw it in a clothing store
would you try it on? Most of us have a pretty good idea of what looks is most
flattering to us. A hand-knit sweater isn’t any different. There’s no magic to knitting
that will make you look good in something that looks bad on you in ready-to-wear.
Wide shoulders? Beware a very close-fitting neckline. You look awful in yellow?
Don’t buy yellow yarn, no matter how gorgeous it is.
I know--the wonderful yarns available are constantly tempting us to stray from what
works for us. Use that acid green hand-paint in a different project--a felted bag, or a
scarf for a redheaded friend.
In a scene from The Runaway Bride, Julia Roberts wore an amazing oversized cabled
cardigan . The raglan sleeves were an integral part of the cable design, and it was
knit in a gorgeous taupe. Now, I look awful in both raglan sleeves and in taupe (and
not remotely like Julia Roberts). As incredible as that sweater was, I would have
been disappointed if I’d made it for myself.
Embrace your shape. If you are among the 50% of women in the U.S. who wear a
size 14 or above, know that you have lots of company. And I’m sorry to tell you,
there isn’t a garment out there, handmade or otherwise, that is going to make you
look like a size 2. That doesn’t mean you can’t look fabulous and stylish. If you don’t
believe me, check out episodes of What Not to Wear on The Learning Channel.
Take the shape you’ve got and work with it. Knitting your own sweaters is a golden
opportunity to create a flattering, one-of-a-kind garment. Regardless of your size,
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© 2009,2011 Paula Ward
Seven Steps to Knitting a Successful Sweater
there’s tons of good design advice in the book Big Girl Knits: 25 Big, Bold Projects
Shaped for Real Women with Real Curves, by Jillian Moreno and Amy Budd (Potter
Craft, 2006). Two of the most important points they make are:
• a bulky yarn will add, well, bulk, and
• so will dropped sleeves.
If you’re OK with that, great. But if not, think about a more fitted style--set-in
sleeves and a yarn that is medium weight or finer. Sally Melville also has a more indepth section on designing to flatter in her book, Mother-Daughter Knits: 30 Designs to
Flatter and Fit (Potter Craft, 2009).
2. Choose the right pattern for the yarn, and vice versa.
If you’re working a complicated stitch pattern, use a plain, smooth yarn. Smoother
yarns will show off your hard work better than a very textured yarn--this quality of
yarns is called stitch definition. If you’re going to all the work of creating cables, you
want to show it off, not obscure it with textured yarn. The same goes for color--the
darker the yarn, the less your stitch pattern will show. The natural white of the
classic Aran sweater is perfect for revealing the fancy stitch work of cables, bobbles,
moss stitch, etc.
On the other hand, if you’ve chosen a beautiful hand painted yarn or one with lots
of texture, keep the design simple. Let the yarn do the design work for you.
When you knit a swatch, you create a knitted fabric. Take a good look at the drape
of your knitted fabric. Is it appropriate for the pattern you have in mind? A knitted
coat or jacket needs the body of a firm fabric. A clingy little sweater needs a lighter
fabric with drape that will hug the body, not stand out from it. Changing the drape
may be as simple as using a different needle size.
Know your yarn and how it behaves. Wool yarn is a popular choice because it has
elasticity and warmth. The way the yarn is spun and even the type of sheep it
comes from affect the properties of the yarn. By and large, however, wool yarn
behaves itself, which is why it’s so popular and such a good choice for beginning
knitters. Plant fibers (cotton, hemp, silk, bamboo, linen, etc.) are a whole different
ball game. They don’t have the elasticity that we take for granted in wool, which
can affect the finished project significantly. When you’re buying your yarn, get
advice from the yarn store personnel about working with this fiber. If you can’t get
help there, go to www.knittersreview.com . Expert knitter and author Clara Parkes
has tested and reviewed hundreds of yarns by knitting swatches, washing,
blocking--all to help you avoid knitting headaches. Her site contains tons of other
useful information--how to’s, a forum for discussing all things yarn, reviews of tools
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© 2009,2011 Paula Ward
Seven Steps to Knitting a Successful Sweater
and books, even various polls you can take (you can also view results of previous
polls).
Buy the best yarn you can afford. Inexpensive yarn is a boon to the knitter on a
budget, and synthetic yarns can be terrific for creating washable items that can take
a beating, like afghans and baby sweaters. But the better the yarn (even synthetics),
the more it adds to the look of the finished garment, the less design wizardry needs
to be employed, and the better it will wear. A beautiful yarn can stand on its own in
the simplest of garments. Don’t substitute a cheap yarn for an expensive one and
expect the same result. Can’t afford the good stuff for an entire sweater? Save it for
a smaller project.
3. Know the measurements of the body you’re knitting for.
Don’t tell yourself, “I always wear a size medium, so I’ll knit that size.” Use a tape
measure, pencil and paper, and get accurate body measurements. Compare these
(plus ease) to the finished measurements on the pattern you’re using--most knitting
patterns state the finished size of the garment, and sometimes the body
measurements underneath. Quite often there is a schematic (diagram) showing the
finished measurements--compare these to your own to choose the appropriate size.
4. Don’t be a slave to the published pattern.
OK, I know I just said pay attention to the pattern. But there’s a time to deviate, as
well. As talented as knitwear designers are, they don’t know you. Adding a little
waist shaping, and changing the garment or sleeve length are simple changes that
nearly any knitter can tackle. Knitting Daily’s web site has a good, simple article
about waist shaping at http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/
2008/03/14/waist-shaping_3A00_-choose-your-curves.aspx.
Using a different yarn, adjusting shoulder width or changing the neckline are a little
trickier, but certainly are within the realm of most knitters with a little experience.
My e-book, Easy Sweater Design, at www.KnitSweaterPattern.com, can teach you
these techniques. Or check out my knitting design videos on youtube at http://
www.youtube.com/user/paulajward.
Whether you’re following the pattern or not, here’s a tip from a knitting instructor
that I have found very helpful: write out the pattern on a separate piece of paper.
Most patterns contain directions for additional sizes in parentheses, like this: Cast on
14 (16, 18, 20, 23) sts and work (K1, P1, M1) 8 (8, 10, 10, 12) times. It gets tiring and
confusing to keep trying to decode the pattern for your size, and sometimes you’ll
read the wrong number. A 5” x 8” pad or notebook is ideal for rewriting the
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© 2009,2011 Paula Ward
Seven Steps to Knitting a Successful Sweater
directions for my size, one row of instructions per line. So the first line of my
handwritten instructions would read: Cast on 18 sts and work (K1, P1, M1) 10 times.
Way easier to read. I also use my pad to take notes as I knit, logging the progress of
my project and any notes on the pattern.
5. Swatch, swatch, swatch!
This is the most important step you can take for success in knitting. Knit at least a 6
inch swatch, and wash and block it the way you’ll wash and block your sweater.
Check your stitch and row gauge before and after washing. A simple steam of your
swatch won’t tell you how the yarn behaves after washing--it may fuzz, shrink or
stretch. You want to know before you invest.
To achieve the sweater you see in the pattern, you MUST either
• knit to the gauge on the pattern, or
• know how to adjust the pattern to the gauge you’re using. This is beyond the
scope of this report, but it can be done--check with the store where you bought
the yarn (you did buy it at a local yarn shop, didn’t you?)
Maggie Righetti, in her terrific book Sweater Design in Plain English (St. Martin’s
Griffin,1990), suggests knitting a good-sized swatch in order to let the yarn tell you
what it wants to be, as strange as it may sound. Looking at even a solid color a yarn
in a skein or hank doesn’t tell you how it will look when knitted. Stockinette stitch
is going to look different than garter stitch--it’s all about how the light plays on the
surface of the yarn. As the swatch grows, your vision for the sweater will grow as
well.
It’s a great idea to buy just one skein of a yarn and take it home for a test drive.
Many yarn stores will hold the rest of the yarn you need for a few days while you
put it through its paces. Your swatch will tell you a lot about your future sweater-color, sheen, drape and stitch gauge. You may not like the yarn at all, or may
discover something wonderful and unexpected. Try before you buy.
Another important use of swatching is to test drive every stitch pattern and
technique to be used in the sweater. If a sweater calls for more than one stitch
pattern (e.g., stockinette and seed stitch, or maybe a cable) the pattern will (or
should) list a gauge for all stitch patterns. If you’ll be picking up stitches on the front
edge of a cardigan, work your swatch so that the sides have the same stitch pattern
as the front edges of your sweater. Then you can use both edges to find an accurate
ratio for picking up stitches. Be sure you’re comfortable with any buttonholes,
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© 2009,2011 Paula Ward
Seven Steps to Knitting a Successful Sweater
increase and decrease methods described in the pattern, etc.-- use your swatches to
practice.
6. Check Your Work.
Periodically stop and check your knitting. Be sure you’re maintaining your original
gauge--sometimes it will change as the sweater progresses. After I’ve knit about 3
inches of the body, I take the whole thing off the needles to get an accurate measure
of my stitch gauge, and of the total dimension of the piece I’m working on. If I need
to rip, it’s less painful to do it at that point. I’ll also hold the piece at arm’s length
and look at any stitch pattern I’m working. Looking at the back (wrong side) of the
work will sometimes reveal dropped stitches that I haven’t noticed on the front.
Occasionally counting the number of the stitches on the needles will also help catch
any errors. If you see a problem, don’t just keep knitting. Some errors are minor,
and you’ll be the only one who knows. But some are major, and they require action.
The big knitting mistakes won’t heal themselves--they just get worse. The more you
knit, the more painful it becomes to rip it out.
Place markers. Don’t be afraid to use lots of stitch markers on your work--mark
every important spot--decreases, increases, short rows, the start of a round, etc. Get
in a good supply of stitch markers (I like the safety pin style--they can’t fall out) or
use scrap yarn. Don’t tell yourself that you’ll remember how many decreases you’ve
worked or that you’ll be able to see them--make things easy on yourself.
7. Take care with the final assembly.
Don’t ruin your your hard work with careless sewing. Block either the finished
pieces or the assembled sweater to give your sweater a more polished appearance.
Blocking will even out your stitches. If you haven’t mastered final assembly, there
are lots of places to learn--start with your local yarn shop. They can even direct you
to a professional who can finish the piece for you. No, it’s not cheap--it’s an
investment.
There you have it--seven steps that will help you create successful knitted garments that
will give you years of pleasure and wear.
For more information on designing your own sweater pattern and on modifying
existing patterns, check out my e-book Easy Sweater Design: The Basic Sweater at
www.KnitSweaterPattern.com.
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© 2009,2011 Paula Ward