Last year I wrote a series of posts on knitting sweaters, covering everything from sizing to finishing. Now it’s time to put it all together. Here is your complete guide to successful sweater knitting, with links to all the relevant posts in one place.
Choosing Your Yarn
A successful sweater starts with choosing the right yarn to patch your pattern (or vice versa). Different sweater constructions need different fibers and yarns to be successful.
In general, sweaters with more structure – more seams and/ or a tighter gauge, can handle yarns with more drape. Sweaters that have fewer seams or other structural elements, such as a seamless raglan, will need a loftier fiber. Cables will show better with a rounder yarn, whereas lace is often best with a 2-ply yarn, which is less round.
Choosing Your Size
Choosing the right base size for your garment starts with taking your measurements, and then comparing them to the pattern schematic. To get the best fit in the neck and shoulders, it’s best to start with your Upper Chest measurement. I cover this here and here. You will also need your measurements at the following fit points: Full Chest, Upper Arm/ Bicep, Waist (optional), Hip, Lengths. As you compare your measurements with the schematic, take note of where you may need to make adjustments.
You also need to take into account the intended ease of the garment at various points. Here are some tips on ease.
Checking fit as you knit your garment can be challenging. If your blocked gauge is significantly different than your unblocked gauge, you may need to block the garment in progress in order to properly check the fit. This post has some suggestions on how ways to get a better fit.
Finishing
Finally, finishing is an important piece of a successful sweater. Finishing inlcudes all the steps from picking up stitches for any trim, to creating buttonholes and weaving in ends. Proper blocking and seaming can make the difference between a garment that looks ‘homemade’ versus ‘handmade’. Read this post for my tips on finishing.
I hope these guides help you in your sweater knitting journey. If you have a finished sweater to share, please tag me on social media @bullockozkandesigns.