Sweaters for Beginners

Sometime over the next few months, I plan to start working on my first sweater. I've been accumulating knitting books as they come my way, including some that pertain largely to sweaters (Knitting Workshop, Knitting in the Old Way, Knitting Ganseys, Sweater Design in Plain English) -- do folks have other advice for book choices or general sage wisdom about sweater knitting?

Maggie Righetti would have been my first suggestion, but you've covered her already. :) I'm also extremely fond of Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book Of Sweater Patterns - even when following another pattern it's been useful to me (particularly if I'm needing to substitute yarns, as usually happens if the original pattern is US-based).

Thanks, BoPeep. I was lucky enough to snag a copy of the Righetti book used around the corner from my house just recently.

I'll make a note of the Budd. If only LT would implement that wishlist feature...

My first sweater was the raglan in Last Minute Knitted Gifts. Though the book itself is not exclusively about sweaters, I thought it was worth it for that pattern. It definitely erased my "sweater fear." However, it is miles of stockinette in the round . . .

I also recommend The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns. It has all of the basic sweater constructions. What I most recommend, though, is just finding a pattern you absolutely adore and can't wait to wear, since first sweaters sometimes take some time to get through.

There is also some sweater instruction in Ann Budd's Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, if you don't already have it. It has just the most basic sweater design, but also has instructions for mittens, hats, etc.

Most important in any sweater endeavor though, is a good, thorough book on technique. Some sweater patterns are lacking when it comes to finishing instruction, appropriate cast-ons and how to do mirrored increases/decreases. I find myself using Vogue Knitting: the Ultimate Knitting Book most often, closely followed by The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques, by Nancie Wiseman. I hope that wasn't too long-winded!

I've just started my first sweater. It's a hoodie out of Stich n' Bitch.

Personally I think the best sweater to knit is one with minimal shaping that appeals to you in plain stocking(ette) knitting. Also in a yarn that sings to you. Go into a library or yarn store and go through the books and when you see a sweater/Jumper that cries out to be knit. One that you want to do yesterday. Personally speaking I'd go for something in 3.5-5mm needles (not sure how that converts) with wool/yarn to match. It will knit up fairly quickly without being too bulky.

My personal suggestion would be to consider something sleeveless or short sleeved -- sleeves are what kill my sweater enthusiasm every time. It seems to take longer to knit them than any other part of the sweater.

I'd also pitch a grain of salt on the stocking stitch suggestions. There are plenty of easy, quick-to-work knitting stitches out there, so if stocking stitch bores you (it bores me), there's plenty of else to consider.

noramunro, I've been wishing I could do something like that, but I would look ridiculous in a sweater-vest, so I may be stuck with sleeves. :)

*laughs*

Well, in that case, consider rearranging the order so you aren't stuck at the end knitting the sleeves (most sweater patterns run front, back, sleeves for some reason, but there's no reason you can't start with a sleeve) or possibly knitting the sleeves at the same time so you finish them together.

I would knit more sweaters but the sleeves kill me every time.

I have to agree with Noramunro--I am always astonished at the yardage needed to cover arms--they seem just long and narrow--certainly much narrower than a body--but they seem to have as much yardage as half a front, if not a bit more...

I vote for a vest!!

I tend to knit the back, then the first sleeve, then the front and then the second sleeve or with a cardigan, front 1, sleeve and then front 2, that often gets things done without ending up with the endless sleeve issue.

I knit both sleeves at once. That way, not only do I not develop second sleeve syndrome, but I also have two absolutely identical sleeves. (There have been occasions where the SSS got so bad, it was months between the completion of sleeve one and sleeve two. I'm not such a great note-taker.)

I vote for knitting both sleeves at once also--they do match exactly and it is a great relief to have them both done and not have to start all over again to do exactly the same thing for sleeve 2.

And when you are knitting both sleeves at once, pin them together at the place where they touch each other! That way, if you put them down in the middle of the row, you don't knit 2 rows on one sleeve and none on the other! If I have to stop during a "row" -- I count both sleeves as one row, I stop anywhere except the middle.

How do you knit two at once? Do you have two different pieces on the same needles? Two sets of needles, knit one row on one and then the other?

I use two different pieces on the same needles--and knitsnspins idea about pinning them together is great.

Red Lion has free patterns, and they had a simply, boxy cardigan in thick yarn that would be good for beginners.

I can't give you the URL for the pattern, b/c you have to go register for their freebies.

www.lionbrand.com

When I'm knitting two sleeves, fronts and back (I do all three of those together if a cardigan) I use a circular that is large enough to hold them easily. I don't use straights, as I find they hurt my hands because of the weight distribution.

On socks, I use two sets of double points, and knit the cuff of one, then the other. I then knit the leg of one, then the other. And so forth. That way, when I hit the finish on one, the other is so close behind that there is just a bit of work to finish it. No second sock syndrome!

I haven't had any luck using circular needles. I hold my needles funny (otherwise my wrists scream), and the circulars just aren't compatible. This may be a problem when I get to working with hundreds of stitches on my dpns..

Aha! I stopped by Half Price today on a whim and got good-condition used copies of Knitting Without Tears and Vogue Knitting. Sweet.

I have only knit 1 sweater. It was from lion brand and I opted to knit it in the children's size 2 since it was a test run. The body went well and I was happy to learn the 3-needle bind-off, but the sleeves...well, that did not go well. I misinterpreted the instructions twice...so neither sleeve is correct, nor do they match one another. It really depressed me, so I haven't touched it for a while. I have lately been eyeballing sweater patterns and think I am going to try again soon.

The Sweater Workshop by Jacqueline Fee. She builds on (and gives loads and loads of credit to) Elizabeth Zimmerman's seamless sweater. I've used the same basic pattern for newborns, toddlers, elementary school age, teens and adults. The person who taught me to knit has used this same general pattern for years - she probably knits 30 sweaters a year.

Thirty sweaters a year? My Lord, I thought I was compulsive!

30 seems about right, maybe a few less. Becky finishes a sweater about every 2 weeks. She told me once that she has enough yarn in her stash to last for years - of course, she still buys more. A mutual friend shared that she's seen Becky knitting socks while walking:)

kukkurovaca, you might try looking for extra-long dpns. I've seen some wooden and bamboo ones (my preferred type) in the 8-10" length, and supposedly there are metal ones you can get for knitting Shetland-style sweaters in the round that are something like two feet long! (I've never seen them in person, however.)

(I've knit a sweater in the round using 7" dpns and lived to tell the tale -- the trick is using lots of them (don't cram the stitches on!) and creative use of rubber bands to keep the stitches from dropping. You can loop one long thing rubber band around all the stitches on one needle, or you can get really fat rubber bands, cut them into 1/2" squares and poke a small hole in the middle, and slip those onto the ends. They won't slip and they'll keep the stitches in place.)

Thanks ranaverde -- good to hear that it's doable. (Thankfully, I'm putting the project off until after November's over, for another, even more all-consuming project: NaNoWriMo.)

The first sweater I ever knitted, and the easiest by far, was from a book called Hot Knits. One of the patterns is knit on large size needles (17 I think) and bulky yarn and is knit crossways instead of bottom to top. So basically you start at the wrist, knit across the neck and over to the other wrist on the first row, decreasing at the bottom edge of the sleeve to the body. That way you only knit two full pieces and sew them together. I gauged mine down because I couldn't find bulky enough wool, though. Still, it came out great!