How To Knit A Sweater?

Knitting is the new buzz! Everybody is returning to good old hand made sweaters. Many celebrities are leading the new fad and calling knitting the new yoga! Cameroon Diaz and Julia Roberts both love to knit. The rewarding accomplishment of being able to wear a self made item is great indeed, and you can add yet another pleasure to this, by making gifts for your loved ones. The following article is a general instruction for knitting a sweater, from here on the sky is the limit.

To make things simple and quick, we will be knitting a sweater with bulky yarn and large needles. The techniques you will learn here are the basics: cast on, increase, decrease, three needle bind off, bind off, picking up stitches at the neck, and blocking. This is a simple design, but it will give the new knitter the tools to apply to more complicated designs.

Find a bulky yarn that you love and buy one ball. Make sure there will be more in the store if and when you need it. Buy two sets of 24″ circular needles, one the size recommended on yarn and the other a size smaller.

Knit a swatch of 20 stitches X 20 rows, so you can find our what your gauge is. Knit the swatch as a stockinet, i.e. all on the right side and purl all wrong side rows. Bind off the last row loosely. Your gauge is the number of stitches X the number of rows you have per inch. Counting your rows and stitches when following a pattern is the most efficient way to stay on top of your yarn amount. Following a pattern just by measuring the end results usually ends in a higher yarn consume, so make sure you always have extra yarn.

Now that you know your gauge you can calculate the amount of yarn you will need for the pattern and buy the required yarn.

The gauge that I will be using in the pattern is 3.25 sts/in, 4 sts/in. So if you knit around this gauge the loose like sweater will look good. You will need about 766 yards of yarn.

I am using Alfa which is a mix of mohair and wool and it is machine washable in cold water.

Cast on 70 stitches. To cast on make a slip knot and insert the left needle into it. Then insert the right needle and wrap yarn around it and pull it out. Repeat this until you have 70 stitches on the left needle and then insert a mark, even making a slip knot with a small contrast colour yarn will do. Cast another 70 stitches and place another marker. The next step is to join the stitches so that you can work on the body of the sweater as a round (If the needles have a joining cable between them, it makes this a lot easier). Make sure before joining that all stitches are in the same direction. Knit the first stitch on your left needle, this is the join and the beginning of the rib base of the sweater.

Work in 2×2 rib for 12 rounds, o create a 2.5″ waistband. A 2×2 rib is 2 stitches knit and 2 stitches purl. You should always have two knit stitches before the first mark and two purl stitches before the second mark that is also marking a complete round.

To increase the number of stitches before beginning work on the body you need to work 2K, 2p for 7 stitches. On the next stitch, that should be a purl, create an increase stitch, i.e. two stitches out of one. Work 6 more stitches. Repeat this until you reach the end of round marker. The rib waistband is completed.

Now take the larger needle for the body and start knitting the next row on it, until you reach the round marker. Once you have completed a round, all stitches will be on the larger needle. From now on, until we separate front and back, all stitches will be knitted (not purl). Knit 50 rows/ rounds or until body measures 15″ from the beginning. If you need to change the roll of yarn it is advised to leave 5″ tail at the end of first roll and 5″ from beginning of second roll, just knit the next stitch with the second roll and continue. You will have to take care of the tails and hole in the knit when you do the finishing.

You have now reached the underarm. The next step is to separate back and front, which will now be knitted separately following an established pattern. Insert first 78 stitches onto the smaller needle you used for the rib. These are the front stitches and will now be put on hold. Instead of fighting to insert them on a needle holder, just use the smaller needle as advised. You no longer need the markers and can put them away so you will not loose them.

The back stitches have remained on the larger needle.

In order to keep the stockinet pattern we had until no in the round, we now need to knit all stitches when the right side is facing and when the wrong side is facing you need to purl the stitches. In our case the first row of the back is purl. Continue in this way until you have finished 88 rows from the beginning of the body (38 from separation). Back length should measure 24.5″.

Insert scrap yarn in a contrast colour into the stitches of the back so that they remain on hold until you are ready to work on neck and shoulders. Congratulations, the back is complete.

Next you work on the front until the neck line. Now take larger needle again and knit the first row of the separated front. Once all stitches are on the larger needle again, turn your sweater and purl the next row. Continue to work similar to the way you worked on the back part for 26 rows after separation (76 from the beginning) or until front body length measures 21.5″. You are now ready to shape the front neck.

At this stage, I am sure you intend to finish the sweater, so now I can ask you to make a note to buy other 24″ circular needles for body, as we need two sets to work on the sleeves.

To shape front neck line knit 31 stitches and stop. Using a new ball of yarn knit the next stitch. With the new yarn bind off 16 stitches.(knit another stitch, life the first stitch over the second one and off the needle, bind off ids complete).

Make sure that after you have bound off 16 stitches you have 31 stitches left, since the bound off area is the centre of the front neckline and the number of stitches on both sides should be the same. If number is not the same you may bind less or more stitches in the centre, this will not change the pattern, but it is important that the shoulders are symmetrical.

Now you have two sets of 31 stitches attached to your needle, each with its own ball of yarn. Purl the first set with the first ball of yarn, drop the yarn. Then purl the second set with the second ball of yarn. The next row will be knit in the same fashion and then purl again etc. This is called working both sides at once.

Let’s go back to the first row, since we need to decrease stitches to create the neck shape. There are two kinds of decreases, one is knitting two stitches together and one is knitting two stitches together through the back loops. The difference is the slanting each decrease creates.

You have finished purling both sides and are now on the right side. Knit 28 stitches and then knit the next two together (type one).Knit the last stitch on the first set.

Pick up the second yarn and knit the first stitch. Knit the next two stitches together through the back loops (type 2) and then knit the remaining 28 stitches.

You have completed one set on neck decreases out of three. Turn and purl the entire row. Repeat decrease instructions for second set, purl row, repeat decreases a third time (note you always have less stitches to knot first and last, since they have been decreased. Make sure you always decrease on the last three stitches of the first set and on the first three stitches of the second set). After completing decreases, you should have two sets of 28 stitches on the needle. Continue to knit until you have completed 88 rows from the beginning. Body length should be 24.5″.

Now it is time to join the shoulders using a three needle bind off technique.

First insert the back stitches from the scrap yarn onto a needle; it can be the rib needle or the second body needle set you have bought for the sleeves.

Turn you sweater upside down and lay it so that the front side is facing you and the two needles with inserted stitches (one with back and one with two front shoulders) are on the top.

Hold the two needles (front is closer to you) in your left hand. Insert right needle into first stitch on front left needle, as if to knit, and then insert it into first stitch on back needle as if to knit. Knit both stitches together so that you have now only one stitch on your right needle. Repeat this to complete another stitch on your right needle. Then bring first stitch over the second and bind off. Repeat this binding off technique until one stitch is left, then break yarn and insert it through the loop. Your first shoulder seam is complete.

Turn sweater so that back is facing you and repeat three needles binding off for second shoulder. You now have remaining on needle only centre back stitches, slip them on a scrap yarn.

Turn the sweater back to its right side and admire you work so far.

For sleeves you will need two sets of body size needles and two sets f rib size needles.

Place sweater so that front is facing you and go to the left underarm.

Insert a needle into the space between the first stitch of the armpit and the one next to it and draw yarn trough it, this is called picking a stitch. Pick up a stitch in next 3 rows and skip a row, then pick up a stitch in next 4 rows and skip a row. Pick up 4, Skip 1 two more times. You now have 12 stitches on the needle. Continue by picking up 5 sts, skipping 1, 3 times. You have 31 stitches on the needle and are at the shoulder.

Take the second circular needle and pick up 31 stitches from the shoulder on the other side, for the other sleeve. Take yarn attached to last stitch in second needle and knit first stitch on the first circular with the other point of the same circular. Now the sleeve is joined. Knit all the stitches on first circular then slide stitches to its centre. Knit from shoulder all the stitches on the second circular back to the underarm - this completes one round. repeat for three more rounds.

Now we start to shape sleeves by decreasing stitches. Use the knit 2 together decrease (type 1) we used on neck. Decrease from last three stitches every 3 row 8 times in total. Then decrease a stitch every fourth row, 8 times in total. The last set of decreases occurs on the 60th round. If we end the sleeve with a rolled edge it cannot be too long or too short, so this is a good ending for an online planned sweater.

For rolled end start decreasing stitches. Knit 9 stitches and the knit two together to decrease a stitch. Knit 8, and then decrease one stitch again. There are 28 stitches left now.

To get the rolled effect, knit 7 more rounds.

Bind off the 28 stitches. Follow same instructions for the second sleeve.

For neck trim get stitches back onto needle that is the same as the one you used for the ribbing. Work so that the back is facing you. You are now at the meeting point of back neck and left shoulder. You have 22 stitches on the needle. Pick up stitches for neck trim. Space the 11 stitches evenly along the edge. Pick up 16 stitches from the front neck where we bound off, pick up 11 stitches along other side neck edge, knit across the back neck stitches. Place a marker to mark the beginning of a round. Work three rounds with 1×1 rib (1 stitch knit and 1 stitch purl). The work 7 more rounds with only knitted stitches for rolling effect. With the 8th round bind of the stitches and leave a 5″ yarn tail at the end.

Since we worked on a round, there are no seems to sew.

To finish the sweater weave in the ends at the sleeves and neckline. Use a tapestry needle to weave in the ends where you added the new ball of yarn. Once you have woven and inch, snip the end. Do not pull tightly. For the finishing touch you just need to block the sweater, i.e. to give knitted fabric a good and stable shape.

One way to do that is to steam it. You can do that at the dry cleaners. but you can also block a sweater at home using your washing machine. Turn sweater inside out and place it in a pillow case and then in machine. Fill it with cold water and add a drop! Only! of shampoo. Press it under the water to insure it is heavy and wet all over. Turn on machine to gentle cycle and allow the sweater to go through the wash, rinse and partial spin. Remove sweater from pillow case in a bunch and lay on flat hard surface. Be careful not to pull it out at one end or it will stretch! Have pattern and measuring tape ready.

Pat sweater body into its general shape, do not pick it up! pat it to spread it. The sweater is now like clay and you can mould it into shape. If a stitch is out of place tug it into place and pat. Alfa will not give you much trouble. Measure body length and width and make sure neck is centred and pat sweater into desired shape according to pattern. Now attend to sleeves. Measure length from shoulder to wrist and make sure centre of sleeve is aligned with shoulder seam. Pat sleeve and lay across body gently. Repeat with other sleeve. Allow to dry until next day. Turn sweater gently over (after making sure flat surface is dry) and pat back. Sweater should be dry and ready to wear in the evening. Congratulations!