I know I know...I am only on post two of a knitting blog and I am already talking about knitting sweaters. Didn't she just tell us how to get started? And now she's springing sweaters on us?! Sheesh!
If you have just started knitting and enjoy it, chances are you are going to keep knitting. And if you keep knitting, you will inevitably come to a place where you crave new patterns and challenges. And as your confidence builds, I can almost guarantee you that you will want to try to knit a sweater, whether it be for you, your kid, your husband, or your dog. This is my journey in sweater knitting.
I have officially made six sweaters. One for my infant son, one for a dog, and four for myself (and that doesn't include the silk mohair poncho I made for myself or the poncho I made for my daughter). My son wore his cardigan once before dribbling sweet potato spit-up all over the front of it. The dog whimpered and cowered as if its sweater were a straight jacket, and so now said sweater adorns a stuffed animal that resides in the bottom of the toy box. And my own sweaters? I have worn them each exactly once a piece, only to stuff them into the depths of my closet never to be worn again.
I don't pretend to be some master knitter, but I do feel that I am skilled and can confidently maneuver my way through most patterns. That said, even the simplest sweater pattern is going to require hours of knitting time, not to mention hours of finishing in the form of sewing, weaving in ends, and blocking. Add to that the cost of several football field lengths of yarn (which will be worn next to your skin, so it better be nice...read: expensive), and a handknit sweater becomes an investment on multiple levels.
So why on earth have I done this four times and not worn them more? Why am I not flaunting my skills around and stopping every random person on the street to tell them, "I MADE THIS!!!"? Because they never turn out quite the way I expected. They technically look just like the picture in the pattern book, but on my body, they look a little frumpy. They could stand to be a little roomier here, a little more fitted there, and a little longer over there. I may have unrealistic expectations, but I can't stand to be a walking billboard and not have it look perfect.
After such an investment in time, money, and effort, it is a sad thing to see those sweaters sit. And I know that there are tons of other knitters out there who have the same situation in their closets: a collection of precious works of art that cannot be put to use because they aren't just so. That all said, each time I get a little closer to my ideal sweater, and after a month or two of "sweater recovery" I am ready to start the pattern search again, armed with the lessons from the previous efforts. So you don't have to learn those lessons by making my mistakes, here are some of the biggies:
1. ) If you want a sweater that looks like you bought it from your favorite clothing store, go to your favorite clothing store and buy it. Handknits look handmade because they ARE. That doesn't mean they have to be "grandma sweaters" but they probably won't look like they are from the Gap, either.
2.) Simple is better, especially on your first try. My first sweater had this gorgeous lacework at the bottom of it, and while that turned out all fine and dandy, the rest of the sweater was ill-fitting. I spent so much time on the lace and now it just sits in a drawer. There is much to be said for a simple raglan sweater that fits like a dream as opposed to a cabled/color-worked/lacy monstrosity.
3.) Use good yarn. I know last time I talked about not spending a fortune on yarn, but when it comes to a sweater, you need to buy something that you LOVE. Remember, you won't just be feeling this on your skin when you wear it, but also the whole time you are knitting with it! If you don't like to work with the yarn, you won't be motivated to finish the project.
4.) Pay attention to the pictures: do you like how the sweater fits the model? Is it even shown on a model? Is the model built like you or built like a model?
5.) Take your measurements. Do I really need to explain this?
I am certain I will learn more lessons as I continue on my quest for the "perfect sweater pattern," but in the meantime, I will take these and move on. Because someday, I am going to throw on my favorite handknit, run outside, grab the first stranger I see and yell, "I MADE THIS!!!" And they will be so impressed.
