Great Sweaters are Made, Not Born!

Great Sweaters are Made, Not Born!

Sweaters are the magnum opus of the knitting world, and yet something that intimidates many knitters. Knitting a fitted sweater, more than a shawl that does not need to fit a particular size, can be quite a daunting proposition. It’s a lot of knitting, a sizable investment, and how can you be sure it will fit? After all, swatching is a pain, and swatches lie anyway, don’t they? When pondering such a large scale project that needs to fit, a host of questions and doubts can arrive.

The key to knitting a great sweater is simple, yet often overlooked. Yes, one must have the requisite knitting skills, but more important than that is creating a good sweater fabric in the yarn you plan to use (regardless of the needle size and gauge stated in the pattern), and then adjusting the pattern to suit your own fabric and gauge.

In this class, we look at common sweater structures and examine how, when, and where to make adjustments to gauge in a pattern, once you have found your ideal fabric. We thoroughly discuss swatching as a means to an end - a necessary evil, if you will. Come with an open mind, prepared to learn tools to liberate yourself from the need to blindly follow a sweater pattern, hoping for the best.


Skills needed: Knit, purl, make simple decreases and increases, cast on, bind off. Student needs to have some knitting experience, be able to achieve a consistent gauge throughout a project, and to have successfully completed a few projects (not necessarily sweaters).

Materials: Bring one or more swatches in yarn(s) that you are considering using for your sweater, along with the pattern you want to use (see Homework below). Also, you may want to bring needles in the sizes you are considering, just in case you decide to make another swatch during the class.

Bring a calculator, paper and pencil, measuring tape, and if desired, helpful pattern notes culled from the Ravelry projects for this pattern.

Homework: Work a stockinette stitch swatch that is at least 5” wide and 4” long. Measure the stitches and rows over 4” both before and after blocking. Work swatches until you have made a good sweater fabric, regardless of the needle and gauge stated in the pattern.

Make a note of the gauge stated in the pattern and see whether your blocked swatch agrees with the stated gauge. Ask yourself if you like the drape and other qualities of the fabric you are getting. If not, you may want to try a swatch with another needle size. The goal is to get a fabric you think will be nice for your sweater. Note: it is a good idea to look at the projects on Ravelry for your sweater pattern to see issues other knitters have had with the pattern