Knitting

Patterns, projects and techniques

An Overview of Sweater Construction Options

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Yes you can knit a sweater now!There are so many different ways to knit a sweater, and thinking about how you want your sweater to go is a good place to start when you’re trying to choose a pattern.

The first consideration is whether you want your garment to be knit in pieces or all in one piece (or as much as possible in one piece). Both pullovers and cardigans can be worked either way.

There are pros and cons to both. Knitting that is pieced may be more portable, makes it possible to do intarsia and, some people say, is more stable and durable because the seams support the weight of the sweater. On the other hand, advocates of seamless sweaters may tell you they are faster, better for other kinds of colorwork and more likely to get to a state where you can wear them because there’s minimal finishing once the knitting is done.

Whichever method you choose, you can also work from the top down or the bottom up. I usually see pieced garments worked from the bottom up, and while circular yoke and raglan sweaters make more sense to me worked from the top down, you really can go either way.

Another choice you may have to make is how the sleeves are knit. They, too, can be done top down or bottom up and they can be worked flat or in the round. You may work the body from the bottom up in the round and then work the sleeves from the top down in the round, or you can work the body and sleeves both from the top down.

Of course if you’re just looking at patterns rather than designing a sweater yourself you don’t have to really think about all these different options, but it’s nice to know what’s out there and to understand how different sweaters go together before you start knitting them.

Does a particular style of sweater seem more or less attractive to you as a knitter? I’d love to know. And throughout the month I’ll be sharing patterns for different construction methods, so look out for your favorites.

Looking for knitting patterns for knitted Cardigans? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Looking for pullover and sweater patterns? Check these books out.

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Comments

  1. Well, as a knitter, I prefer seamless knitting… but recently I made a sweater specifically to gauge and even though it was to gauge it was too big for the wearer. In the back of my mind I am wondering, if I had knit it with seams, would it have been “truer” to the gauge… but perhaps (and more likely) the publisher didn’t state the gauge correctly.

Have you read?

Knits with Sheep

It felt like it had been a while since I’d done a roundup of knitting patterns involving sheep, and if search is any indication, that is true. I found a roundup of patterns for knit sheep from a few years ago, but the only one with v I could find is from 2015. So it’s definitely time to revisit this fun genre of knitting patterns.

This all started with a headband. Alyssa Kaat’s Icelandic Sheep Headband (free on Ravelry) to be specific. Ravelry showed it to me as a pattern highlight and I couldn’t resist taking a closer look. It’s worked with two colors of worsted weight yarn and alternates sheep with stars around your head.

Another great sheepy headband is this one from Loch Fyne Crafts on Etsy. These sweet little sheep are worked in bulky yarn and you can make the background look like field and sky or work it in a solid color.

Or make a headband (or a hat, cowl, or all three) covered with a flock of sheep with this set of patterns from New Age Knitting CA. These pieces also use the field/sky coloring, but you can use whatever colors of worsted weight yarn you like.

Speaking of hats, there’s also the sheep hat from Lynann Knits Designs. The sample was worked in Icelandic wool to make the sheep and the hat extra fuzzy and warm, but any worsted weight yarn will work.

There’s also the Wandering Sheep hat from Kat Hudon (on Ravelry), which features a fun collection of speckled sheep that can be worked in different yarn weights to make different sizes of hats for kids and adults.

And lest you think sheep need to be knit in traditional stranded colorwork, check out the Rebel Sheep Mob blanket by Deborah Moore. This one is worked in mosaic knitting using fingering weight yarn. In mosaic knitting you’re only working with one color per row so it’s pretty easy. You can find this pattern on Ravelry.

I can’t possibly share sheep knitting patterns without mentioning the amazing Black Sheep Shadow Shawl by Mark Jamieson. Shadow knitting is a technique I want to do more of, but it involves working two rows alternating in two different colors and the pattern emerges when you look at the design from an angle. It’s so cool and the sheep on this one are amazing! It’s not a beginner project but well worth the work. You can find it on Ravelry or at the designer’s website.