How To Select The Correct Sweater Size…

A wonderful article from the Knitting Site at Bella Online outlines an easy way to craft a perfectly fitting sweater, even if it’s the first sweater you’ve ever knit!

Marjorie Colletta of Bella Online says:

When you look at a sweater pattern and are trying to select the size to make you have to consider many things. The first thing to consider is your personal taste. Chances are in your wardrobe you already have a sweater that fits they way you want it to. It is probably among your most worn items. If this is the first sweater you are making then this is a great way to get the size you want. Measure this sweater and compare it to the finished sizes in the pattern you have chosen. Take the measurements of the chest size, the waist, the length, the width of the arms, and the circumference of the neckline.

Read the rest of the article here: http://www.bellaonline.com:80/articles/art15324.asp/zzz

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

Have you read?