Watch the video above. If you have any questions (or just want to tell me how you feel about the course so far) feel free to leave me a comment below, otherwise, just click here to go to Part 3: Time to Cast On.
Enjoy!
Learn how to predictably, *consistently*, knit a sweater that come out the size you planned.
Watch the video above. If you have any questions (or just want to tell me how you feel about the course so far) feel free to leave me a comment below, otherwise, just click here to go to Part 3: Time to Cast On.
Enjoy!
👏🏻👏🏻🎉👏🏻🎉✨⭐️✨❤️😃❤️👍🏻👍🏻🎉💐🎉💐💐
I’m using your links here to watch your videos on YouTube. You’re an ✨🌟⭐️🌟✨excellent teacher✨🌟⭐️🌟✨!! I am enjoying your lessons so much, and am eager to start knitting again soon. I learned to knit sweaters on the Bond USM by watching your videos and can see a lot of similarities with this series. I have USM-knitted sweaters for myself, my sister, my daughter-in-law, grandniece, and charities. I need my knitting to be “portable” now, so I’m switching to hand-knitting. 😃
Thank you Cee! Yes. I have been teaching how to make sweaters like this for years and it doesn’t matter which tools you use to make the knitted fabric, you still want a particular size and there’s a conventional order to making the pieces. I’m delighted that you were able to make many sweaters on your USM. I find myself doing less machine knitting and more hand knitting these days but I think I may have to get out the machine to knit up all the yarn I have during this lifetime.
Cheryl,
I am a bit confused. Could you tell me how I figure the ribbing sts?
I understand the width, as I read in your book and listened to your videos, I figure : stitch gauge per inch is 5, 5 x 11 = 55 plus 2 for seam.
So, that is 57 sts for the body, I understand we use smaller needles for ribbing but what do I use for ribbing sts. I am missing something,
Thank you
Phyllis
Sorry, just found it on page 47 of book.
Phyllis
For a child’s size now, I just use the same number of stitches. Even for some adult sweaters I use that.
😀
I am a little confused about the measuring. I understand everything until you wrote in the comment column. You said that we shouldn’t measure until after the swatch was washed. How would I know if it was wider?
Hi Arlene,
If you measure your swatch at 4.5 sts per inch before it is washed and 4.3 sts per inch after your swatch, you have stitches that got wider (you need less to make up an inch). If you measure 4.5 before washing and 4.7 after washing, you have stitches that have gotten narrower, hence your piece will be smaller. It’s good to measure before and after even though you calculate the sweater pattern AFTER the swatch is laundered. The before and after gives you information on how the yarn behaves in general. If you’re using acrylic or a washable wool there will be little difference before and after. However, if you use a cotton blend or pure cotton, there can be a lot of difference, especially in row gauge. Does this answer help?
Hi Cheryl….just remember 2 of my questions posted on YouTube. My ball band calls for a size 9 needle…even though I am using worsted wgt…3.5 oz…100 grams. Is this okay? Also, I am using a basic stitch to make my swatch….6″ square. Is it normal to follow the ball band when making a swatch or the actual pattern instructions? Presently, I am trying to watch all of your videos and work my swatch through before moving forward on making the sweater. Important that I understand what I am doing…LOL…Thanks…
The convention has been that pattern writers/designers expect you to match their gauge with whatever needles help you achieve that. But that often does not work. There are 2 variables in gauge . . . stitch width and stitch height (also known as row gauge). Changing one thing, the needle size, does not help you control for both variables. Translated to common-sense knitter speak: You can change needles until you’re blue in the face and NEVER match the gauge on the pattern.
My approach is different. Make a fabric you like with the needles you like. It shouldn’t be holey (too loose) or like a board (too tight) unless you are sure that you want that kind of fabric for a specific purpose. I suggested you start with a size 9 because maybe the manufacturer knows something about the spin of this yarn that makes a good fabric at that size. If that feels too loose to you, make another swatch with a size 8.
In filling in the chart, I see that you have 2 needles listed. Are we supposed to make 2 swatches with 2 different size needles foe each time we calculate measurements? I watched the video twice but did not see that mentioned anywhere..
The smaller needles are for the ribbings only. You make your swatch with the larger needles in stockinette. Use the larger needles throughout your swatch.
Didn’t really understand the formula mine is 3 4
16 2?. Decrease every 4th row 9 times. So how do I pickup the sleeve? 52 across.
How many rows do you have from the bottom of the armhole to the shoulder seam? And I don’t understand your numbers. Tell me the original numbers you are working with.
Hi Cheryl, when figuring the stitches in the neckline, my number was an even number. Is it better to go up one stitch or down one?
Thank you! 🤔
You only need an uneven number for your ribbing. Go down one st and then increase a st when you get to the body. If your body sts (excluding the ribbing) are even, the neck must be even. If your body sts are odd, the neck needs to be odd. This is so that you can divide the remaining sts into the 2 shoulders and they will be the same.
Hi Cheryl, I have another quick question for you (possible a silly one). On the gauge record sheet (which is such a wonderful tool that you’ve given us, btw): Where it has “Recom. Ndl/Tens” and “Your Ndl/Tens”, What does “Tens” mean? I realize that this is probably a “duh” question, but I just can’t figure it out. Haha! Thanks so much!! <3
Hi Erin,
“Tension” is an old-fashioned word for hand knitting gauge. It’s also a term in machine knitting that refers to a setting that controls stitch size, and that’s what it means here. It’s not something you need to worry about. Because Sweater 101 works for both hand and machine knitters I included that term. 😀 Not silly at all.
Hi Cheryl. I am loving your videos, there is so much useful information. How do you get the figure 6.15 for the number of rows per inch?
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us
Thank you so much for making me feel better about my question! I completely understand now. 😆 You really are an amazing teacher, Cheryl!! 💕
Hi Berni,
I measured the length of stockinette in the back,or maybe the swatch, I can’t remember. Sometimes I measure the back rather than swatch for a hypothetical child’s sweater (that is, one for a child I have not measured). I knit the back to length and count the number of rows and measure it in inches. Rows/inches gave me 6.15. Your gauge will likely be different.
Did you say to use a different size needle for the ribbing of the sweater?
Yes.
Hi Cheryl,
One thing that always gets my mind in a twist is if your gauge before blocking is different than after and your following a pattern that is based on measuring (knit to X inches), which in essence is the pre-blocked fabric, then the piece is not going to be the correct size after blocking. For example, if the pattern states knit the body to 17” but the row gauge after blocking was more then wouldn’t the length be off once the sweater was completed. I bet you’re going to say to keep track of the rows, but in some patterns it’s often hard to count the rows (cables) and measuring does make it easier.
Am I over thinking it? I have had one to many sweater disasters and figured the above is one reason.
Thanks,
Keith
Hi Keith.
No, in fact you are not overthinking it. You need to chart (or adapt) your pattern to the gauge you get after blocking. Cotton, for example, tends to shrink upwards and spread outwards after it’s washed and dried . . . that is, more rows per inch and fewer sts per inch. Translated again, you might get a short, fat sweater.
One thing to do is to count the rows as you knit them. My mother was quite religious about this if it was a complicated stitch pattern even though she could count the rows just fine. I just uploaded one video on counting rows of ribbing. I’m going to do another quick one on garter st because several people have requested it. Cables are tricky but one way to count the rows is on the back of the work if there’s a column of knits (purls on the right side), but making hash marks on paper when you complete a row is more foolproof.
Here’s another little trick I use to track rows as I’m knitting. It’s pretty slick! https://youtu.be/A-7O03-Glh4
Thanks Cheryl for the counting rows tip video and for your speedy reply.
I’m still a bit confused. I’ll do my best to explain where I’m getting tripped up.
I get that the charting should be done post blocking measurements. Let’s say that before blocking I’m getting 4 rows to an inch. After blocking the swatch there are 5 rows to an inch. I now do all my calculations based on the 5 rows to an inch. Up to this point, it’s clear.
Let’s say that based on the blocked measurements that I need to knit 15” to the beginning of the armhole. That measurement is based on the post-blocking measurements. But if I knit to 15” I’ll have 1” too many rows since the swatch “grew” 1”. Therefore, if my finished sweater needs to be 15” to armhole after blocking shouldn’t I then knit to 14” rather than 15” so that the length from my armhole to the bottom will be 15” after blocking?
Thanks…Keith
Don’t use inches as your guide. Count the rows instead. Lets take our example. If you want the final measurement to be 15″, multiply that by 5 and you find you need to knit 75 rows. After you knit the 75 rows and before you block it, the piece will measure 75/4 or 18.75 inches. Big difference, but don’t worry about it. It should shrink up to 15″ after you wash it.
Does that help? I know it sometimes takes me several times through a new concept to wrap my head entirely around it.
I forgot to reply to your answer to my follow up. Yes it makes sense. Basically if I were following a patttern where my row gauge is different than the pattern, where the pattern states to work to a particular measurement I need to convert that to the number of rows in my gauge and count the rows to that point.
Yes. 😀
Hi Cheryl,
This all makes sense and is SO much better than banging my head against a brick wall trying to match gauge. But… I’m wondering how I would apply this technique if the pattern I want to make has a design repeat of some multiple of stitches across the row (e.g., “quilted lattice” stitch, etc). Is that something you cover in your Sweater 101 book?
Thx,
Robin
I don’t think I cover it explicitly, though I do say that you have to make a gauge swatch for every different pattern stitch you plan to use, then principles are the same. And when I measure a gauge swatch with a pattern st I measure it a little differently, by repeats rather than by each stitch. I show how here: https://youtu.be/9LYBdjvMPHw
Hi Cheryl,
First, thank you for your quick reply! I looked at the video you kindly linked in but it didn’t really address my question – my fault, I should have been clearer. 🙂
What I meant was how to use this technique if your resulting numbers can’t meet the measurement of the sweater pattern without ending up with a partial repeat at the end of a row. I guess thinking further on it, if the multiple is fairly small, say 5 to 6 stitches, it wouldn’t make that much difference in finished size to either drop down to an even multiple or add enough stitches to complete the final repeat, correct? Well, as long as you’re not working with a bulky weight yarn…
Thanks again for these great videos (not just this class). Love the “out takes”, as I believe they’re called, at the end.
Robin
Ahhhh. Now I understand. I do it by centering a repeat of the pattern smack dab in the center of the front, let’s say, and then charting outward in either direction. That gives you a partial repeat at each end and when you seam the sweater it’s barely noticeable, especially if it’s a small multiple. Often commercial patterns have to employ this technique to accommodate different sizes.
Got it! Thanks!
Hi Cheryl!
I ordered your Sweater 101 book, but it won’t arrive for a couple more days. I can’t find an answer in the comments, so I’m hoping you can answer my question…..
I noticed you calculated your neck sts using the number of sts for the ribbing, 47+2=49. Am I correct in assuming you didn’t decrease down to 47 sts on the first row of the body stockinette?
Hi Sheri,
I just now found this comment. Sorry. And the answer is yes. The extra 2 sts are the seam allowances.
Cherly Bruette I am work in the sweater size one but I am having lot of trouble with my tension and taking a class for this.I finally think I got it, I did swatch and looks pretty good I am sending the swatch to Binka to see of I am almost finish or if I need more knowledge to be able to conquer the the problem. I am about finish the back of the sweater I just have to dicide if I want to go back and start again so it going to take long also I am a slow knit.
I seldom worry about knitting faster unless I’m trying to meet a deadline like a birthday or Christmas gift. I’m a slowish knitter myself.
Hello Cherly,
I just ordered your book, “Sweater 101” and came across your workshop about “How to Make a Sweater.” I always follow the actual pattern when knitting sweaters but now I am anxious to learn how to create my own patterns. Thank you for the videos.