![]() ![]() Portside by Alicia Plummer - boatneck tunic shape with pockets.Basic Round-Yoke Unisex by Hannah Fettig - or even the colorwork version, Willard Fair Isle.Ladies Classic Raglan by Jane Richmond - ultra-basic top-down raglan Pros: No armhole shaping to worry about anyone who can knit a rectangle can knit fourĬons: Drop-shoulder won’t really teach you any new skills (other than mattress stitch) or anything about true sweater construction Both are necessarily oversized to account for the lack of a sleeve cap. Dolman-sleeve sweaters, similarly, are basically two big T shapes, one front and one back, seamed together, with an opening for the neck. Drop-shoulder sweaters avoid the issue altogether by consisting simply of four rectangles (front, back and two sleeves) sewn together, with the body pieces being wide enough that the sleeves can just be a pair of tubes stuck on at the opening. ![]() The trickiest part of sweater design and construction is the “armscye” - the shaping of the joint where the sleeve meets the body. 13 by AnneLena Mattison - drop-shoulder with allover lace Idlewild by Julie Hoover - dolman with cables and shaping (see blueprint above).Relax by Ririko - a bit of a hybrid with some eyelet interest. ![]() My First Summer Tunic - not pictured, but see this Knit the Look for more on this one (free pattern) But if you’re newer to knitting and doing your first sweater, you might want to keep it simple in that regard. If you’re perfectly comfortable with cables, lace, colorwork, or whatever, there’s no reason your first sweater has to be plain stockinette. NOTE: Since everyone’s skills are different, I’m suggesting one basic/beginner pattern for each construction type, along with more ambitious alternatives. (Coincidentally, Hannah Fettig and Pam Allen just did a podcast on basic sweater types at knit.fm, so I’d suggest listening to that for their thoughts as well.) So this post is a set of patterns I think are good starter patterns, but which also provide an overview of the four or five most common* ways a pullover is constructed - along with some pros and cons for each - to help you decide which might be the best place for you personally to start. Embarking on something as big as a sweater when the process is a mystery can be doubly daunting. It’s less daunting to dive into a pair of fingerless mitts, say, without really knowing what it will entail. I feel like in addition to the time and money, another hesitation for people is just not knowing how sweaters are made - what it is you’re signing up for. I’ve met people who’ve been knitting for decades, who have all kinds of fancy knitting skills, but who’ve never felt confident about knitting a sweater. But given the potential investment of time and yarn money, a sweater represents a bit of a mental hurdle for lots of knitters. Depending on the type of sweater, it may involve some combination of increases/decreases, casting on or binding off stitches mid-stream, picking up stitches, possibly even some short rows - some or all of which you’ve most likely done by the time you’re thinking about a sweater. Don’t let the size of this post scare you! As I’ve said before, if you can knit a mitt, you can knit a sweater. I’ve been promising this post on sweater patterns for beginners - or first-time sweater knitters at any level - for quite awhile, and it’s turned out to be a bit of a monster! But let’s get one thing clear right up front: There is nothing intrinsically hard about knitting a sweater. ![]()
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