All Things First Ever Sweater
The idea of knitting a sweater can be daunting even to knitters who have been doing it a while - how does it get to be that shape? Will my sizing be right? Is it a good idea to invest in this much yarn? Isn't it just harder to do than a scarf or shawl?
One of the many things we have come to evangelize in the shop since Melissa, our resident sweater knitter extraordinaire, joined us is that sweater knitting is nothing to be afraid of & can often be one of the most rewarding projects for a knitter to work on.
Let's walk you through two options for first ever sweater patterns for you to try out, plus some of our tips!
The Flax Sweater by tincanknits
This sweater pattern is a great source of guidance for beginners but comes with a lot of freedom to make it in exactly the way that feels right to you!
For example, Flax:
- Can be done in either fingering weight or worsted weight yarn - meaning you have options!
- Looks good in both variegated or solid yarns (choose the yarn that calls to you!)
- Can be made for women or men, as well as in either adult or baby size
We recommend for your first ever attempt to try out the baby size in worsted weight (even if you don't necessarily have kids in your life), so you have a quick moving, small project that gives you all the experience without the months of dedication an adult size takes. Baby sizing is also much more difficult to get wrong. Then you can always rip it out & start on one that fits you. (Or don't rip it out - baby sized clothes are always cute & you never know when you may have a special kid to gift it to.)
This pattern is also
- Easy to read
- Includes lots of hints & LINKS to tutorials & more online resources!
- Lots of people have made this one before so Ravelry is full of other people's take on this one, plus their notes - viewing other people's projects on Ravelry is always such a good resource!
One of our customer has made this one multiple times - so we can promise it's a good one to re-knit. Can always be adapted by fading it or striping it!
Another one that's been knit by loads of people before! It also has a fingering version, but we really like sticking with the worsted for your first time.
This one looks really impressive because of the split hem, but it's still super accessible!
- This one is meant to be worn oversized almost like a sweatshirt - so going up a size or two will keep you from worrying about the fit too much.
- Melissa says to measure one of your favorite sweatshirts (that you know you like the comfortable fit of) and choose your size based off of that.
- Starts out at the bottom with back and forth ribbing before moving to working in the round and eventually reaching the shaping at the top - so you start off easy & have time to get comfortable before getting to the "harder" stuff (which trust us - isn't as hard as you might anticipate).
- There are also lots of additional online resources (YouTube videos & other people's notes on Ravelry) which are easy to find & help you along
Both Carolina and Madelyn are making Weekenders at the moment - and Melissa has made one in the past. So we're familiar with the pattern on this one if you ever have questions!
Which brings us to...
A Final Tip: Call or text us (or swing by) with ANY sweater questions - you always have a Fuzzy Goat support network built in here (one of the perks of a LYS) and Melissa is a pro at sweaters after all!
Yarns We Recommend:
Any Worsted that strikes your fancy! It really does knit up so much quicker. Woolstok makes a great sweater yarn!
Madelyn is making her Weekender with Emma's Washable Worsted Wool (we have a couple colors left in sweater quantity).
Happy knitting, y'all!
xx The Fuzzy Team