How to Draft a Pattern From a Sweater

A few tools and some simple math are all it takes.

There exists in each woman's closet (and some men's, I'm sure) the perfect sweater, the holy grail of fit, color and fiber content. But even with the most conscientious care and proper storage choices it will eventually begin to show wear or sustain some irreparable damage. By that time finding a replacement falls somewhere between slim and none. Besides being proactive and buying multiples of future sweaters, there is something that a moderately experienced knitter can do to replicate her favorite sweater and not be without that wonderful wardrobe staple.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Favorite sweater, shell or other knitted item
• Tape measure
• Pencil and paper
• Stitch reference guide
• Sample yarns
• Needles of various sizes
• Knitting gauge
• Scale
• Calculator

1. Make sure you account for fronts that are bigger than the back and offset seams for shaping.

   Lay out the garment to be copied as flat as possible and take copious measurements. Drawing a sketch of the sweater will help you, as each straight line you draw will need a separate measurement. Each diameter or width will also need to be measured. When in doubt, measure it. This includes sections of patterned knitting within larger pieces such as ribbing, cables or decorative panels.

2. Make some lists. These lists are going to include things you do and don't like about the original sweater. Chances are you like the drape of the fabric because that influences the fit the most, but do you prefer the sleeves of another sweater a bit more? Use this opportunity to work those changes into your sketch.

3. Knitting the ribbing in my first two yarns showed me there was no point to keep going. The third was more promising, so I did a full 40x40 swatch of it.

   Knit some gauge swatches out of sample yarns with different needles. Include in these swatches any pattern sections that will be used in your duplicate sweater as they will affect your gauge and the drape of the fabric. Try out a few different yarns to find one that feels and moves the same as your sample. For the really hardcore test, wash your gauge swatches to see how they hold up; this could change your mind as to which yarn to use. It's less important to match the stitch size and gauge of your sample sweater exactly than to find the gauge that replicates the feel of the garment with the available materials.

4. Decide on your method(s) of construction. The main choices are knitting in the round versus knitting flat--the latter requiring the addition of selvage edges to allow for seams--and sleeve options: set in, raglan or steeked.

5. Working in sections may make the process less daunting and makes it easier to redirect on the fly.

   Use your knitting gauge or tape measure to determine your stitches and rows per inch. Multiply your gauge figures by the various measurements to figure out the number of stitches to cast on, increase to and from, and the lengths to knit each piece. It may take some trial and error once you get started, but stick with it and you'll end up with a new favorite sweater before too long.

Tips & Warnings

• To determine the number of skeins you'll need of your chosen yarn, weigh your gauge swatch to find out how many ounces or grams that amount of coverage requires. Factor this out equal to the coverage your garment requires and add a skein or two for insurance purposes.

• It helps to have knitted a sweater before, but if you have not, the Sweater Sampler in "The Sweater Workshop" will take you through all of the basics you'll need for this project.

• Try on your sweater-in-progress frequently to check your pattern and adjust it as necessary.

Resources

• The Sweater Workshop by Jacqueline Fee
• Knit Picks: Yarn, Needles and Knitting Supplies