How do I Knit a Men's Turtleneck Sweater?
Knitting men's turtleneck sweaters can seem like a complicated task, but once a comfortable pattern has been chosen that fits your knitting skill and attractive yarns have been selected, you will find it was well worth the effort to fashion such a handmade garment when the final results are seen. Unlike ready-made sweaters, a hand-knitted one can easily be adjusted to fit men of all sizes with a few simple changes in the number of pattern rows and stitches.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Knitting pattern for a man's sweater
- Pencil
- Worsted or medium weight yarn
- Ruler
- Small and large straight knitting needles in sizes needed to obtain gauge
- Tape measure
- Scissors
- Yarn needle
- Steam iron
Instructions
-
-
1
Choose a comfortable knitted sweater pattern. Read the pattern carefully to become familiar with stitch techniques and instructions. Before you begin, circle all the numbers that pertain to the size sweater you are making, including places where only one number is given for all sizes.
-
2
Purchase yarn according to the thickness, weight and quantity recommended in the sweater pattern. Check the yarn labels to make sure they have the same dye lot number. Buy a little more than you think you will need in case you adjust the sweater length or size.
-
-
3
Work a test swatch to check that your tension matches the gauge stated in the pattern's instructions. If you have too many stitches per inch, you are working too tightly and should change to larger needles. Too few stitches indicate that you are working too loosely and should change to smaller needles.
-
4
Take measurements to ensure a proper fit. Measure around the broadest part of the chest; from the top of the shoulder down to one inch below the armpit; from the armpit down the inside of the arm to the wrist; from the shoulder up to the chin, and around the broadest part of the neck. Compare these measurements to the sweater pattern and adjust the number of stitches and/or rows where necessary.
-
5
Work from the bottom of the back first, followed by the front, neck and sleeves, unless otherwise indicated by the pattern. Cast on the required stitches with the smaller needles and work a basic "knit one, purl one" ribbing for 3 to 4 inches unless otherwise indicated by the pattern.
-
6
Change to larger needles and work in pattern stitches until you reach the armholes. If you are knitting with more than one color, wind the colors around each other to prevent holes from forming at the point of each color change. Shape the armholes by binding off the recommended number of stitches at the beginning of the next two rows. Continue to decrease stitches according to the pattern until the neckline and shoulders are reached. Shape the neckline and shoulders, loosely binding off remaining stitches. Repeat this step for the front.
-
7
Join the right shoulder seams with a large yarn needle. With right sides facing and the large knitting needles, pick up and knit the number of stitches indicated in the pattern across the front neckline to the right shoulder and across the back neckline to the left shoulder. Turn and work a basic ribbing that is double the length of the neck measurements. Bind off loosely in ribbing.
-
8
Knit each sleeve according to pattern directions and bind off. With right sides together, pin the center of the cast-off edges to shoulder seams and around to the armholes. Sew with a tapestry needle and the appropriate yarn color. Join side and sleeve seams and sew in the same manner. Steam all seams flat on the wrong side of the completed sweater by lightly touching with the tip of a steam iron.
-
1
References
Resources
- Photo Credit sweaters image by Ruta Saulyte from Fotolia.com
