How to Make Your Own Sweater

Make a sweater without relying on a pattern.

There are thousands of sweater patterns available for knitters to choose from, but sometimes none of those options seem just right. Learning to make a sweater without relying on a pattern is a valuable skill for knitters to learn, whether you want to design your own or make alterations to an existing pattern. Thanks to Elizabeth Zimmerman and Wendy Bernard, knitting on the fly is no longer a secret known only by professional designers. Knitting from the top down and in the round makes it possible to try it on as you go and make changes as you see fit.

Things You'll Need

• Circular knitting needles, 24-inch or longer
• Measuring tape
• Yarn for sweater
• Scrap yarn
• Stitch markers

Instructions

Preparation

1. Make a swatch and measure stitch gauge. Knit it in the round for an accurate stitch count. Record the number of stitches per inch. This will be your stitch gauge used in the following calculations.

2. Measure the back of the neck from one side to the other. Don't include shoulders. Add an inch for a wider opening if desired.

3. Multiply the back of the neck measurement by stitch gauge. Round to an even number for easier calculations. We will call this number "back stitches."

4. Divide the number of back stitches by 3 and round to an even number. This is your sleeve stitch count.

5. Add back stitches plus sleeve stitches plus 2 (one stitch each for left and right front). This is the amount of stitches you will be casting on.

Knitting the Sweater

1. Cast on the amount of stitches calculated in the last step as follows: one front stitch, place marker; arm stitches, place marker; back stitches, place marker; arm stitches, place marker; one front stitch.

2. Working back and forth, knit across all right side rows, increasing before and after each stitch marker for your raglan shaping and in the first and last stitches for your front. Purl across all wrong side rows. Continue until the sweater reaches your desired neck line.

3. Count your front stitches and back stitches. Calculate for center front by subtracting the number of front stitches from the number of back stitches.

4. Knit the next right side row. At the end of the row, cast on the number of center front stitches. A backward loop cast on is best. Back stitches and front stitches should now be equal. Join to left front and knit to the raglan line. This is will be the beginning of the round.

5. Continue increasing before and after each stitch marker on odd rounds (even rounds are knit without increasing) until the sweater reaches 1 inch below the underarm.

6. Remove stitch markers and place sleeve stitches (the stitches that are between the markers) on waste yarn.

7. Calculate stitches needed by multiplying the gauge stitch count by 1 inch to 2 inches for close fitting, 2 inches to 4 inches for standard fitting or 4 inches to 6 inches for loose fitting. Divide by 2. Cast on the extra stitches at each underarm, placing the marker at the halfway point to separate the front and back and to mark the beginning of the round.

8. Work in the round until the sweater is the desired length. You can add waste shaping as you go if desired. Use whatever bottom edging you want. Bind off.

Knitting the Sleeves

1. Place the stitches for the right sleeve back on the needle. Use a shorter circular or the magic loop method on a long circular needle.

2. Join the yarn and work around to the underarm. Pick up the same amount of stitches that you had cast on for ease when knitting the body. Be sure to place a marker at the center of the underarm.

3. Knit around until the sleeve is the desired length. For sleeve shaping, increases and decreases can be made in the stitches before and after the marker. Add desired edging at the cuff and bind off.

4. Repeat steps 1 to 3 for the left sleeve.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose a simple or decorative stitch pattern to finish the neckline.

• The type of increase you use for the raglan shaping will create different patterns for interesting detailing.

• Choose an extra long circular and magic loop your sweater. This way you can try it on as you go without having to transfer stitches to waste yarn.

• Compare your sweater to similar sweater patterns to determine how much yarn you will need.

References

• Bernard, Wendy. Custom Knits. STC Craft: A Melanie Falick Book, 2008.
• Knitty: Knit by Numbers

Resources

• Magic Loop Video
• Videos of different increases
• Videos of different cast on methods