Knitting~how to design a Sweater

Designing a knitted sweater can be very simple. All you need is a pencil, paper, tape measure,a calculator, some basic math skills, and a good imagination.

First you'll want to take some measurements. *You may need someone to help you*

Measurements needed:

Waist, Bust, Length of torso (nape to where you want you sweater to end), width of you wrist, width of you bicep, length of you arm,length between bicep and wrist, length between collar bone to breast,with of neck to shoulder.

Now you will need to decide on what type of sweater your going to make. Pullover, Cardigan, Kimono, ect. Once you've decided you'll need to map out each piece of the sweater.

Next it time to decide on yarn. There are tons of lovely yarns out there. There are a few things you should remember when selecting yarn, you will need approximately 10-20 balls depending on your measurements, the gauge of the yarn, and how much yardage there is in a hank. Its a good idea to get a little more then you think you need, because yarn color varies from dye lot to dye lot (you will find the dye lot on the yarn wrapper). If you end up having a ball that is a different dye lot then you can mix it up with your other yarn (as if to change balls every few rows. There no need to cut the yarn just carry it up the side. This method works better with variegated yarns).

*Pay attention to what fibers are in you yarn. If it's 100% wool it will felt and shrink if you put it in the washing machine, unless it says it Super-wash. Which mean it been specially treated not felt.

Now that you've selected your yarn it's time to select your needles. You merely must look at the yarn wrapper. Most wrappers will have two boxes, one with two knitting needles and the other with a crochet hook. For our purposes you'll want the box with the knitting needles size.You'll want to have a pair of circular knitting needles.

From this point on there going to be a lot of mathematical equations. But don't worry their are very simple. If I can do it with math dyslexia I am certain you can to.Take a deep breath YOU CAN DO THIS.

*Back*

The back of the sweater is just going to be a square. To figure out how many stitches to cast on  you'll need to plug in your measurement into these equations.

Find the Cast On

chest/2=back   ->  back/4inches=backd  ->  backd*stitches=caston

Example:

20inches/2=10 -> 10inches/4inches=2.5inches -> 2.5*8=20stitches

*You will get your stitches Information from your yarn wrapper as well as you swatch.

Once you have your cast on you can knit to your desired length.

*Front*

For the front of a kimono or a cardigan you'll need knit two front panels, and for the pullover you will start with the same cast on as the back.

Finding Cast On

Chest/2=Front -> Front/2=halffront(hf) -> HF/4inches=DHF -> DHF*Stitches= Caston

Example:

20inches/2=10inches -> 10inches/2=5inches -> 5inches/4inches=1.25inches ->

1.25inches*8stitches=10stitches

Next you'll to figure out the shaping of the arm hole.

Shaping

!. legth between breast and collar bone-length of back=A

2. HF-Width of neck to shoulder=B

A the length you knit even before the decreases. B is the inches you will need to decrease to.

Example:

1.  8inches-30inches=22inches

2.  5inches-3inches=2inches

*If you find yourself dealing with increments smaller then 4 inches you must figure out how many stitches are in an inch.

Stitch amount/4=Stitch per inch

Example:

8sts/4sts=2sts per inch

That means since we have 2 inches we 4 stitches

Now we need to figure out how many stitches to cast off.

Arm Hole Decrease:

Cast on Front- Stitches per inch= Decrease Amount (DA)

Example:

10 stitches-4stitches=6 stitches to be decreased

All this tells u that we have 8 inches to decrease 6 stitches. That leads us now to figure out how often to decrease. For this task we once again turn to the our yarn wrapper where it will tell you how many rows are in 4 inches.

Finding Rows

Length between breast&collar/4=C -> C*Rows=Amount of Rows (AR)

Example

8inches/4=2inches ->2*14rows=28rows

This tells us we have 28 Rows to decrease 6 stitches.

Frequency of decreases

AR/DA=Frequency

Example:

28/6+4.6

This tells us that every 4 rows that we need to decrease by one (pullover needs to decrease one on both sides)

Overview:

• Cast on 10 stitches
• knit for 22 inches
• Decrease one stitch every 4th row 6x tell piece measure 30inches.

*when doing you decrease cast off the 3rd stitch in. This will give you a smoother look

Deep breath your almost to the end.

*Sleeves*

How you do your sleeves depends on the look and fit you want. For example if your doing a kimono you may to knit it in the round, however if your doing a cardigan you may want to knit it flat, (bell sleeves are a whole another animal that I won't be covering here)

Kimono Sleeve

Bicep/4=T -> T*stitches=Cast On

Example:

20inches/4inches=5inches -> 5inches*8stitches=40stitches

You will cast on 40 stitches and knit the length of the arm.

Fitted Sleeve

Bicep/4=T -> T*stitches=cast on

Example above^

Decrease Inches

Length of Bicep to wrist-length of arm=decrease Length (DL)

Example:

20inches-15inches=5inches

So this means to knit 5 inches even and then begin the decrease rows.

Width Decrease

Bicep-wrist= Decrease Inches (DI)

Example:

20inches-6inches=14inches

This says we need to decrease 14 inches in the length of 15 inches.

Stitches to be decreased

DI/4=D -> D*Stitches=DS

Example:

14inches/4inches=3.5inches -> 3.5inches*8stitches=28stitches

This means we need to decrease 28 stitches.

Next it time to figure out how many rows we have to work with.

Length of bicep to wrist/4 inches=E -> E*Rows=ER

Example:

15 inches/4 inches=3.75inches -> 3.75inches*14 rows= 52.5 rows

This means we have 52 rows to decrease 28 stitches. So now we need to determine the frequency of the decreases.

Frequency

Decrease Stitches/Rows=Frequency

Example:

28 stitches/52 rows = 1.8

That means decreasing 1 stitch every two rows 28x.

Overview:

• Cast on 40 stitches
• Knit even for 5 inches
• Decrease1 stitches every 2 rows 28x.

*Note for a fitted sleeve adjust for comfort by adding a stitch or two.

You can relax now.

Now you know the math and planning process to create your own sweater in any yar of your choosing. Lastly get out there, have fun, and knit it.