Design it Yourself Sweater Project | Getting Started

Have you ever wanted to knit a sweater for yourself from scratch without a pattern?

Even if you're comfortable with knitting large, time consuming projects, you may think the idea of designing a garment is best left to designers. The reality is, no matter how skilled a designer is at transforming an idea into a graded knitting pattern, there is no single sweater pattern out there that will accommodate every knitter's style, size and yarn choice. However, if you can knit and have an adequate understanding of middle-school math (and some time and patience) you can probably design your own sweater.

Over the next few months I'd like to demystify the process of planning, designing and knitting a sweater as I make a garment that's perfectly tailored to suit my needs. I'll document each phase so you can hopefully use the series as an inspirational guide to plan, design and knit a garment that's perfectly tailored to suit your needs.

Usually when you knit a sweater, the first step is choosing a pattern. (Although some knitters may choose their yarn first then find a pattern suitable for the yarn.) Then it's necessary to figure out your measurements so you can make the appropriate size. For this project I'm taking a slightly different approach.

Choosing My Sweater Shape and Size

To make things easier, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, or in this case the overall shape of my future sweater, I'm going to start by shopping my closet for my most worn, loved and well-fitting sweater. It's not my intention to exactly duplicate my find. Instead, I'm going to use it as a sizing/shaping template.

I love this sweater so much I actually have two, one tan and one gray. I'm almost embarrassed to admit they were manufactured in China with 100% acrylic yarn. Ugh!! But, they have been wardrobe staples for at least a decade. Not a week has gone by that I haven't worn one of them at least once. So, this sweater is going to be my starting point.

If you'd like to design along with me (is a DAL a thing?), it's time to go find your starting point sweater. As you're browsing your wardrobe, make sure to choose something that you feel good in and fits you well. Also, a manufactured sweater is probably a better choice than something hand knit. After all, you already have a pattern for the hand knit one.

Let me know what kind of sweater you'll be using as a template by leaving a comment. Cardigan or pullover? Long sleeve or short? Multi or single color? Cables? Lace? Plain?

What to do next > Design it Yourself Sweater Project | Step 1