Our First Sweaters

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The first sweater you knit is something that sticks with you – whether for better or for worse! Maybe you knit a sweater that you still wear to this day. Or maybe your first sweater was such a total disaster that it’s been thrust into the back of your closet, never to be spoken of again. Whatever your experience, all sweaters knitters know that the first sweater is a memorable one. Today we wanted to share some of our own sweater stories to inspire you toward your own sweater goals.

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Featured above: the Perfect Storm Pullover by Samantha MacKay and the Alder Pullover by Emily Ringelman.

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Must Clone That Sweater: Andrea’s Just-Like-the-Issue Murray Pullover

Andrea Lotz, Social Media Manager

I’ve been knitting for well over a decade, but it’s only been two and a half years since I made my first sweater. I was suffering from the common belief that I would one day be imbued with the “Magic Sweater Skill Set” after completing some arbitrary number of easier projects. Anyone who’s knit a sweater, though, knows that’s not how it works. You just have to jump in. When I saw Norah Gaughan’s Murray Pullover in Wool Studio Vol. VI, I knew I had to have it. And that I had to have it in exactly that same yarn. That was all it took to actually get me started!

If you want to follow along with my journey, you can read my blogs about it: Part 1 has the start of my journey, Part 2 is about my first-ever sleeves, and Part 3 has my finished object. I strongly recommend starting with a sweater like the Murray, with easy drop shoulders and simple stitch patterns and shaping. I found that finishing my sweater was more a matter of endurance than skill!

Joni’s Cabled Raglan

Joni Coniglio, Senior Project Editor

When I was in my early twenties, I had a boss who gave knitting lessons after work. And—because I didn’t know any better—I decided to make a sweater. (To her credit, my boss didn’t try to talk me out of it, and even encouraged me to try it.)

This was a time when patterns didn’t include skill levels, so I just picked a pattern I liked: a raglan pullover with a very intricate cable pattern. This was also a time before charts were widely used, so all the cable patterns were written out. The project turned out to be quite challenging. One of the hardest parts was figuring out how to work all the different cable patterns at the same time, since they all had a different number of rows. I ended up writing out many, many lines of text on separate 3 x 5 notecards and mixing and matching them as needed. (Thank goodness for the invention of charts!) I’m proud to say that the sweater turned out great and I wore it for years. The Alder Pullover by designer Emily Ringelman reminds me a little bit of it – although it includes charts, thank goodness!

I’m so fortunate to have had someone who could walk me through my first sweater—and who never told me I was getting in over my head.

Julia’s Top-Down, Stash Yarn Pullover

Julia Pillard, Digital Content Editor

I had been aspiring to knit a sweater for literal years before I took the plunge. Knitting a sweater seems so intimidating, especially when you consider how much knitting there often is to do. But after much encouragement from my fellow knitters at Interweave, I finally went through my stash and found a sweater amount of yarn. The sweater I chose was the Perfect Storm Pullover by designer Samantha McKay, a top-down pullover with a circular yoke and simple, flowing colorwork.

This was the perfect pattern for me to start with: the top-down construction made it feel a lot easier to knit, since much of the shaping was done right away. The colorwork was also delightful, and the long stretches of stockinette in the body made this great for Netflix-and-knit evenings. I’m so pleased with the result—this is my go-to pullover on chilly days.

Loved So Well She Wore It Out: Allison’s Very First Sweater

Allison Korleski, Video Producer

I knit my first sweater so many years ago I wore it out. I no longer remember the pattern name, or the designer, but I do recall that it was a top-down raglan, and I was stupidly proud of it.

The Riverstone Boatneck by Wendy Bernard brings back fond memories of that first sweater-knitting experience. It’s also a top-down raglan, uses a very simple stitch pattern to make it more interesting than stockinette, and has graceful bell sleeves. I’ve just added the pattern to my Ravelry queue, which is the highest recommendation I can give.

In Stitches: Tammy’s In-Progress Pullover

Tammy Honaman, Interweave Content Director

I took on a “My First Sweater” challenge last fall with the Amber Pullover, from Quick + Easy Knits, Volume 1. I shot out of the gate filled with excitement knowing I’d soon have a sweater to wear, or at least could say I’d finished one.

I did really well until I got to the second sleeve. As I cast on that sleeve, panic started to rise. I knew, as soon as I finished it, I’d have to stitch the sweater together. And that meant I’d know if the sweater was a success or a failure. I miraculously got busy with holiday gifts and tucked the sweater parts away. I can now admit, leaving the sweater as WIP lowered my blood pressure! I will soon face my demons, though, and get back to this project—I promise.

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What was your first sweater? Are you still working up to it? Let us know in the comments, and as always,

Happy Knitting,

-The Interweave Yarn Team