How do I learn to make babby... I mean, Icelandic wool sweater
November 23, 2018 11:39 AM Subscribe
My husband's dream is for me to knit him an intricate Icelandic wool sweater. I... have never knitted a sweater before. I would like to make his dream come true but will obviously need lots of practice with making more basic sweaters and learning to gauge size with much more simple sweater patterns. Does anyone have specific examples of sweater patterns I should start with? Current level of knitting knowledge inside.
I am a casual knitter but am prepared to take on a more ambitious project. Currently I mostly knit rectangular things like scarves and cat blankets. Many years ago I did learn how to knit socks, hats (very poorly), and even made myself a lovely shrug and occasionally I will do lace (I late the look of it but love working on it). I also know how to do cables.
Probably my weakest point is projects where you knit separate pieces and then knit them together at the seams. I never have gotten it perfectly aligned but, again, I haven't practiced a lot.
I fully expect this to take a year or two of practice before I'm ready to embark on the actual gift.
What is a good starting place? I was thinking maybe making a baby sweater since it would be small and I wouldn't have to invest a lot of time and money to try it a few times. Is that a good start? Or maybe something like a poncho? I really don't know where to begin. I would appreciate any recommendations for specific patterns to try, especially as I graduate to more complicated work.
I am a casual knitter but am prepared to take on a more ambitious project. Currently I mostly knit rectangular things like scarves and cat blankets. Many years ago I did learn how to knit socks, hats (very poorly), and even made myself a lovely shrug and occasionally I will do lace (I late the look of it but love working on it). I also know how to do cables.
Probably my weakest point is projects where you knit separate pieces and then knit them together at the seams. I never have gotten it perfectly aligned but, again, I haven't practiced a lot.
I fully expect this to take a year or two of practice before I'm ready to embark on the actual gift.
What is a good starting place? I was thinking maybe making a baby sweater since it would be small and I wouldn't have to invest a lot of time and money to try it a few times. Is that a good start? Or maybe something like a poncho? I really don't know where to begin. I would appreciate any recommendations for specific patterns to try, especially as I graduate to more complicated work.
Start here: with this Teddy Bear sweater and give it as a Christmas present on a purchased stuffed animal. If you start in small scale you get to practice the sewing and assembling and making pieces fit without using as much yarn and taking as much time doing the knitting.
This one is a patterned doll sweater.
Here is another doll sweater pattern to practice getting the sleeves attached.
If nobody in your circle likes dolls or bears and that seems like a waste of yarn consider knitting a couple of baby sweaters and donating them to the local home for underage mothers.
This is a child's Icelandic sweater. And here is a Icelandic knitting tutorial on Youtube.
posted by Jane the Brown at 12:03 PM on November 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
This one is a patterned doll sweater.
Here is another doll sweater pattern to practice getting the sleeves attached.
If nobody in your circle likes dolls or bears and that seems like a waste of yarn consider knitting a couple of baby sweaters and donating them to the local home for underage mothers.
This is a child's Icelandic sweater. And here is a Icelandic knitting tutorial on Youtube.
posted by Jane the Brown at 12:03 PM on November 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Many of the Icelandic sweater patterns on Ravelry are seamless, so you can avoid the sewing separate pieces together part if you want to.
I would second the advice to make a baby sweater and make something with similar colourwork before you dive in, but you can 100% do this.
posted by phlox at 12:07 PM on November 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
I would second the advice to make a baby sweater and make something with similar colourwork before you dive in, but you can 100% do this.
posted by phlox at 12:07 PM on November 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
I think a good place to start would be to work on a piece where gauge is important, and where you can start doing some colorwork as well, because that can be fiddly and affect the gauge of the finished piece. I would start with a hat or mittens with a stranded colorwork pattern, because then you can see how they fit when you wear them.
The Icelandic sweaters with colorwork yokes lend themselves to being knitted all in one piece, either starting from the neck and knitting down the yoke and body, or knitting them from the bottom hem. You can definitely find a pattern that won't require you to seam anything. It's easier to fit the sweater if you start it from the neck, but I think a lot of commercial patterns start from the bottom hem.
Elizabeth Zimmerman has written a lot about making these sweaters, so you might want to look at her books, especially Knitting Without Tears.
Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top would also be a good book to read, she covers how to knit top-down sweaters.
Also, I highly recommend you get a Ravelry account, if you don't have one already. The site has patterns and forums and is a great source of knitting knowledge.
posted by Lycaste at 12:08 PM on November 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Icelandic sweaters with colorwork yokes lend themselves to being knitted all in one piece, either starting from the neck and knitting down the yoke and body, or knitting them from the bottom hem. You can definitely find a pattern that won't require you to seam anything. It's easier to fit the sweater if you start it from the neck, but I think a lot of commercial patterns start from the bottom hem.
Elizabeth Zimmerman has written a lot about making these sweaters, so you might want to look at her books, especially Knitting Without Tears.
Barbara Walker's Knitting from the Top would also be a good book to read, she covers how to knit top-down sweaters.
Also, I highly recommend you get a Ravelry account, if you don't have one already. The site has patterns and forums and is a great source of knitting knowledge.
posted by Lycaste at 12:08 PM on November 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
I was also coming here to say do some color work if you haven’t.
posted by Smearcase at 12:08 PM on November 23, 2018
posted by Smearcase at 12:08 PM on November 23, 2018
Speaking as a person who did a cable cardigan as my first shaped piece, this is an attainable and potentially very fulfilling goal!
My overarching advice: Join Ravelry! Ravelry is swarming with helpful folks who will happily talk you through every step of this process.
To get from rectangular knitting to an Icelandic sweater, you'll need to practice a couple of skills. One is knitting in the round using circular needles. Another is stranded knitting (also called Fair Isle knitting).
Here's a tutorial for practice swatches that combine these techniques.
One of these might be a good next project before the baby sweater.
posted by ottereroticist at 12:18 PM on November 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
My overarching advice: Join Ravelry! Ravelry is swarming with helpful folks who will happily talk you through every step of this process.
To get from rectangular knitting to an Icelandic sweater, you'll need to practice a couple of skills. One is knitting in the round using circular needles. Another is stranded knitting (also called Fair Isle knitting).
Here's a tutorial for practice swatches that combine these techniques.
One of these might be a good next project before the baby sweater.
posted by ottereroticist at 12:18 PM on November 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
I came here to specifically recommend Elizabeth Zimmerman's books. She has many similar patterns, but is also just...really practical, and comforting. She'll teach you how to understand construction and knitting and how a garment comes together in a way no one else does, and she'll do it and be funny and challenging and wonderful. I'm partial to The Opinionated Knitter, but all of her books have this about them.
(Also, although it is not really related to the skills you need to build for this sweater, I recommend knitting her Baby Surprise sweater at least once in your life. You will feel like the greatest witch ever to live when you finish it. Trust me.)
Dang, now I want to knit an EZ....anything, actually.
posted by kalimac at 12:25 PM on November 23, 2018
(Also, although it is not really related to the skills you need to build for this sweater, I recommend knitting her Baby Surprise sweater at least once in your life. You will feel like the greatest witch ever to live when you finish it. Trust me.)
Dang, now I want to knit an EZ....anything, actually.
posted by kalimac at 12:25 PM on November 23, 2018
Nthing colorwork, and practice getting gauge. Squarish things are fun, but the hardest part of the sweater will be sizing and colorwork and increasing/decreasing, and seaming if needed.
I went straight from rectangles to a sweater. You can absolutely do this. Unless you really want to knit a baby sweater, I don’t think you have to - smaller projects get fiddly and it’s hard to see what you’re doing. Worse comes to worst? The sweater doesn’t go well and you frog it and start again.
posted by umwhat at 12:34 PM on November 23, 2018
I went straight from rectangles to a sweater. You can absolutely do this. Unless you really want to knit a baby sweater, I don’t think you have to - smaller projects get fiddly and it’s hard to see what you’re doing. Worse comes to worst? The sweater doesn’t go well and you frog it and start again.
posted by umwhat at 12:34 PM on November 23, 2018
Yeah you got this. Thinking about it is actually harder than doing it. Step #1 of course is to join Ravelry, you will find a ton of helpful info on there.
Your yarn choice is very important with sweaters, though - it affects everything from how it fits to how it feels to how long it's gonna last. Icelandic sweaters are traditionally knitted with Lopi yarn, which is pretty much the epitome of your rough & sturdy outer-garment yarn. If your man wants something softer and shmooshier that can be worn next to the skin, it might need to be knitted a bit differently than a traditional Lopapeysa.
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 2:49 PM on November 23, 2018
Your yarn choice is very important with sweaters, though - it affects everything from how it fits to how it feels to how long it's gonna last. Icelandic sweaters are traditionally knitted with Lopi yarn, which is pretty much the epitome of your rough & sturdy outer-garment yarn. If your man wants something softer and shmooshier that can be worn next to the skin, it might need to be knitted a bit differently than a traditional Lopapeysa.
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 2:49 PM on November 23, 2018
Nthing the EZ and baby sweater (if there's a baby you want to make a sweater for) and Ravelry recommendations, and specifically this pattern! You get the small size, yoke design practice, and an opportunity to get weird with color combinations. Also, this yoke sweater knitalong might be of interest.
posted by quatsch at 3:41 PM on November 23, 2018
posted by quatsch at 3:41 PM on November 23, 2018
You have the skills to do this right now! My first knitting project (after making a rectangle) was an Icelandic sweater knit in the round, entirely so I didn't have to purl much (just to make the ribbing) or assemble. The color work isn't difficult if you choose your pattern wisely and go slowly.
In addition to the fabrication tips above, I recommend choosing a bulky yarn, like Lopi, that will yield an outdoor working sweater--for raking leaves, not drinking cocoa by the fire--and also measuring the sweater and its shape against his body frequently. The place where you buy the yarn will likely be helpful and your knitting friends will be resources too. Also, every few rows check it carefully for dropped stitches, twisted stitches, etc. so that you can choose to unravel to correct errors without heartburn. But no worries, for errors are charming: they're how you know something is handmade!
If you like sportsball, especially American football, watching the game is a great way to get sweaters made since there will be replays of anything important.
posted by carmicha at 6:58 AM on November 24, 2018
In addition to the fabrication tips above, I recommend choosing a bulky yarn, like Lopi, that will yield an outdoor working sweater--for raking leaves, not drinking cocoa by the fire--and also measuring the sweater and its shape against his body frequently. The place where you buy the yarn will likely be helpful and your knitting friends will be resources too. Also, every few rows check it carefully for dropped stitches, twisted stitches, etc. so that you can choose to unravel to correct errors without heartburn. But no worries, for errors are charming: they're how you know something is handmade!
If you like sportsball, especially American football, watching the game is a great way to get sweaters made since there will be replays of anything important.
posted by carmicha at 6:58 AM on November 24, 2018
(Re the sweater curse, it doesn't apply to husbands/wives, only boyfriends/girlfriends.)
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:49 AM on November 26, 2018
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:49 AM on November 26, 2018
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