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First Steps

This is the first step in making a sweater. Well, not exactly. There are a bunch of preliminary steps. In no particular order, you should:

  • learn the difference between a knit stitch and a purl stitch
  • learn how to knit in the round on both circular and double-pointed needles
  • knit with synthetics, cotton and wool to find out what really turns you on
  • talk to other knitters
  • make a lot of mistakes
  • learn how to join yarn in the middle of a piece
  • learn how to do a cable
  • learn how to do Fair Isle colors
  • learn how to do intarsia colors

But once you’ve done all that, here’s how you start: You make a collar.

First Collar Attempt

Then, you rip out the collar you just made because you’re not happy with the fancy Fisherman’s Rib you were trying, and you do it again.
And again.
And then you decide you really don’t care much for the Fisherman’s Rib you were trying and you go for a simple 1X1 rib instead.

Fourth Collar Attempt

Then you attach a shoulder saddle.

First Shoulder Saddle

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 9th, 2003 at 4:04 pm and is filed under Sweater Project. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

7 Responses to “First Steps”

  1. shirley Says:
    February 23rd, 2004 at 8:29 am

    I have practiced other pattern and fair isle pattern and intarsia for vest and hats and gloves

  2. shirley Says:
    February 23rd, 2004 at 8:27 am

    I also forget to mention, I have knitted 2 sweaters. But I am still a beginner.

    shirley

  3. shirley Says:
    February 23rd, 2004 at 8:25 am

    Dear Mr. Roth

    I have just come across you site and noticed that you making a saddle shoulder sweater. I have great difficulty trying to understand how to knit a top down saddle shoulder sweater–especially after knitting the saddle strips on. From there how do you attach/knit in the rest of the sweater. I have been looking at it, and it looks like a project that can murder you (instead of the other way around). It does look pretty itimidating and a scary project to try.

    I would like to know, would you mind if I follow your blog to understand how this is done?

    Thanking you in advance.

    Shirley

  4. Kenny Says:
    January 13th, 2003 at 2:36 am

    If I didn’t know better, I would think this is a piece of important evidence as part of a murder. all it needs is a spot of blood.

  5. David Roth Says:
    January 9th, 2003 at 4:06 pm

    Hello yourself. Welcome to the new world.

  6. Administrator Says:
    September 20th, 2005 at 4:13 pm

    Just testing. :-)

  7. Administrator Says:
    November 24th, 2006 at 12:02 pm

    Been a while since I Just Tested.