Want to know more about knitting a first sweater? I have some advice for beginner sweater knitters, as well as pattern suggestions.
After fiddling around with dishcloths, hats and scarves for a while, and getting basic stitches learned, I needed a bigger knitting project. I yearned to make a sweater just like all those pretty knitted sweaters I was seeing everywhere online.
I tried to find out as much information as I could before choosing the pattern. I read blogs, Ravelry pattern reviews, and visited the forums, but I still felt indecisive. What type should I choose? A top down, or bottom up? Cardigan or pullover? Plain or colorwork? I had done a bit of colorwork and liked it. A cardigan seemed like too much to handle with button bands, buttonholes and buttons! So, I chose a bottom-up pullover with some colorwork at the top by a designer I’d seen mentioned quite a bit, and bought the Umpqua sweater pattern by Caitlin Hunter.
How to fix some common knitting mistakes. Every knitter needs to know how to un-knit, and frog to get back to their mistakes to be corrected.
One reason I refused to learn to knit when I was younger, was the difficulty in fixing mistakes.
When crocheting, we simply remove the hook and pull the yarn back past the goof, and begin again. This can’t be done when knitting.
How to “Tink” or Un-knit
While happily knitting along, suddenly you look back down the row you just knit (and it’s a good idea to get into the habit of doing this) and see something is wrong. Maybe what should have been a purl, is a knit. Maybe a stitch has dropped. Maybe the wrong color was used in a colorwork pattern. Whatever it is, it needs to be fixed. Now the stitches just worked need to be taken out, or un-knit / un-purled – back to the spot of the mistake.
Please note that if your mistake is waaaay back and it would take forever to un-knit to make the fix, read the next section about how to fix that type of booboo by frogging back.
The Chilly Dog has a good video showing (very slowly) how to take out knits and purls.
Sometimes your row will also have other stitches, such as K2tog, SSK, or more involved stitches. Good luck! Look that up on YouTube if you need help. Basically, undo the stitch by remembering how you made it in the first place.
HELPFUL HINT: Use stitch markers to divide a long row into sections. Unless you are simply knitting, or purling, divide each row into the sections used in the pattern. This way, if the count is off within that section, it’s a short way back to the fix.
While knitting the Field Sweater (left below) I used lots of stitch markers to divide my knitting into sections. I did the same for the ribbing in the Venlig sweater, mainly because the type of yarn made the stitches difficult to see.
If you knit to the end of the section, and something is off, you haven’t gone too far and the Tinking should be manageable. This is especially helpful for repeating patterns and colorwork.
Field sweater markersVenlig markers
Ripping Out Many Rows in Knitting, or Frogging Back
When I began knitting I feared making some huge mistake that would mean I’d have to start the whole project over. I actually took out entire hats because I couldn’t get back to the place I needed to be. This is known as Frogging in the knitting world.
Sometimes I’d slip the stitches completely off the needles and then attempt to put them back on at the desired place! Nightmare. I don’t recommend this.
Now I know the correct way to remove rows of knitting and begin fresh from the last correct row. It’s tedious and a bit scary for a big project, but doable. And, it’s a very good thing to know how to do.
I’ll be honest, I can only do this on a knit row. I use a small size circular needle, with a long cord, and pick up the right leg (or left – but do the same for every stitch, and only pick up one for each V) of each row of stitches. Do this all the way around, or across, to get every stitch held.
First time doing thisThis colorwork will be gone….
HINT: A sewing needle and waste yarn can be used in place of a knitting needle to hold the stitches. But the stitches held with waste yarn will have to be put back onto a needle, so it’s a bit of an extra step.
While picking up those stitches, be sure to stay on the same row – stitches picked up should be side by side, or in the same knit row. Once the spare needle is full with stitches from all the way around, or across (however your project is being knit – in the round, or flat), remove the project needle from the stitches.
Pull the knitting yarn (unravel) until only the stitches on that spare needle are left. Go slowly, and re-wind the yarn that has already been used. All stitches should now be on that small needle and are ready to be knit. Begin knitting according to the pattern, using the correct size project needle.
I did this for the first time when knitting the Marshland sweater. I’d done too many increases at one point, and had to go back many rows on the yoke to fix it.
Sometimes, depending on how you have picked up those stitches, they will be on the needle the wrong way. If the stitches are twisted, fix each one (quick video) as you knit the new row. HINT: You can also knit through the back loop to un-twist the stitch.
Gather Knitting Knowledge
In knitting, like many things, the more you know, the more you can do.
This frogging back many rows also comes in handy if you are unhappy with a finished, or partially finished, project. For instance, when I knit the Calliope sweater, I re-knit the first sleeve a few times before I was happy. I could never have done this without knowing how to frog many rows of stitches.
I plan to take out the neck ribbing on my recently finished Autumn Alpine and replace it with a better one. I’ll need to pick up stitches before I do that.
In other words, you are now free to correct and fix things you don’t like in a pattern. Even if you’ve finished the entire knit!
We Aren’t Perfect
We aren’t perfect and our hand knits don’t have to be either. I am a firm believer in leaving the little mistakes and moving on. Often it is something that only another knitter, upon close inspection, would notice. I don’t let it bother me.
Sometimes if I am off in my stitch count, I discreetly add, or remove, the extra stitch with a simple “make one” or “knit two together”. I’m becoming more creative in fixing little goof ups.
Knitting, for me, is a calm way to spend my time. If fixing a mistake will be more stressful than it’s worth, I ignore it.
I’ve only covered a couple of basic ways to fix knitting problems. Thank goodness for YouTube because we can usually find generous people who share their info with us.
Knitting books you may like to add to your collection.
I have collected a few books about knitting and thought I’d share my knitting book reviews here. (Please know that some links go to the Amazon site, where I am an affiliate. If you end up purchasing through the link, I will get a small royalty which in no way affects the cost to you.)
Do you enjoy knitting Fair Isle, colorwork, and stranded? If so, there is a fun book of charts you must consider buying.
Alice Starmore’s Charts for Color Knitting contains more charts than (I suspect) you could use in a lifetime. I’ve only used a couple of the bigger charts, and a few of the “border” charts. This is a wonderful book for Fair Isle and colorwork knitters who like to choose their own patterns.
The author also goes into depth on how to create your own colorwork sweater. This is over my head at this point in my knitting journey, but would be very helpful for those who would like to design knitwear.
I purchased a used copy of the book, in November 2021, and it is in very good condition. Check at Amazon for used books to save money. I’ve had very good luck buying used books of all kinds.
Both colorwork sweater designs below were taken from the book.
The Vogue Knitting Book, Revised and Updated Version
The Vogue Knitting book covers all types of thing related to knitting (with some pages about crocheting). From choosing needles and yarn, to finishing projects, and designing your own knitwear. There is a whole section on designing sweaters with knitting design worksheets to copy and use. There are more pages of knitter’s graph paper in the back of the book which can be copied as many times as needed.
I like most things about this book, and bought a used copy to save money. Cons for me are the dark colors used for a few of the sample images in the book. It is more difficult to see the samples. Also the images about how to work stitches can be hard to follow. I’d rather look it up on YouTube. For that reason, I often forget to use this book, but it is full answers to just about every single knitting question you may have.
If you have never tried mosaic knitting, you really should. It is very simple to accomplish these colorwork patterns and is done on flat knitting projects.
Here in Florida we had a hurricane hit shortly after I purchased this book. I spent a few days without electricity. I used that down time to knit mosaics from this book!
Just think about a time without access to online things, or electricity to charge the computer and phone. I love to have books around for these reasons. The day may never come in your lifetime, but what if it does?
I admit right off that I can’t knit brioche. Every year or so I give it a try, and fail. The last 1/4 of the book is all patterns! If you already like knitting brioche, this book may be worth purchasing just for the patterns. If, like me, you still need to get the hang of the basics, a video is probably more helpful.
Do you have some favorite knitting books? I’d love to hear about them. I wish I had some of my grandmother’s knitting stuff. I don’t know where it went when she died, but probably to one of her daughters. Do you have patterns, needles or other items that were passed down through the family?
On this page I try to help beginner knitters understand short rows, and the important shaping they do when knitting sweaters.
Short rows are just that, shorter than normal knitting rows. Most often I come across directions to use short rows while knitting sweaters. In order for a sweater to fit properly, the back needs to be raised up a little higher than the front. It makes the neckline lower in front and therefore more comfortable. This is done by knitting back and forth over one section (the back) and ignoring the front stitches, for a few rows.
Short rows also can be used to shape things, like sock heels, or shawl edges. I’m no expert on short rows, but I feel they are necessary as part of sweater knitting.
Sweaters Knit Without Short Rows
I’ve knit a couple of sweaters that did not include short row shaping. They are not the most comfortable to wear. The Carbeth Cardigan really needed short rows. The pattern was unique and pretty nice except that the back pulls downward, and shouldn’t. I tried to add some short rows myself, which I think helped, but I didn’t really know for sure if I had done them correctly.
Farfuflar, or Migrating BirdsCarbeth back
Farfuglar was another pattern that omitted short rows. I wish that pullover pattern had included a few short rows as well.
Without short rows, there will be a noticeable difference when wearing a sweater.
Picturing Short Rows
It is always more helpful to me when I can picture how short rows will be knit. The Warm Up Sweater is a pattern from Espace Tricot and it includes short row shaping. I will use this pattern as an example to explain how the rows are knit.
Warm Up is a top-down raglan. Once the neck ribbing is knit, the sleeves, front and back are separated and expanded. Markers are placed to delegate all these sections. The sleeves will have fewer stitches than the front and back, because our arms are smaller parts of our bodies! You should also have a BOR (beginning of round) marker that should be different from the other markers.
Warm-up Sweater
You can see how the dark brown block of color is not as deep at the front as it is on the sleeves and the back. This happened because of the short rows. The front neckline sits nice and low compared to the back.
We knit from right to left. We cast on and do the neck, and then begin the body. Our sweater is being knit top-down, but while we are knitting we are holding it upside down.
The Warm Up pattern short row directions say that the first marked area is the Right Sleeve, then Front, then Left Sleeve, and Back. In that order. (See my chart below.)
*Helpful hint: Place a removable marker at the “back” middle area. I do this just to keep the front and back straight in my mind – because no knitting should be done across the front (only while making short rows). Short rows will be knit across the back, and in this case, the sleeves.
Short row shaping on the Warm Up sweater begins with Row 1 which says to “knit to marker”. From the BOR the knitting goes across the Right Sleeve. Then, “slip marker and knit X” which ever number for your size.
This brings you a few stitches into the “front” of the sweater (Green GSR in my image), but now you turn – doing a German Short Row (see how below) – and will purl back (pink line in my image) – across the right sleeve, and the back, and the left sleeve. (This is Row 2, which says: *P to marker, SM and repeat 3 more times. This takes you past the R. sleeve marker, BOR marker, and both L sleeve markers – plus 3 or 4 stitches into the other side of the Front.)
Row 3 of this Short Row section includes increases, in the form of kfb (knit front and back) which are done on either side of the sleeves. You also do a GSR. It is not hard, just do each thing when it says to in the pattern. Some people mark where their short row turns are, but the double stitch made will stand out so there is really no need.
The German short row turn is done like this: Knit (or purl) to the stitch indicated. Turn the work and with the yarn in front, slip the stitch on the left needle onto the right. Then pull that stitch up and over. It will look odd, like two stitches. You are now ready to either knit – on the RS, or purl, on the WS. Follow the directions for the next short row.
Making the turn for short rows will become second nature once you practice enough. If the pattern is well-written, the designer will walk you through those rows. Once the short rows are finished, you will continue knitting normally, or as the pattern directs.
The funny looking short row stitch is always knit together – as one stitch – when it comes time to either knit, or purl that weird stitch.
Socks use short row shaping at the heel. And short rows can make a ruffle on a scarf or other project.
