Let's face it. Knitting takes trial and error. Even experts make knitting mistakes. With the wide variables in yarns, needles, gauges, swatches that can lie, patterns and sizes, what are the chances you'll end up with a sweater that fits right with the look or feel you imagined? Stop spending good money and time knitting sweaters that fit anyone but you--or no one on this earth.
Ten easy knitting mistakes you can make:
wrong yarn
wrong needles
wrong pattern
wrong size
wrong gauge
dirty no good lying swatch
wrong ease
special fitting challenge
wrong finishing
wrong use and care
Wrong Yarn
Yarns come in an endless variety of fibers, plies, blends, colors and weights, plus new ones come out all the time. How does each work up? Which yarn is right for this particular sweater? Which color? What qualities will ensure success? Warmth, drape, elasticity? Maybe you want yarn that's more soft than durable this time. Or smooth-textured. Take care as you choose that you don't fall in love with an unsuitable yarn.
Wrong Needles
Which needle will work best with your chosen yarn in your hands? Do you like straights, circulars, double points? Will your yarn drag on a wooden one? Will a slippery metal one fall out? If a blunter tip fights a tricky maneuver you'll repeat umpteen million times in your sweater, you may find a pointier needle makes the job easy. While the right needles make knitting a pleasure, the wrong needles cause pain or stalled projects.
Wrong Pattern
Find one that works well with your yarn and will do favors for your body type. The wrong style will highlight your body flaws in the worst way. Then you want clear, concise directions for every aspect of your project, not skimpy suggests for an expert. Read a pattern through so you understand each step, plus check online for errata. Don't feel stupid over a typo in the pattern.
Wrong Size
Sizes vary without rhyme or reason. One designer's small, medium and large may strike some knitters as tiny, less tiny and smallish. Your idea of a size 12 may not match the designer's. He or she creates patterns from a body standard that accommodates "most" people--maybe in another country. We all know how "one size fits all" or "one size fits most" doesn't always work out.
Wrong Gauge
The gauge suggested in a pattern tells you what kind of fabric the designer had in mind. "Getting gauge" means you find the combination of needle size and yarn that gives you the recommended number of stitches and rows per inch. If you don't get gauge by even a smidgeon, adjust the pattern so it uses your gauge--or suffer a different result than you expected.
Dirty No Good Lying Swatch
Swatches can lie, there is no doubt. You may knit tighter or looser on the actual garment vs the swatch. Make a large one so you see the way gravity will affect your finished garment. If you launder the gauge swatch you'll see how the fabric changes. Maybe you won't like the fabric your designer intended at all. Better you know up front before you finish a sweater that's unacceptable even though perfectly knit.
Wrong Ease
This factor alone accounts for many a failed sweater. Ease is the wiggle room in a garment. Can you tell how much ease the designer factored into the pattern? It's not always easy. If you disregard ease, you may knit a tent or never get into the sweater at all.
Special Fitting Challenge
If your unique body is non-standard size in some region--some extra bosom or no backside--that difference isn't factored into the written pattern. If you have a high hip, long waist or very narrow shoulders, add short rows on one side, lengthen the bodice, or decrease the upper body width.
Wrong Finishing
Here's your second-to-the-last chance to wreck your sweater. How? Get all in a hurry with finish fever so you slapdash through your blocking, seams and weaving in ends. I guarantee your sweater will look homemade in the worst "I'm five, look it what I made!" way. Then again, you could just ball it all up in a bag out of sight so it's never finished and thus never proven to be a disaster.
Use and Care
How you use a garment or keep it clean can conflict with your lifestyle. Why knit a sweater needing a delicate hand-wash and space to lay flat until dry if you live in a postage-stamp size apartment? What if you need a sweater that will withstand hard use, much cat hair and your busy-life need for machine washability? Make sure the care your sweater needs doesn't lead to inevitable disaster.
Phew! With these ten easy knitting mistakes, it's a wonder more sweaters don't fail. Which mistakes will you avoid so your next damn sweater fits?
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