I have always wanted to make a sweater but was too scared because it looked too complicated. I didn't want to deal with the stress of it not working so that I had to keep starting over and over again. But after a while, I figured that a baby sweater would be a good place to start because they are small and if I messed up, it wouldn't be so bad to start over. Also, I had just bought a circular needle set so I was ready to break in those bad boys.
As you could guess, once I discovered the top- down raglan technique through YouTube, I figured it didn't have to be as complicated as I thought. This technique involves no sewing- just a simple pattern of increases and holding stitches for later. I wanted to find a baby sweater pattern at this point but every one of them looked a bit too complicated with pockets and buttons and hoodies and all that good stuff. I wanted to start small and simple and ease my way into this stuff. It may be cute, but its hard.
Then I found a sweater pattern generator- Sweater Pattern. All you have to do is enter the needle size you'll be using, your gauge, a chest measurement, and the type of fit that you need- snug, comfortable, or loose. Then you press submit and the whole pattern generates for you. Here was the data I put in:
Needle Size- US 6
Gauge- 23 stitches per four inches and 29 rows per four inches
Chest Measurement- 24 inches
Fit- comfortable
The pictures above show how they turned out. For my first sweaters, I'd say I'm pretty proud. The pink one is supposed to be a sweater dress for my soon-to-be niece. I think they are so cute and turned out pretty well! I really can't wait to see them on my niece!
If you try this, tell me how it goes!
