Knit! Lento sweater - Part 1

Before you begin knitting your sweater 

Let’s just put it out there, we assume that you already know how to knit and purl, and maybe mastered a way of casting on. We won't be getting into these in this post. 

How to choose your size? It is really, really important to know your size. You’ll need your bust measurement at least. Ideally you’d also know your sleeve length and a few other key measurements stated on the pattern page. So get a tape measure and ask a friend to help. If no friend is available, do it yourself.  Why is this step important? How would you know what size to knit without any measurements? Stating you are size XS doesn’t mean anything. Clothing sizes are not standardized, meaning an XS size can be anything from 60 cm to 100 cm depending on manufacturer. So that doesn’t help you. Get the measuring tape, measure the bust size and write it down. Next look at the pattern page and choose your size. 

This could be a lengthy discussion and not sure that there is a right answer to this. It depends also on the look you are going for. For example, if you have a size 96 cm bust circumference, then you could knit the 1st size from the Lento sweater. However, that means that the actual size is exactly the same as your bust circumference and the sweater would fit well, like a glove. That is not the intended look for this sweater, it is meant to be worn with 10 to 20 or even more cm of positive ease(=larger than your chest circumference). You could knit size 2, with 11cm of positive ease or even size 3 with 17 cm of positive ease. It is a matter of taste really. Go with a size that is similar to a favorite shop bought sweater, that is always a good option! 

Onto selecting yarn(s)

At its simplest, you need to choose a yarn/yarns that gives you the correct gauge. I do not get into the details of selecting yarns here too much, there are waaaaay many options. Come to us and will help you out with the needed amount. We do have great customer service! If you really want to shop online by yourself for your Lento sweater, check out this blog post about yarn options.  

Yarn that is close/similar to the yarn(s) given in the pattern might work best, but in this case it would mean knitting with 2 strands of yarn and that might not be a good idea for a first ever sweater. For a true beginner, I suggest knitting with only one strand of wool first, maybe Gilliatt, Peer Gynt or Peruvian Highland Wool would work. Whatever yarn you choose, knit a swatch! How? Read on! 

About needles

Use knitting needles that you like. I get it, if you are a beginner, you might not know what you like. Get needles of any material and start with the needle sizes given in the pattern. Since you are knitting in the round, circular knitting needles (and maybe double pointed needles) are needed. You might need to try different sizes and materials to get the correct gauge. Pick the ones that give you the correct gauge stated in the pattern, no matter the material!

Read the pattern

Read it entirely even though you might not understand it completely. Make notes, yes be old school, use a pen and paper, if needed, or make marks on the pattern if you’ve got it in print. YouTube and knitting blogs do help, and of course a knitting course!

Knit a swatch

I think one of the most important things in knitting a sweater is actually knitting a swatch first. Why? To see if the intended yarn is behaving the way you thought it would, and to see if your gauge is accurate. Gauge means how many stitches and rows you get with a given needle size per 4 inch/10 cm. Read about swatching here. 

Now a few words here. Once you descend deeper into the knitting world, you might end up meeting people who will tell you they always get gauge (meaning they knit a swatch (once) and it’s spot on what the pattern calls for). I tell you that is rubbish, stay away from those people. 

Yes, the more you knit, the better you’ll know how your knitting is, tight, loose or something in between, and in a while you’ll know that with a fingering weight yarn and 2.5 mm needles you’ll more or less always get a certain amount of stitches per 10 cm. That doesn’t mean you always get the gauge a pattern calls for. 

Anyway, knit a swatch or a few until you get the gauge. After that the actual sweater knitting can start. If you can’t get gauge, don’t despair. You have a few options: 

1. Abandon ship/project…I recommend this!Why, because life is too short. Move on to the next thing.)

2. Try a different yarn. 

3. Calculate a new stitch count for the project based on your gauge. (I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS.) 

   
   

So let’s assume that you actually managed to miraculously get gauge! Well done! In the next part will talk about actually knitting the sweater!