My First Sweater: The Beginning of a Knitting Journey

Originally published on January 28, 2025

Every Project Tells a Story

As a knitter, every project tells a story, and today, I want to share the story of my very first sweater. Can you believe it? It's been five years since I knitted it, and while I’ve created many more advanced pieces since then, this sweater holds a special place in my heart.

I realized recently that I’ve never shared this project with you. I’ve always been so focused on showcasing my more polished, intricate knits that I forgot to celebrate where it all began. Even though I don’t have many pictures of it (I donated it a while ago), I think it’s time to give this sweater a special place on my blog.

My First Sweater

The Sweater That Started It All

I still remember the day I decided to knit my first sweater. I had been knitting for a while - scarves, hats, and other small projects - but a sweater felt like a whole new challenge. I was both excited and terrified. What if it didn’t fit? What if I messed up? But I also knew that the only way to grow as a knitter was to take that leap. I also knew I could always start over if I made a mistake.

I chose to knit a raglan sweater from the top down, without a pattern. The yarn I used was Katia “Concept Cotton - Merino Fine” in pastel shades, perfect for my little princess. I wanted to add stripes to give the sweater an interesting look.

The Learning Curve

Knitting that sweater was a journey of trial and error. I made plenty of mistakes - dropped stitches, uneven tension, and a few moments where I had to unravel rows and start over. What was really tricky for me was figuring out the circumference for the cast-on. You want it to fit perfectly over the child’s head without slipping off the shoulders.

I searched the internet for advice on calculating the neckline circumference, but there wasn’t much information available back then. So, I tried a different method. I grabbed a well-fitting sweater and measured around its neckline. Based on that measurement, I did the math for the cast-on.

Tip:

My measurement was 34 cm, and my little girl’s head circumference was 50 cm at the time. After finishing the ribbing, I stretched out the neckline to see if her head would fit through. My neckline stretched to about 54 cm, so I knew it was safe to knit further.

I took pictures on my kitchen counter

Short Rows

This was the first time I had ever knitted short rows. I started with a short ribbing and then divided the body into sections for the arms, front, and back. After that, I tried to figure out how many short rows I would need to shape the back of the neck. Again, there wasn’t much information online, so I decided to make it about 2 cm. What was the worst that could happen?

Of course, I was still a beginner back then, and knitting short rows neatly wasn’t easy. That day, a lifeline became my best friend. Another tip: changing to larger needles while working on short rows doesn’t go well! 😅 After my fourth attempt, my short rows were finished and didn’t look too bad. I did have a hole on one side, though. At the time, I didn’t know what went wrong, but now I’m pretty sure I accidentally lost a double stitch!

The Raglan Increases

Back then, I didn’t know that positive and negative ease were a thing when knitting sweaters. I’m actually really glad I used a shirt for the measurements because it already included everything I needed for my sweater. For the raglan line, I measured the shirt again.

I measured the body width for my sweater, and the front was about 33 cm. So, I worked my increases until the front width between the raglan lines reached 33 cm. When I reached that width, I placed the sleeve stitches on waste yarn.

Because this was my first sweater and I knitted it without a pattern, I had no idea that I needed to cast on stitches after placing the sleeve stitches on spare yarn. So, I didn’t do that. Normally, you would cast on a few stitches under the arms to improve the fit, especially in the underarm area. But every mistake was a lesson.

The Stripes

The Body

I knitted the body in stockinette stitch with a few color changes. At the time, I didn’t know about jogless stripes, so the stripes didn’t have a smooth transition. But I didn’t worry about it because I was so proud of what I had accomplished. I had stepped away from hats and ventured into sweaters!

The Sleeves

The sleeves weren’t much trouble at all. I didn’t write down any notes about the decreases, but when I zoom in on the picture, I can see that I made a few. I don’t know how I came up with the decreases or what calculations I used, but somehow, it worked out! A short Video about the sweater!

The Matching Hat

Of course, it wouldn’t be one of my projects if I didn’t knit a matching hat, now would it?

For this hat, I tried a different method than usual. I first knitted a headband with a cable design. After finishing the headband, I sewed it together using a mattress stitch. Then, I picked up stitches along the edge of the headband based on the gauge I had calculated. I used a negative ease of 5 cm for the hat (yes, I did know about negative ease in hats! 😄).

It was such a fun addition to the sweater, and I loved seeing my little one wear the full set.

Cables with Moss Stitch

Why I Donated It

After my daughter wore the sweater a few times, she grew out of it. When she was smaller, she grew like crazy and was always above average in size. By giving it away, I hoped it would bring comfort and warmth to someone else.

Even though I no longer have the sweater, I’ll always remember the joy and pride I felt when I finished it. I learned so much from the many mistakes I made. I really want to write a blog post about knitting and calculating your own sweater - it’s such a rewarding process!

A Message to New Knitters

If you’re thinking about knitting your first sweater, do it! Don’t worry about perfection - just enjoy the process. Every stitch is a step forward, and every mistake is a lesson. Years from now, you’ll look back on that first sweater with so much pride, no matter how it turned out.

Do you remember your first sweater? I’d love to hear your stories, so leave a comment and tell me about it.

As I always say, knitting is about creating memories. Every stitch tells a story, and every project is a chapter in our knitting journey. Thank you for letting me share this memory with you.

Until next time, happy knitting!

A Little Way to Say Thanks