A warm sweater, knitted from quality yarn, can warm and decorate us even on the most cloudy and dank day. Instead of freezing in autumn or winter in huge hoodies and countless acrylic vests, it is enough to get one good-quality wool product and forget about discomfort.
Why yarn quality matters
Many beginner knitters who choose material by eye, and not according to the information on the label, make the same common mistake: they buy acrylic. Visually, it may look like cotton, viscose, wool or even mohair. However, this does not alter the fact that acrylic is an artificial fiber. It does not possess the properties of those materials that it imitates.
Acrylic yarn can be chosen for the manufacture of products that will not be often used (dolls, decor, disposable costumes). If you plan to create clothes, you should make sure that the thread does not roll, stretch, deform, or contribute to the appearance of the greenhouse effect.
Knitting a women's sweater with acrylic knitting needles is the same as making a festive dinner from instant noodles: efforts are spent, and the result is deplorable. One thing is good - money is saved. However, the value of such savings is doubtful.
In acrylic clothes it is usually either very hot or cold, it does not let in air and causes discomfort (especially if it is an imitation of mohair).
Why then knit a women's sweater with knitting needles?
There is a huge amount of decent yarn for the manufacture of a variety of clothing items. Their price is determined by the quantity and quality of natural fibers that make up the material.
Among woolen yarns, alpaca and merino dominate. These threads are the warmest and socks, they can be 100% yarn or be diluted with cotton, acrylic, viscose, bamboo or nylon.
An excellent warm sweater will be made from threads based on sheep’s wool. For winter products, you can use both fully woolen yarn and blended yarn (at least 50% wool). The thickness of the material can be completely different: from 100 m / 100 g to 400-500 m / 100 g.
If the craftswoman plans to knit a female sweater with knitting patterns with braids, then the optimal thickness of the yarn is in the range of 200-350 m / 100 g. For any patterns of front and back loops, absolutely any thread is suitable.
Pattern location
The most popular is the classic placement of patterns on sweaters: a strip of braids on the front part and on the sleeves. Enthusiasts also adorn the back of the sweater.
Products with non-standard placement of decorative elements look interesting and unusual. For example, braids moving from one sleeve to another, as in the photo presented in our article.
Also, the model with an ornament looks only on the sleeves and on the neck. To emphasize this technique, the craftswoman used different types of yarn: she used fluffy Angora for the main details, and knitted braids from voluminous wool.
Women's knitting sweater with a description: the grandeur of Aran
The photo in our article also depicts a sweater, most of which is covered with braids (they are also harnesses, they are Arani).
Here are classic pigtails from a small number of loops, and intricate ornaments of six strands, forming a Celtic weave. Their combination looks extremely organic, so when creating this model, it is better to adhere to a given arrangement of elements.
This sweater - youth, female - with knitting needles is made of yarn with a thickness of about 160-200 m / 100 g. For a product of size 44, at least 500 g will be required.
All parameters on the patterns available later in the article are indicated in inches, the numbers for knitting in different sizes are given in brackets. If there is only one digit, then this parameter is relevant for all sizes.
The diagrams clearly show the direction in which the loops should be crossed, so there is no need to decipher all the icons and symbols. An empty cell is a facial loop (L), a cell with a dot is a purl (I).
Each craftswoman will knit a women's sweater with knitting needles from her own yarn with unique parameters (thickness, density, torsion), so there is no point in indicating the density of knitting for the product in the photo. It will help few people, only confuse.
Loop calculation
To determine the density of the knitting of the selected pattern, the knitter should make a small fragment using her material and scheme. After it is washed and dried, you can judge how many loops and rows fall on 10 cm of canvas.
For example, a 10x10 cm square is formed by 22 loops and 18 rows. Based on these data, the number of loops for the patterned edge of the product should be calculated. For example, to get a canvas 44 cm wide, you need to dial 44x22 / 10 = 97 loops (plus 2 edge, total 99 loops).
Knitting details
Now we give the sequence of how to knit a women's sweater with knitting needles (with a description for size 46).
Dial 122 loops and perform 3 inches of 1x1 elastic, then follow the specified order. Edge, 2 I, braid C, 2 I, 1 L, 2 I, circuit A, 2 I, 1 L, 2 I, braid C, 2 I, small braid B, 2 I, circuit B, 2 I, small braid A, 2 I, braid C, 2 I, 1 L, 2 I, circuit A, 2 I, 1 L, 2 I, braid C, 3 I.
Then knit according to the appropriate patterns, focusing on the sizes given in the drawings.
In the case when there are too many loops in the pattern for knitting the fabric of the selected size, the ornament can be reduced by removing the extreme elements. By the inverse method (by adding several braids), the part is expanded. If you want to increase the size, you can also by performing strips with a double pattern.
The back is knitted with front stitch.
Sleeve fabrication
Dial 60 loops and perform 2 inches with an elastic band, then proceed to form a pattern. Edge, 8 loops double pattern, 2 I, braid C, 2I, 1 L, 2 I, circuit A, 2 I, 1L, 2 I, braid C, 2 I, 9 loops double pattern.
The expansion of the canvas is achieved by adding one loop at the beginning and at the end of the row at regular intervals. The number of rows for the addition of the craftswoman should be calculated independently.
Finished parts must be washed in warm water (in no case in hot water, otherwise the wool will shrink), decompose and dry. Then the side seams are made and the sleeves are stitched.
At the last stage, a neck is knitted. The loops for it can be dialed from the edges of the parts of the front and back to circular knitting needles or knitted separately and sewn with a knitted seam.
Creating women's sweaters with knitting needles, you can do anything with schemes. So, if the craftswoman does not need such a large number of aranes, she may well leave only the central large braid, and tie the rest of the canvas with a double pattern.