Question Authority!
That quote was on a poster that hung in my high school English classroom for years. It may seem like madness to encourage this behavior among teenagers, but it wasn’t. It acknowledged that I didn’t know everything and that they were invited to challenge me. It made for some lively discussions.
Question Patterns!
Things that are “in print,” with lovely layouts and professional photography, command a certain automatic respect from us. We assume that if a pattern is from a “designer” or published in a magazine or book, that it’s “right.”
My advice to you is to question every pattern you meet and not slavishly follow it. Put it through a sanity test. Make sure the numbers add up right. Make sure it makes sense. Rewrite it in your own visual language if necessary (I do this for everything I knit).
Here are a couple resources that encourage you to question the “authority” of patterns. Many tears have been shed by knitters who have said, “But I followed the pattern exactly!” Let’s dry those eyes.
1) “Knitting Patterns”
This is the first knitting video I made after a 20-year break from making videos. I thought the subject was that important.
2) “Patterns are Guidelines, not Gospel”
This is an article from 2015. I felt the need to expand on the subject because most of the problems that people contact me about are because of patterns. You can CLICK HERE to read it.
What about you? Have you ever been disappointed or misled by a pattern?
My problem with patterns is that they make them so complicated. They have cables, then they put all kinds of different stitches. All I want is a simple sweater pattern no fancy stuff. Then I have issues with my gauge. I want to use my stash, but can’t figure out if I have enough yarn, etc.
So that is why I am trying to learn from your videos and your book.
Thanks.
Knitting is both simple and can be complicated. You can’t learn all of it at once, but you can learn one concept or skill at a time and eventually, they’ll come together in a way that helps you feel confident. It’s just like any other new subject. With me it’s often technology/software that seems overwhelming, but I tackle it anyway. Have you signed up for my free sweater-making class at howtoknitasweater.com? That might help.
Hi Cheryl,
I certainly agree with your article and video on patterns. I just sweat bullets over a sweater jacket pattern that left much unsaid. By the end I had finally decided to do what I thought best instead of doggedly following the pattern. The designer’s products are lovely, but I think I won’t attempt another of them until I’ve completed a sweater using “Sweater 101.” Thanks!
Ive just read your email about running knitting patterns though a sanity check, i recently had the most crazy knitting pattern for a fairisle yoke sweater. According to this knitting pattern i was to first cast on the yoke with waste yarn on circular needles and complete this first, then pick up the stitches from the yoke and knit the back down, then the front, then a knit each sleeve in the same manner.
I though ugh thats a lot of work and unnecessary seaming.
So i grabbed a cup of coffee and though about it, in the end i turn the yoke chart upside down and began there(increasing instead of decreasing). I knit the body circular casting stitches for the under the arm and knit the sleeves my picking up the stitches from the under arm…..completely seamless with my sanity in tact. Sometimes these patterns are silly.
What a great example of bringing common sense and your own skills to a pattern!! Congratulations and thanks for sharing this story.
Glad to know that what I’ve been doing ever since I learned to knit is actually valid!!! Sometimes, I just don’t want to use the yarn the pattern was designed for – maybe it’s more than I want to invest, maybe I’ve envisioned the garment in a completely different yarn, what ever. I learned very quickly in order to do this, I had to be able to DO THE MATH!!! Other times, I want to use exactly the same yarn, & I usually get the gauge the pattern calls for – so I guess I’m lucky on that count. I’ve found more than a few patterns that had errors in them; fortunately, once I realize the pattern is wrong, I can frog & correct it.
I once knit a sweater from a pattern…that my friend copied for me..she had spun yarn from sheeps’ wool and knit a dozen of these sweaters…when i knit it i discovered that it was intuitive to do the right panel..but not written into the pattern…she never noticed!
That’s pretty funny Val. Glad you figured it out. 😀
Cheryl, I enjoyed your video but as I’m just starting to felt I was fascinated with the felted baskets. Can you perhaps give me a link for a the pattern or the name of the person who devised the pattern. I think they would make lovely Easter egg baskets for my grandchildren.
Hi Mary, The Moebius basket pattern available in an ebook by Cat Bordhi, http://catbordhi.com/, A Second Treasury of Magical Knitting. They are very fun to make!
I love patterns for inspiration, but when it comes to execution, I never met a pattern – knit, sewing, whatever – that I didn’t modify in some way.
For me, it stems from my early knitting days, when I had very limited resources, and generally could not afford to buy the yarns called for in the patterns I wanted to knit. So I redesigned the patterns to the materials – needles, yarn, gauge – that I did have.
Now, I read & recreate existing patterns to my needs, or draft and design my own, custom fit for the wearer.
Also, as Cheryl stated, helping others unravel errors in their knitting has provided the best lessons in advancing my skills.
Thank you, Cheryl for all your wonderful lessons and insights into this endlessly fascinating art!
You are so welcome Grace, and thank you for commenting.
Thanks Cheryl for all of your shared knowledge. I am one of those knitters who sees a pattern and uses whatever yarn I want with what ever needles. Some patterns use a specific yarn that I can never find or if I do it is just way too expensive. I do play with needle size just to see how a pattern will look. Thank goodness though, I haven’t attempted a sweater. Not much can go wrong with a blanket, scarf, shawl, hat or dish cloth. Boring I know, but still knitting. I consider myself a newbee after nine years. Keep up with the great advise. It’s always helpful. You’re a Doll!
Cheryl, you are a fantastic teacher, and a lovely person. You make me feel confident to try new knitting challenges.
Oh Elaine, Thank you so much. You are kind and I am delighted to help you feel confident. That’s what teachers do. 😀
What a relief to hear your opinion of patterns! I never seem to find one that I don’t need to change for my own ideas. Knitting friends joke about this but do the same thing. Thank you for this and all your videos.
You are so welcome Sandy, and I’m amazed that people don’t say this aloud more often . . . to acknowledge the value of patterns but point out that they need scrutiny. I’ve been saying this for years but my voice is small in the industry. However, I’ll keep saying it. And you are most welcome.
Still have a lot to learn about patterns and why the do or do not work. If I could finally understand the concepts I can make my own patterns. Still plugging thru Sweater 101. Will read it over and over till I understand. Still looking around for a Pocket Yarn Yardage Guide. Is there a substitute for this guide? I can’t seem to find it. Will look for a decimal ruler on line.
Thanks!
bjr
Your best approach might be to break it into two parts. First you make a schematic of a simple sweater with measurements from the book. The second part is when you apply your gauge to the pictures of the pieces. Have you watched this series yet? I take you step-by-step through a child’s size 1 sweater which is a great way to learn it. I use the standard measurements from the book, but then you have to use your gauge to fill in the “picture pattern.” This series has given more than one person an “aha moment.” How to Make a Sweater
Barbara, I found a decimal ruler on Amazon.com:
Tenths Ruler, 12 Inch, sold by Du-All Drafting & Art Supply
Nan
Thanks Nan!!!
I think you have to knit for a while to become brave enough to start altering patterns. I’ve been knitting for quite a while, but maybe I just lack the confidence to change patterns. I would likely be more able to change out yarns than to actually change the pattern. Any suggestions? Or do I just make the mistakes and make another knitted piece? Thank you for you wonderful video
No Susan. You do not have to make the mistakes and then do another piece. And it sounds like you have little downside in trying changing the patterns if your results aren’t happy now. If you change the yarns, you will need to change the pattern unless it’s something like a scarf or shawl or afghan, but even then you need a working knowledge of the relationship between gauge and your end result. I recommend my own book, Sweater 101, as a great place to start to see things differently and to gain some confidence using your own yarns and gauge for making basic sweaters. I also have this series on how to make a sweater that gives you that experience. It’s just a child’s size one but that’s perfect because it’s a small investment in time for learning a ton of practical information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QY8Pd_qq4w&list=PLNNpR4lw08r2O2uND5D9-hhNbe5adAz4p
Thank you for validating my attitude about Patterns are a GUIDELINE not Gospel.
I’m working on my first sweater (YIKES) for my daughter-in-law and had to #1 lengthen the pattern to “real sweater length”. #2 Lengthen the sleeves to “real sweater length” #3 Use cotton yarn per my D-I-L’s preference. And last but not least #4 Rewrite the entire dang pattern to fit MY gauge (due to all the elements mentioned above and a few others besides). You’re a helluva great teacher. Keep it coming!
Cheryl,
I have always used “patterns” as inspiration for something that was sparked by the picture. I have never felt the need to follow one exactly. I always thought it was there to help me achieve MY concept. I always “explore” the pattern first by reading it over and seeing if it makes sense. As a result I have found many errors and problems with patterns. I particularly favor patterns with schematics since this provides the best “overview” of the pattern.
My girlfriend who teaches knitting follows patterns “exactly” and has knit many sweaters that did not work out “for some reason”.
Thank you for validating my approach. “Question Authority” has always been my favorite bumper sticker.
Rosemary in Oregon
Well, Oregon. Of course you would question authority. 😀 And yes, schematics make it easier but they’ve only come about in the last 20 years ago for hand-knit patterns. Prior to that everything was just written instructions. I used to draw out my own schematics to make sure the pattern made sense.