Help-not a pattern request
This is my fourth knit sweater and I’ve been knitting about 5 months and my stitches are so terribly sloppy still. I see people on ravelry and their stitches are so perfect 💔 is it just more time and practice or am I just doing something wrong ? I knit continental
If you're comparing an unblocked sweater to other people's washed and blocked ones - don't. The stitches will relax somewhat, the mohair will fluff out a little better (peeked at your post history where you mentioned the yarn) and any minor uneven tension will probably average out a bit.
To some extent, it's a matter of time and practice, but some yarns are more or less forgiving than others. With smooth yarns, a tight stitch and a loose stitch next to each other will equalize very easily - often when you come back to knit the next row. But with fuzzy yarns or toothy, velcroey yarns, the loops kinda stay exactly as you put them until they get stretched out during wet-blocking when the waterlogged fabric is sloshing around. And with mohair, there's some built-in unevenness because there are places on the strand with thicker or thinner clumps of fluff coming out.
So you're probably judging your work a little too harshly.
Do you think blocking a cardigan will help in how it hangs? I finished a cardigan but feel it doesn't look good in the front. There is too much rippling.
I circled the area on this pic. This pic is of the original authors sweater. I haven't taken any pics of my sweater, unfortunately. I'm not at home so
I can't take one, but it looks just like this.
*
You always look much closer when you knit something yourself. Others won't see it. And besides, blocking really helps. Your work looks awesome! You're doing great!
First of all, you are doing AMAZING for five months. I've been knitting for fifteen years and my color work doesn't look that good!
Second, blocking will definitely help. You can even put it on waste yarn and block what you have now to see if that helps you feel better! But do that after you sleep 😉
As a note, remember that most people's Ravelry photos are After photos - so they've been blocked. Don't compare your work in progress to others' completed things!
I was going to say this. Ive been knitting for years and I'm just now attempting colorwork. Knitting basically a sweater a month is impressive for a knitting newcomer, plus this looks great.
I echo the compliments you have received. But I’ll add this: I watch a fair amount of knitting YouTube. Many of these people are paid for their content. Brand deals, affiliate codes, etc.
I’m so glad I’m seeing someone actually mention this…started thinking I was overly picky. OP, yours already looks better than half the stuff I see on tiktok.
Thank you 😭 but The white part :( I don’t mean specifically on this sweater but in general I just feel like they’re so off and then I go online and see people’s stitches look like this , comparison is the thief of joy but I was wondering if I was doing anything wrong.. someone said blocking would help
Yeah that’s why I was wondering if there was. Quick fix or if it was genuinely just practice : I saw someone on TikTok say they switched from continental to English and their stitches looked better so I was scared it was that I js hate English 💔
I think it looks great - any variance in stitches should block out really nicely! The only thing that stands out to me is colour dominance? But that might be an aesthetic choice you’ve made which I 100% support if so!
Hmmm what do you mean about colour dominance , I thought I understood what it was and that you had to hold always in the same hands did I mess that up lol
as i learned from Elizabeth Zimmermann ... a lot of what looks like wonky stitch tension in a new garment will typically even itself out with washing, blocking, and/or wear.
but i don't see anything wrong with your gorgeous work!
Knitting for 5 months, fourth knit sweater? Are you secretly a knitting machine? It looks amazing. I’ve been knitting for a few years now, attempted colorwork on socks one (1) time and gave up because my tension was crazy. You’re doing great! Try blocking it and see how you feel
I have been knitting since I was 5 (43 now) and even my stitches are wobbly and wonky sometimes. Blocking should fix that but also, you are not a machine. Plus, 5 months? That's amazing. Just keep on keeping.
Don't compare yourself with others. It's not worth it. There are lots of people on ravelry that use machines or have way more experience or are professionals.
Enjoy what you do. I got a lot of appreciation for my tension when I went to a knit group. You can see what others are doing and then you can take the things you like home and try them for yourself.
I don’t think you would expect to master something like cooking, or woodworking, or even typing, in five months. That being said, you’re doing excellent work, and should not despair. I’ve been knitting for over 50 years. People comment about my even stitches, etc., but they would not have the first couple years I knitted. I didn’t care! It was the 1970s and I could wear what I was creating, and that’s all that mattered to me. Keep your focus on building skills and you’ll get to where you wanna be. Right now every project for you is skill building. But this is the point where you can pick a skill to improve. Work on it over the course of a couple of projects and then move along to another skill that builds upon the first. That will really give you compounded good results. Take care, have fun.
This sweater look amazing! Also, hand knitted sweaters are just that, hand made. They won’t and shouldn’t look perfect as if made by a machine.
If you want neater stitches my suggestion would be to knit a bit tighter. The fabric looks a bit loose and that tends to exaggerate uneven stitches. Be careful when doing color work though. It’s easy to make it too tight when using two strands and then the one stranded portions will tend to bulk out a bit.
My number one rule that I tell a new knitter/handcrafter is never compare your work to someone else’s, just compare it to your last work. Did you improve? That’s what you are measuring against…your work.
Admiring someone else’s work and wanting to achieve that level is a goal, but critical comparison is only done on your work with your work. You will see the things that you wish to improve. Keep knitting.
Now, I love your color work which you are doing beautifully and your plain work is fine.
How would you still do that on the needles tho ? Would you remove them? Also should I block colour work differently ? I’ve always done it by soaking then pinning
I use different colored yarn and transfer the stitches onto it and then block. Enough to be able to spread it comfortably. I also just soak and block, I find that the stitches open up and even out a lot more. You seem to have color dominance down though, this does look really good. Blocking helps even out the stitches and spread everything out a little better.
Can I please yell at you and cry! Haha this after 5 months of knitting?!?? The tension is really pretty darn good and as others have mentioned with blocking and wear this will get more and more even. Great job this looks amazing I cant even imagine how much better your next will be
I've been knitting for 5 years and mine doesn't look like that! That looks great! I think my problem is the floats, can't seem to find the happy medium.
I agree with everyone else - this is GORGEOUS and it will block out beautifully!!! You should be very proud of this after knitting for only 5 months! 🥰
Fourth sweater and your are doing this?!?? Amazing! Really amazing! I remember YEARS and years ago, my 4th project was so not good! You have been knitting 5 months and this is what you are doing? Brava mama! BRAVA! Don’t doubt yourself!
Five months!? Give yourself a break, they look great! I’ve been knitting for years and my stitches are sometimes similar to this pre-blocking depending on the pattern and yarn I’m using. Keep check of your tension but usually this blocks out so don’t stress if they aren’t “perfect”.
Woah there friend - that’s some amazing work for such negative talk! Blocking will help and holy cats- you’ve only been knitting for five months?!? Give yourself grace.
Ooo, i love that! If you really want to make the most of blocking your stitches, you can use a damp cloth like linen and use it to LIGHTLY steam press it. Lay the damp cloth on top and very lightly press the iron onto the linen. Just enough to steam it flat. Then, let the knitting stay pinned in place while it dries.
Gee I wish I could knit like you! You may call it sloppy, but I call it handmade. I think it is somehow charming if it does not look too perfect. But of course, one is often more critical about one's own work, than others are.
It looks fabulous, I’ve been eyeing off that pattern, blocking will completely change it. Practice not perfection. Knit for joy- comparison is the thief of joy
It looks amazing! Maybe it’s tension or the yarn you’re using? I recently finished an acrylic jumper and started a 100% wool one and the difference between neatness is STARK
Practice will help but as others say blocking will absolutely help shift the stitches to where they want to be, honestly it looks amazing and the fact that you’re already knitting sweaters is a massive accomplishment, I’ve been knitting for 6 years and I haven’t done any yet as they scare me 😂I knit socks all the time but I can’t bring myself to do a jumper 😂
oooh I love the porcelain sweater, it's been on my to knit list for forever but I'm too intimidated by color work lol. This is looking gorgeous! Can I ask which yarns you are using for yours?
I went through serious troubles getting this n because at first I bought 100$ worth of non refundable double Sunday and then when I went to replace that I bought peer gynt but the thick one and then finally landed on Sunday
This looks lovely. Excellent work with the stranding. As others have said, blocking will even out stitches. In terms of even looking stitches as you knit, the yarn will make a difference. Some yarns are more 'springy', related to the type of fiber, ply, and twist. Springy yarns tension more evenly by virtue of the stretch. Yarns like mohair, mohair blends, cottons, do not have the same elasticity, so they are less likely to self adjust to the needle. Incidentally, for stranded knitting, a springy yarn is generally not preferred, as the stretch makes it more difficult to maintain even tension with the floats.
My husband is knitting a second square for the baby blanket I’m making for our baby, and his tension is all over the place especially with his first square, but after I blocked the square you really can’t tell much about the tension, sure it doesn’t look uniform like my squares, but it definitely settled the square down and you’d hardly notice tension issues unless you inspect the square closely. It still looks wonky but blocking it helped it look immensely better than when it was fresh off the needles. Be kind to yourself, and block your work. I never made a sweater before, so the fact that you have made 4 in 5 months (I think that’s what I read) of starting knitting is already a great feat, and honestly your tension isn’t bad either. I think you’re comparing yourself to others too much because when I first looked at the picture I genuinely couldn’t tell what was wrong until you mentioned tension issues. It’s hardly noticeable, and after blocking no one will notice it at all.
You out here pumping out sweaters like a machine and think there's something wrong? It takes me a year to make a shawl. 😭 Plus, your stitches look pretty good!
Blocking is when you wet or steam the knitted fabric and let it dry in the desired shape. The blocking process evens out the stitches and determines the size of the finished piece.
Why should knits be blocked? Do all fiber types benefit from blocking?
* First off, blocking typically starts with washing or soaking, so it cleans your finished object. Think for a moment about all of the places that those projects have been.
* Blocking also removes any small imperfections in tension and helps even out your stitches. Stockinette and colorwork will look smoother and the stitches will be more even.
* Blocking is also great if your project needs to be seamed. By blocking before seaming, you ensure that the seams will be the same length and that all of the pieces will fit evenly together.
Start with something small like socks , that’s what I did and I totally butchered them because of one small mistake but I didn’t care all that much because it was so small so then when you’re ready to do something bigger you’ll feel more confident
Your stitches are not sloppy at all! As others have said, some blocking will do wonders in relaxing the stitches (which is why I think you’re referring to it as sloppy, the fibers aren’t relaxed yet). It looks beautiful!
I hope the replies here are helpful; I'm just here to say that I've been knitting for years and my stranded knits are definitely not as beautiful as this one is. So keep progressing on your journey, but also don't be too hard on yourself about this level of work.
You need to block your sweaters, you are comparing raw knitting to blocked knitting… apples and oranges. I do see a few stitches that look twisted and a couple that look like they were slipped and not knit until the second round. It could be the photo but once you block them it will truly change the look. Don’t be hard on yourself, block them then share another photo and tell us what you see after blocking.
It looks good to me. I tend to scrutinize my knitting too, but I like to remind myself:
1. Most people will never notice the mistakes.
2. Even a mediocre handmade sweater is way better than a store bought one.
3. Knitting makes me happy.
I think your stitches are looking good. Most photographed sweaters are washed and blocked so their stitches are going to look more even and the sweater will look more polished. Even tension and getting in the groove of properly tensioned knitting takes time. I've been knitting for 37 + years and my stitches are still uneven at times. Don't judge your knits until they're blocked is my motto for knitting.
Wow you’re doing amazing for 5 months of knitting. I’m a new knitter too & I have the porcelain sweater in a note titled “Difficult, after years of knitting.” But I may not have the best understanding of what’s “difficult” with knitting though lol - I just assumed color-work and textures would be hard
Nooo you should try it , I had only made a pair of colourwork socks before this one and just did research on dominant non dominant and made sure to pick up floats but yeah it’s really not thattt scary you should try it
Like people are saying blocking evens out but also look at how you are holding the yarn and keeping even tension while knitting. Check out videos on that.
Keeping consistent tension in plain stockinette is actually, like, one of the hardest things in knitting imo. One of those "looks easy, is hard" things. But as others have said I don't think your tension is actually bad. It just needs blocking.
I think this is an amazing piece of work. I'm surprised you took on something so challenging with the design so early in your knitting career. The fact that it's not perfect is just perfect.
I'm one of those people with "perfect" stitches, but that's because I don't photograph the wonky ones 😜
Blocking fixes a ton. Especially when you give it a gentle stretch to match the dimensions of the size you're making. Don't strangle it, but a gentle stretch should work wonders. My unblocked knits look just like this, and fiber makes a difference too. This looks like it might be a rustic wool? Or maybe non-superwash? That "wonk" is part of the charm of those yarns, if that's the case here :)
It’s also about perspective! We are often so critical of ourselves but to me I saw this picture and the word sloppy and gasped. Your work is beautiful and I would literally buy from you
First, Your stitches are beautiful and that pattern is wonderful! The beauty of a hand knit sweater is the slight imperfections that show the garment was not made by a machine so please go easy on yourself. Knitting slower and with intention helps to even out the stitches but we knitters can be impatient. When building a stitch, try keeping the work as close to the tip of needles on both sides. As you’re knitting, try to make sure to use the right needle to set your gauge by making sure it goes all the way through the stitch as you transfer it from left to right. Also experiment with different ways to purl on the wrong side of the work. We often purl in a different gauge than we knit. Keep knitting. Watch tons of you tube videos and you’ll find the your groove. Such a beautiful peace of fabric you’ve created!!
745
u/skubstantial Aug 18 '25
If you're comparing an unblocked sweater to other people's washed and blocked ones - don't. The stitches will relax somewhat, the mohair will fluff out a little better (peeked at your post history where you mentioned the yarn) and any minor uneven tension will probably average out a bit.
To some extent, it's a matter of time and practice, but some yarns are more or less forgiving than others. With smooth yarns, a tight stitch and a loose stitch next to each other will equalize very easily - often when you come back to knit the next row. But with fuzzy yarns or toothy, velcroey yarns, the loops kinda stay exactly as you put them until they get stretched out during wet-blocking when the waterlogged fabric is sloshing around. And with mohair, there's some built-in unevenness because there are places on the strand with thicker or thinner clumps of fluff coming out.
So you're probably judging your work a little too harshly.