The great thing about going on a road trip is having lots of time to knit in the passenger seat. I did so well on my Heartfelt Cardigan last week, I decided it was time for a catch up post to show you my progress.
Two weeks ago I’d done this much of the back…
The back is now finished…
And I’ve done half a sleeve.
I usually knit both sleeves together, but didn’t because I’m knitting from a cone and didn’t want to mess about winding wool off.
When I knit a sweater or cardigan I like to knit both sleeves together after the back and before the front(s), because I think it leaves the easy more exciting bit i.e. the front(s) to the end. Knitting both at once ensures both sleeves are the same and makes it feel as if the knitting goes quicker, so I think knitting one at a time will make it feel as if it’s taking longer.
What order do you knit a sweater/cardigan? And why do you do it that way?
Until next time,
Bekki x
Dartmoor Creative 
It’s looking lovely!
I used to slavishly follow a pattern as to the order but, as I approach my dotage, I seem to have become a bit more maverick. As you know, I’ve started one of the fronts of my cable cardigan in order to acquaint myself with the pattern before I tackle the back but I would normally do the back first to get it over with. I’m definitely with you on doing the two sleeves at once. I do it with socks too.
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Of course! I did know you do socks two at a time.
What a pair of mavericks we are 😉 You more so than me as there’s a lot of bravery involved in doing a front first – I always do the back first so if I make a mistake it’s more hidden.
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Eek! I didn’t think of that. Better not make any mistakes then.
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Eep! Sorry didn’t mean to scare you.
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I wish I could knit in the car, but I get carsick very easily. I have never done both sleeves at once but it seems like a great idea, so I will try that next time I make a sweater.
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I have different knitting for different roads and definitely knitting i don’t need to look at for very bendy roads.
Definitely give the sleeve thing a go, I swear it makes it heaps easier.
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Do you use steeks to do two sleeves at once?
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No – just knit them side by side. I did once knit a pair together though – just one row when I had flu and my brain had gone to scrambled egg 🙂
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😆
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What a beautiful pattern! I too like to do both sleeves at the same time because that way the shaping is easier to make identical. Can’t wait to see your finished sweater.
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Thank you.
I wonder how noticeable slightly different sleeves are?
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that’s very nice!
If I am doing something other than my go to top down no seaming sweater, I typically do the sleeves first, at the same time. I do this so that I can then use up the two partial balls of yarn that will be leftover. If it is a cardigan, the fronts are next for the same reason. My goal is to have only one partial skein leftover at the end. So my back typically has loads of ends to weave in.
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That’s excellent thinking and you’ve got to weave the ends in somewhere, so why not the back?
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That was my thinking… 🙂
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🙂
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Lovely cables. I am traditional, back, front and sleeves one at a time.
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Thank you. Can we temp you to change ? 😉
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Too old and set in my ways. Works for me and I quite like sleeves!
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🙂
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Back, front, both sleeves at the same time. It’s like the order you wash in the shower – a habit that feels really odd when / if you change it. I love that pattern!
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Flippin heck! Don’t bring showers into it! We’ll get into that whole discussion about whether certain bits are washed sufficiently by the water and suds from other parts just running over them.
Thank you – glad you like the pattern 🙂
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😀
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😊
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That’s a lovely cardigan 🙂
I usually do sleeves (TAAT), then the rest in some order (prefrebly all in one, bc seams…). That being said, I started this latest cardigan on the back, and I’ll probably do the sleeves before the front, unless I start the front so I can make sure it all fits and I don’t have to frog anything…
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Thank you.
That’s interesting – this discussion has really made me think why I do what in the order I do them and I don’t think I’d like to do sleeves first as I wouldn’t get such a good feel for how much I like the pattern.
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Great progress, and cables are one of my favourites too. I have not done a sweater for a while. 🙂 but when I knit one, it is always the back, then the front (or 2 front pieces together at the same time) and then the sleeves ( also both at the same time) I tell myself it is faster and I get an even gauge and size, etc. 🙂 I start with the back, so I can “measure” it across my back and shoulders to see if the size and feel is going to be good and comfy, then I add the rest.
Enjoy yours, I will look forward to seeing the progress.
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I’ve never knitted two fronts together – think I might confuse myself and end up with two left or two right fronts 🙂
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🙂 lol, that is me. I have to do them together and keep them next to each other, or I do end with two the same. It has happened, and lots of frogging later.
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Oh no!
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Pretty cables! I have never knitted parts at the same time – maybe it would make more sense so you don’t get ‘2nd sock syndrome’ or that feeling that when you’ve completed one front of something you have to do ‘the same’ again (albeit reversing decreases). I am quite a traditional knitter, usually back first, then fronts, then sleeves. I have only made two top down items, for babies, I quite liked it but it is a new way to me and when I tried an adult style top I couldn’t get my head around all the stitch markers needed and increases. When I start an item I rather like to just do a big chunk, eg the back, then I get the feel of what it will be like finished and can decide whether to continue or give up
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Thank you.
I definitely feel better not having to ‘start again’ with sleeves. I do fronts separately – as I said to Lynn, I’d probably confuse myself and knit two lefts or two rights. But fronts are much smaller than sleeves, especially when you have arms as long as mine are.
I like to knit in chucks too.
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I always tend to knit the sleeves first and then block them as a guage Swatch as my gauge always seems to change when knitting larger amounts of knitting. And sleeves are much easier to re knit if needed…
Some good progress there looking forward to seeing the finished thing 😊
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That sounds like and excellent idea, but a lot of work if your gauge is off. Mind, as I’ve said before I have incredibly long arms, so my sleeves are extra long.
My guage changes to with larger pieces of work – and if I knit a small tension square it ends up skew-wifff, so I always knit a bigger one.
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I also don’t really like knitting guage squares as I think it wastes wool. I know they are useful but only whilst knitting the item.
They are lots of knitting to rip back if it’s wrong, but if it looks like it might be wrong I sometimes block part way they the sleeve. Also they are much less knitting than ripping back a whole sweater back or the whole thing if I wait till the end to block… Depends on how picky I am feeling
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I agree, I hate wasting yarn. I like that you say it depends how picky you’re being – definitely my attitude to checking gauge 🙂
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Lol. I suppose it depends on how critical gauge is to the final product
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Definitely. Only gauge if you have too 🙂
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