How to Knit a Chunky Sweater for Beginners

1. 1

   Step 1: Cast On the Sweater Back Panel With a Long Tail Cast On

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   Start with the back panel. Check your pattern for the cast on count in your size. Make a long tail cast on with super chunky yarn onto 12mm needles. Leave a generous tail, longer than you think. Bethany ran short and had to hold the strand tight for a few rows. A long tail also gives you yarn to sew the side seam later.

   Tip:

   Wrap the yarn around the needle once per stitch to estimate the tail, then add a bit more.

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   Used in this stepWool and the Gang Crazy Sexy Wool super chunky yarn12mm US 17 circular knitting needles

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2. 2

   Step 2: Knit the 1x1 Rib Hem of the Sweater Panel

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   Work knit one, purl one across every row for the ribbed hem. Keep going until you reach the number of rows in the pattern, or the depth you like. Look at the bottom edge when you finish. One side shows a neat braided line along the cast on. That is your right side, so make sure the next row you work is a right side row.

   Tip:

   Count rows in pairs of ridges. Chunky stitches are easy to see.

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   Used in this step12mm US 17 circular knitting needles

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3. 3

   Step 3: Switch to Larger Needles for the Sweater Body

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   Now move up to 15mm needles for the body. With interchangeable needles you swap one tip at a time. Knit the next row with one 12mm tip and one 15mm tip. That makes it easier to slide big stitches off the left needle. On the next row put on the second 15mm tip.

   Tip:

   Tighten interchangeable tips with the key so they do not unscrew mid row.

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   Used in this stepchunky interchangeable circular knitting needle set15mm US 19 circular knitting needles

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4. 4

   Step 4: Knit the Sweater Panel in Stockinette to Length

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   Work back and forth in stockinette stitch, knit one row and purl the next. From here it is steady, relaxing knitting until the panel reaches the length in your pattern. Check it with a tape measure. The back panel can be done in a few hours with yarn this thick. When it is long enough, bind off the back panel.

   Tip:

   Measure on a flat table. Holding the panel up stretches it and reads long.

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   Used in this stepsoft tape measure for sewing

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5. 5

   Step 5: Shape the Sweater Front Panel Neckline

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   Knit the front panel the same way until it matches the back up to the neck shaping. On a right side row, knit the stitches for the left shoulder and slip them onto a spare needle or stitch holder. Then bind off the center stitches for the neck opening. Knit two, lift the first over the second, and repeat for the count in your size.

   Tip:

   Slip held stitches with the needle behind so none of them twist.

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   Used in this stepstitch holders for knitting

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6. 6

   Step 6: Decrease the Sweater Shoulders Toward the Neck

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   Knit across the remaining stitches to work the right shoulder. At the start of each knit row on that side, knit one, then slip slip knit to decrease. For the left shoulder, knit until three stitches remain, knit two together, then knit the last one. Keep making the decreases as the pattern says, then bind off each shoulder.

   Tip:

   Ssk leans left and k2tog leans right, so the neck curves evenly on both sides.

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   Used in this step15mm US 19 circular knitting needles

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7. 7

   Step 7: Weave In the Loose Ends on the Sweater Panels

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   Before sewing anything, weave in the loose ends you will not use for seams. Thread a darning needle and run the tail through the backs of a few stitches in one direction. Then turn and go back the other way to lock it. Trim what is left. Doing it now keeps tails out of the way while you seam.

   Tip:

   Weave super chunky ends along the purl bumps so they stay hidden.

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8. 8

   Step 8: Seam the Sweater Sides With Mattress Stitch

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   Lay the front and back panels side by side, right sides up. Start at the hem using the cast on tail. Find the column of V shapes along each edge and the little bar between them. Slip the needle under one bar on the left panel, then the matching bar on the right. Pull snug as you go, and stop where the sleeve opening begins.

   Tip:

   Sew the shoulder seams the same way once both sides are done.

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9. 9

   Step 9: Pick Up Stitches Around the Sweater Neckline for the Collar

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   With 12mm circular needles, start at a shoulder seam. Push the needle tip into a stitch along the neck edge, wrap the working yarn around it and pull a loop through. Repeat all the way around. Pick up the number of stitches your pattern gives, then knit the mock neck in the round in 1x1 rib. Bind off loosely in rib.

   Tip:

   A loose bind off lets the collar stretch over your head.

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   Used in this step12mm US 17 circular knitting needles

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10. 10

    Step 10: Knit the Sweater Sleeves From the Armhole Down

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    Pick up stitches around one armhole the same way, this time on 15mm needles. Knit in the round in stockinette down toward the wrist. Near the end, knit two together evenly around to narrow the sleeve, then switch to 12mm needles for the 1x1 rib cuff. Bind off in rib and repeat for the second sleeve.

    Tip:

    Try the sweater on before the cuff so the sleeve length fits your arm.

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    Used in this step15mm US 19 circular knitting needles12mm US 17 circular knitting needles

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Keep going

How to Knit a Gauge Swatch That Measures True

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