Have you ever looked at a sweater pattern and wondered, “Why am I doing short rows here?”, “Where exactly am I supposed to pick up these stitches?” or simply “How does all of this become a sweater?” If so, this workshop is for you.

Sweater Constructions Made Simple is about understanding what’s behind the pattern. Rather than simply following instructions row by row, you’ll learn to recognize the architecture of a sweater, understand why it is constructed in a certain way and see how the different pieces of the puzzle come together.

I created this workshop by combining my experience teaching Textile Design at university with my work as a knitwear designer, both in the hand-knitting world and in the fashion industry. I’ve taken years of technical knowledge, calculations and design experience and turned them into something practical, visual and, most importantly, easy to understand.

What we’ll explore:
• The anatomy of a sweater: We’ll break a sweater down into its main areas, from hems and body to armholes, shoulders, necklines and sleeves, and understand how they relate to one another.
• Different sweater constructions: We’ll compare some of the most important ways of building a sweater, including:

• Set-in sleeves
• Drop shoulders
• Back shoulder shaping
• Raglan constructions
• Yoked sweaters

We’ll look at how these constructions work, what makes each one different and how the choice of construction affects the final shape and look of your sweater.
• Flat, circular, bottom-up and top-down: What changes when we knit a sweater in pieces rather than seamlessly? What happens when we start at the hem instead of the neckline? We’ll explore the logic behind these different approaches so that you can start recognizing them when you encounter them in a pattern.
• Understanding the “why”: Why do we use short rows? Why do we pick up stitches in certain places? Why does an armhole need shaping? Instead of memorizing instructions, we’ll look at the reasons behind them. Once you understand the why, patterns become much less intimidating.
• Making sense of the numbers: Don’t panic, this is not a maths class! With the help of easy-to-follow spreadsheets that I’ll provide, we’ll work through the basic calculations behind sweater construction. You’ll see how measurements, gauge and proportions turn into stitches and rows, and how surprisingly manageable the process can be.
• Making modifications: We’ll discuss what can be changed, where you have freedom and what you need to keep in mind when modifying a sweater. Longer, shorter, wider, narrower, different sleeves or a different fit: understanding the construction gives you much more confidence to make a sweater your own.
• Bring your sweater questions! You’re welcome to bring a sweater you’ve knitted, a pattern you’re curious about, or even just a photo. If there’s a construction you’ve never quite understood, we can look at it together and figure out what’s happening.
What you’ll take home: You’ll receive my easy-to-follow construction spreadsheets and reference material to keep using after the workshop. They’re designed to help you understand the basic rules behind different sweater structures and give you a starting point when you want to analyse, modify or eventually design a sweater yourself.

The goal of this class is not to turn you into a knitwear designer in three hours. It’s to make sweaters make sense. By the end, I want you to be able to look at a sweater or a pattern and think: “Ah, now I understand why they did that.” And perhaps even better: “I could do this myself.”

Want to know more about me and my work? Visit www.dariotubiana.myportfolio.com or find me on Instagram @rosso.cardinale.

None

• A notebook and pen or pencil for taking notes (trust me, you’ll want to jot things down)
• A calculator or phone with calculator function (for quick number crunching during the calculations)
• A measuring tape
• A sweater you’ve already knitted (optional, but highly encouraged) or clear photos of a sweater you’re working on or curious about—especially if you have questions or want to discuss the construction
• Your best knitting questions, doubts, or sweater curiosities

Reminder: Please print any handout(s) prior to class and bring it with you.