So, you’re feeling ready to crochet (or knit) your first garment – CONGRATULATIONS! This blog post is going to help you ensure that you are ready and hopefully help you build up your toolbox a little to ensure the first garment you make is a huge success! For the video version of this blog post – check it out here on my YouTube channel!
The Clara Sweater - My most beginner friendly crochet garment pattern!
Toward the end of this post I’ve also included a flow chart of my circle yoke sweater designs from most beginner (Clara) to most advanced to help you determine which of my designs you are ready to start making!
First, know that feeling the confidence you do right now is the biggest hurdle to creating your first piece so if you start to feel overwhelmed or that you don’t know about everything I suggest in this blog post that is okay! You can totally learn as you go and come back to this for tips on the harder bits if you find yourself struggling.
This meat of this blog post is split up into 5 sections:
1. Things to know/master before you start
2. Setting yourself up for success
3. What to keep in mind while making
4. What to do if you’re stuck
5. Finishing your first piece
Things You Should Know/Have Mastered Before You Start
Stitches
Before you being you want to make sure you feel comfortable with each of the basic stitches, or at least the ones used in the pattern. Trying to learn how to make a half double crochet stitch at the same time as learning everything else that goes into clothing making is going to make you feel overwhelmed very quickly. If you don’t yet know the stitches required in the pattern maybe try making a dish cloth or a scarf in that stitch until you feel you’ve got it mastered.
Pattern Shorthand
Reading a crochet or knit pattern is like learning a little bit of a new language. They have their own short hands which it is helpful to be familiar with before you begin working off of your first pattern. It’s also important to know the difference between US & UK terminology in crochet and which the pattern you’re using is written in. Check out the Craft Yarn Council post about how to read a crochet pattern here.
Gauge
If you’re new here – welcome, I talk about gauge A LOT. That’s because gauge is the single most important thing when making garments. If you’re like “uh oh, what’s gauge??” That’s okay – I have a FIVE PART blog series on gauge – that’s how important it is. To learn about what gauge is, how to master it and why it’s so important click here – this will bring you to part 1, parts 2 through 5 are linked at the bottom of that post.
Stitch consistency
Linked with gauge – you are going to want to make sure you are pretty good at keeping your stitches the same. Garments are BIG projects and if your stitches are wonky or your gauge changes as you’re working a project – it will show. I don’t think every stitch needs to be perfect, but you want to make sure you like the look of them!
How to measure your body & choose the right size
Obviously choosing your right size is crucial to enjoying wearing your final piece, and unlike shopping at a store – you don’t get to try the piece on first to see if it fits. Many designers use the Craft Yarn Council standards (available here) for the sizes of their garments – and CYC also has handy resources for measuring yourself! Check it out here.
Understanding ease
VERY briefly – ease is how close a garment fits to your body. Negative ease means the finished measurement of the piece is smaller than the corresponding measurement of your body and positive ease is where the finished piece is bigger than your body. Most patterns should have an “intended ease” meaning how much ease the designer had in mind for each size AND/OR the pattern may contain finished measurements and you can use those with your body’s measurements to determine how much ease you will have in each area of your body. The wonderful thing about this is you do not HAVE to do the size the designer suggests – you could go up or down a size for more or less ease. It’s up to you! I have an entire blog post coming one day about ease!
How to Set Yourself Up for Success
If the goal is to have a finished piece you can and want to wear here are some things to make sure you have before you start:
Difficulty Level
Look, I get it, that fingering weight lace colourwork raglan maxi sweater dress (LOL) design you have your eye on is STUNNING! But you are going to overwhelm yourself so quickly if you choose a pattern that doesn’t fit your skill level. You might not love the beginner friendly bulky weight sweater as much, but it is the right place to start.
Because difficulty level is a question I get so often I added the ability to shop by difficulty level on my website and patterns on Ravelry get user-generated difficulty levels as more people add them as projects. I even created a difficulty flow chart for my circle yoke sweaters at the end of this blog post – I always recommend a maker starts with my Clara Sweater (the top tier in the chart), then they can try one in the second tier, then the third or maybe the fourth!
Tools
Having JUST the hook/needle size that the designer used in the pattern is not enough (sorry)! If you aren’t able to achieve gauge with the same hook/needle as the designer you are not going to have a piece that fits and that will be super frustrating! Having a good toolbox goes a long way. Also make sure you have a flexible tape measure, a darning needle and any other supplies listed in the materials section of the pattern.
The right yarn
A lot goes into choosing the right yarn for a project – you want to make sure it’s the right weight, fits your budget and that you like the feel of it against your skin. Check out my blog post all about choosing the right yarn for your garments here where I deep dive into fibres, colours, budgets, ethics and more!
What to keep in mind while making
Check your gauge early & often
Because gauge is affected by our moods, the dryness of our hands, our stress levels, the level of humidity in the air and more – it is incredibly important to check it regularly throughout the making of a garment, especially if you’ve put the piece down for a day or two and are just coming back to it.
Stick to the pattern/trust the process
While it is okay to make modifications to a pattern to fit to your body and likes – you really should stick to the pattern with regards to yarn weight, gauge & general construction for the best chances of having the perfect piece at the end!
Take breaks
We can definitely get excited about making something but don’t sacrifice your body to get the project done fast! Repetitive stress injuries are no joke – take regular breaks from making and STRETCH!
What to do if you get stuck
Notes/Resources in the pattern
The first place to check when you’re stuck on something in a pattern is to check the pattern itself (I know, this seems obvious but sometimes when we’re in it we forget!). Is there a notes section at the start of the pattern? In the section you’re working on? Are there links to external resources from the designer? Photos? If you can’t find the answer in the pattern itself, try seeing if the designer has an FAQ section on their website that might hold the answers you seek!
Take a mind break/re-read & simplify
Another thing we, as a community, are often guilty of is over-complicating things OR focusing too much on matching the designers stitches EXACTLY as they did it. Can’t get that loop in the exact same spot? Stitch count off by 1? No biggie! If you’re happy with how it looks & fits but it doesn’t match exactly as the designer did it – carry on! Still can’t figure it out? Put the project down for the night and come back to it with fresh eyes in the morning – sometimes that little break will be all we need for the light bulb moment.
External Resources
The internet is a wellspring of help! Google, Youtube, Facebook groups, Reddit threads and Ravelry forums are all amazing spots to check for answers and ask your questions!
Ask the designer
If you can’t find that answer anywhere it’s time to reach out to the designer. When reaching out to the designer try to be as specific as possible with your question. Here are some things to include in your email to them: which of their designs are you making? Which size are you making? What part of the pattern specifically are you stuck on and why? For example: “I’m making your Clara Sweater in size XL and I’m stuck on where to place my stitches for the first round of the body, attached is a picture of my progress so far” instead of “I can’t figure out the body of the sweater please help”.
Finishing Your First Piece
CONGRATULATIONS!! You finished your first crochet wearable! My only tip at this point is to wet block your piece – wet blocking elevates the drape and softness of the vast majority of yarns so the piece will feel even better on your body! I’ll be writing a blog post all about blocking one day soon so make sure to subscribe to my email list so that you don’t miss it and other free educational content (and maybe some free patterns coming soon😉).
As promised at the start of this blog post here is the flow chart of my circular yoke sweater designs. If you click on the little expand box in the top right of the image below it will open as a PDF where you can click on each individual pattern name and it will bring you to that pattern!
If you’ve never made a circle yoke before I always recommend beginning with my Clara Sweater. The second tier of sweaters (Luna, Lily, Tanis, Leila) are also very beginner friendly, but they each have some kind of accent stitch to also keep track of in the yoke.
Once you’ve made at least one circle yoke you can absolutely handle the third tier of the chart – in this tier you start to see short rows and more stitch detailing or finishing piece (e.g. buttons/zippers). Finally, the last tier includes more intermediate/advanced elements like colourwork, more short rows, fades and pockets!
Thanks so much for reading today’s blog post!
Happy crocheting,
Courtney