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restitchstance

a sustainable and ethical (life)style blog

DIY  /  December 3, 2017

Yes, you can knit a sweater!

wool and the gang dreaming jumper in cinnamon dust

For knitters, knitting your first sweater is a rite of passage. It’s an intimidating feat, after all. The sheer endurance and commitment it takes to complete a sweater is a commendable accomplishment, not to mention the skills and techniques you’ll need to master.

But what if I said you could knit a sweater, no matter your skill level?

Let me introduce you to the Dreaming Jumper from Wool and the Gang! It’s the easiest sweater you’ll ever knit, and a complete beginner could do it.

Seriously—this dream isn’t too good to be true.

wool and the gang dreaming jumper in cinnamon dust

About Wool and the Gang

Wool and the Gang is a sustainable knitting supply company. They make yarn from biodegradable natural materials, such as wool and alpaca, and from recycled textile waste using sustainable factories.

As a knitter, I’ve recently begun to care about the fibers I use, and it’s important to me to buy high quality, sustainable yarn that I can use to make long-lasting garments that won’t hurt the earth.

Wool and the Gang has an eco-friendly line of yarn made from recycled wool, which now benefits climate change organization Friends of the Earth! They also make vegan yarn produced with renewable energy and yarn from upcycled t-shirt scraps.

wool and the gang dreaming jumper in cinnamon dust

Making my Dream(ing Jumper) come true

(Totally not sorry for this awful pun)

I knitted this sweater using the Dreaming Jumper kit. The kit includes everything you need: yarn, needles, pattern instructions, and a yarn sewing needle for stitching the pieces together.

The sweater is constructed from four rectangles: the front, back, and two sleeves. It’s knit completely in garter stitch, the simplest stitch pattern consisting only of knit stitches.

wool and the gang

Because the yarn is so thick and the needles are so large, this sweater knits up incredibly quickly. It took me about a month from start to finish, and it wasn’t a huge time commitment at all; I’d pick up the project for a few minutes here and there when I had the time. I also just love the process of knitting itself! (More on why making my own clothes is my favorite way to practice slow fashion)

This sweater would be the perfect first project for an enthusiastic beginner! If you think that making a sweater is too difficult or would take too long, the Dreaming Jumper is out to prove you wrong.

wool and the gang dreaming jumper in cinnamon dust

What I loved:

  • It’s a statement piece, without a doubt. I wore this to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art with my red Weekday jeans and felt like two LEGO blocks stacked on top of each other, in the best way possible. I also looked much more fashionable and artsy than I actually am! Fake it ’til you make it, right?
  • It’s probably the coziest sweater in the world.
  • The yarn is high-quality Peruvian wool, and incredibly soft and plush! Not scratchy at all.
  • This is the most beginner-friendly sweater you could knit. If you’re hesitant to knit a sweater because you’re intimidated, you should try this project and see how easy knitting a sweater can be!
  • The yarn is sourced and produced with sustainability in mind. A slow fashion dream come true!

wool and the gang dreaming jumper in cinnamon dust

What I didn’t love:

  • It was way too big for me! I followed the instructions for my size, but because it was so oversized, I had to shorten the sleeves by a good 16 rows/8 inches. If I made this sweater again, I would also make the body pieces less wide because I felt like I was drowning in wool (not a terrible feeling, but kind of impractical). The pattern did say how large the finished sweater would be, so I probably should’ve paid more attention to that. A tip for making it fit your body the way you want it to: Measure a sweater that has the fit you want and see if it’s close to the measurements in the instructions. If it isn’t, calculate the number of stitches you’ll need to cast on based on your gauge (how many stitches = 1 inch).

If you’re not sold on knitting a sweater as your first project, I would also recommend these kits for beginners:

  • Foxy Roxy scarf or the baby version, Lil’ Foxy Roxy (one rectangle instead of four!)
  • Happy Daze beanie (totally doable in an afternoon; beanies knit up SO quickly)
  • My Babe snood (smol yet snuggly)

These kits also make great gifts for your crafty and/or fashionable friends!

If you haven’t tried knitting or are new to knitting, what’s the most intimidating aspect of knitting for you? For my knitters, let me know what your first project was and how it went!

Outfit details:

Sweater: Wool and the Gang Dreaming Jumper kit in Cinnamon Dust
Jeans: Weekday
Earrings: Nisolo

Disclosure: I was gifted product in exchange for an honest review and this post contains affiliate links. No amount of money or product is worth more than my relationship with you, and I strive to provide transparent and honest content.

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23 Comments

  • Heidi says:
    December 3, 2017 at 11:20 am

    Saw your Instagram post on this sweater and you have inspired me to try this! One question…can you explain the number of stitches being equivalent to one inch? Only because I am petite and pretty certain I will need to reduce the size. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Cat says:
      December 3, 2017 at 11:30 am

      Of course! So to calculate how many stitches you need, you need to multiply the width that you want your sweater to be by the number of stitches it takes you to knit one inch. The number of stitches it takes for you to knit one inch is called the gauge. Here’s a great article on measuring your gauge: https://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/05/how-to-measure-your-gauge-in-knitting/

      So for example, if your gauge is 2 stitches = 1 inch and you want your sweater to be 20 inches wide, then you’ll need to cast on 40 stitches.

      Let me know if you have any more questions!

      Reply
      • Heidi says:
        December 4, 2017 at 6:54 am

        Thank you! I will have a look at the article too!

        Reply
  • Willow says:
    December 4, 2017 at 12:42 pm

    Even though it’s a bit big, I love your sweater! I especially love the size of the yarn. I don’t know how to knit, but I do crochet. I have never attempted a sweater, but last year I made a neck warmer that still need finishing.

    Reply
    • Cat says:
      December 4, 2017 at 4:53 pm

      Thank you! Yes, the chunky yarn makes it so cozy and unique 🙂 I also like to crochet! I think you’ll like knitting if you try it out!

      Reply
  • Jenn Wang says:
    December 5, 2017 at 11:09 am

    Ohmygosh, you did such a great job knitting your own sweater! LOVE the chunky texture. I’m not quite sure if I have the patience to do it myself, but you have definitely inspired me to be more open to DIY projects. 🙂

    Jenn Wang
    http://www.honeydewblog.com

    Reply
    • Cat says:
      December 5, 2017 at 11:13 am

      Thank you so much! I’m glad to hear that 🙂 I’d love to see any projects you try out!

      Reply
  • An Trieu says:
    December 6, 2017 at 10:25 am

    Hi Cat,
    I’d love a tutorial on this! I’ve been wanting to get back to knitting/crocheting for so long! Love the sweater by the way! And I’d love to connect, hopefully to meet one day!

    Reply
    • Cat says:
      December 6, 2017 at 10:44 am

      It’s the perfect time to pick up knitting or crocheting again! I love knitting when it’s cold out 🙂 Thank you! I’m always down to connect with other Seattle bloggers!

      Reply
  • Ruthie Ridley says:
    December 6, 2017 at 10:26 am

    You are serious goals!! This sweater is amazing!!

    Reply
    • Cat says:
      December 6, 2017 at 10:44 am

      Aw thanks so much!

      Reply
  • katrina says:
    December 6, 2017 at 10:37 am

    LOVE this sweater so much. You’ve inspired me to want to make one but I also know I have commitment issues with knitting projects… knowing me, I’ll end up with a front and a sleeve and ditch the project T_T haha

    Reply
    • Cat says:
      December 6, 2017 at 10:45 am

      Omg I’m the same way…but I had to write this blog post so that was motivation, haha!

      Reply
  • Valerie Hansen says:
    December 6, 2017 at 6:08 pm

    Wow you did a great job on this sweater, its just so beautiful! I tried to knit one time..forget itttt! Lol, getting patience to sew is about as far as I can go…

    Blessings!

    VAlerie

    Reply
    • Cat says:
      December 7, 2017 at 9:46 am

      Thanks so much Valerie! Haha, it really does take a lot of patience but sewing is really fun too!

      Reply
  • Ant says:
    December 7, 2017 at 6:51 am

    This looks simple enough! The problem I have is I only know two stitches and can’t move beyond knitting a scarf! How does this yarn hold up after a wash?

    Reply
    • Cat says:
      December 7, 2017 at 9:48 am

      That’s not a problem at all! You only need to know how to do a knit stitch, and it’s like knitting 4 small scarves and then sewing it all together 🙂 I haven’t washed the yarn yet, but since it’s wool it needs to be hand washed and air dried.

      Reply
  • Meghan says:
    December 8, 2017 at 9:10 am

    I love big cozy knits!!! They are my favorite this season. I also love how you went monochrome with this look. Perfection!

    Reply
    • Cat says:
      December 8, 2017 at 3:27 pm

      Me too! Thank you so much!

      Reply
  • Ruth Johnson says:
    November 26, 2018 at 3:20 pm

    just wondering what size you knitted in the pattern?

    Reply
    • Cat says:
      November 28, 2018 at 4:09 pm

      The smallest size!

      Reply
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