#SweaterTogether: Lessons Learned

Our Tealeaf Sweater Knit-Along has been about so much more than making a new cardigan to add to our fall wardrobes. Along the way, we’ve tried new techniques, picked up new tips, conquered new skills and learned so much about ourselves along the way.

What have you learned as you’ve knit the Tealeaf Sweater?

The Bluprint knitting crew is here to share their top takeaways from the last five weeks of knitting.

Nichelle, our graphic designer

When she first learned to knit, Nichelle used the English style. “I felt inefficient and slow, and I wasn’t able to hold tension at all in a comfortable way.” After watching lots of other knitters’ styles, Nichelle tried Continental instead. “I figured out the right way that worked with MY hands,” she says. “I got it down with purl stitches too!”

Mary, our tech product manager

We’re really impressed with this hack Mary discovered! While knitting her shoulder saddle, Mary felt like was “juggling an octopus” (just like Bristol said in the video). “I figured out if I left my held stitches on my locking stitch holders, and just opened them up to pick off one stitch at a time as needed, it was much easier to manage,” Mary says. “No worrying about my held stitches slipping off the end of the needles.” Genius!

Lindsey, our yarn merchandiser

This was the first time Lindsey (that’s her on the right) tried Japanese short rows and all she can say is “I’m.in.LOVE!” Plus, Lindsey’s fallen in love with shoulder saddle construction. “I love the way you knit back and forth and capture a little more of the garment with each row,” she says. “Plus there’s no seaming — my seams are always pretty hard to look at.”

Kamie, head of our marketing team

Turns out a mistake doesn’t always have to be ripped out — it can become a “design feature,” as Kamie learned about her lace. “I actually always read the lace chart from left to right instead of left to right only on the odd rows,” Kamie say. “My design is slightly different, but I learned that as long as you are consistently wrong, good things can still emerge.”

Chelsea, our community manager

“Ive learned that the creator of Netflix was probably a knitter,” Chelsea says (we’ve all been sharing tips on the best shows to watch through the stockinette). Jokes aside, Chelsea says she’s sold on the fact that knitting is better with friends. “Having a community of enthusiastic knitters to lean on when your stitches get twisted makes the struggle worthwhile.”

Stephanie, our email marketing guru

Stephanie is a newer knitter and a first-time sweater maker, and she’s learning a lot along the way. “I learned how useful stitch markers are — counting 204 stitches for the cast-on is a lot!” she says. And while the KAL has been a great learning experience, Stephanie admits that her next project will use much thicker yarn and larger needles (“so it doesn’t take me forever!”).