FREE PATTERN FAVES - TOP-DOWN SEAMLESS SWEATER BY KAREN TEMPLER

Front view of my first self-drafted raglan.

And the back view…

A couple of years ago, I designed, drafted and knit my own sweater. I know— can you believe it?! It was a huge breakthrough in my knitting and it’s all thanks to this free tutorial I stumbled across:

Improv: Basic pattern for a top-down seamless sweater by Karen Templer

I’ve been knitting for about 8 years now and it’s been quite a journey. From finding out I was knitting incorrectly 3 years into it (whaaaaa?!) to teaching myself corrections, it’s been a little nuts. But I can never be without knitting. I’m always wanting to keep my hands busy with a new sweater or top or baby booties.

I started to get a little bored with some of my knits and often found myself losing interest in the patterns I was choosing. I usually don’t mind following directions, but I’d seem to run out of steam halfway through my projects. I just kinda wanted to do my own thing, but didn’t know how to start. Then I came upon Karen Templer’s tutorial and it changed my knitting life! She takes you step-by-step through how to do the math and implement the methods needed to draft and knit a sweater of your own design.

By going through this blog tutorial, I was able to learn more about sweater construction and build the confidence to design my own knits or make adjustments to others’ patterns that I’d purchased/collected. Since making this sweater, I’ve drafted my own tank top, sweater and made adjustments to a handful of other knits in my wardrobe. I’m in love!

My growing collection of self-drafted or adjusted knits.

If you’re a knitter and looking to dive deeper into knit garment construction, I could not recommend this more! Give it a try— you won’t regret it :)

—KB

ps. If you need some additional notes on how to adjust knitting patterns, check out my blog post here!