With the sweater season right here, it is essential to start gearing for it. Nothing can be more comfortable than a sweater knitted at home. They are soft and very comfy.
Well, you can too start knitting a sweater at home for your own or for your loved ones. If you are thinking to start this, the first thing that might come to your mind is how long it can take to knit a complete sweater. There are different factors that play a major role in the total time taken.
Also, you the process of knitting is considered too i.e. whether you are knitting with a machine or you are knitting by your hand. To know more about what these factors are and how they play a major role, read on.
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Factors That Determine The Time It Takes To Knit A Sweater
There are number of factors that play a major role when it comes to the total time taken to knit a sweater. Of course, the total time taken by you can differ from another person to knit the sweater. The major factors that play the main role here are:
Experience Of The Knitter
This is one of the most important factors that play a crucial role on how long you will take to knit a complete sweater.
Of course, the time taken by a beginner will be much longer than a person who is much more experienced to knit a sweater.
So, if you are beginner and want to start knitting now, then you may take a longer time than what your mother or your grandmother will take.
With experience, you will have the confidence to knit. This will also increase your speed of knitting. It will hardly take few hours to complete with years of experience.
Complexities Of Knitting Pattern
Another factor that too plays a major role in the total time taken for completing a sweater is the knitting pattern. Not every knitting pattern is simple and easy.
Some of them are quite complex which can take a lot of time to master as well as to do while you knit. So, it depends completely on which pattern you are choosing to knit the sweaters.
If you are a beginner, it is recommended to do the simple basic knitting. As you gain experience, you can learn and try the complex patterns too.
Type Of The Sweater
There are different types of sweaters that you can knit. Whether it is a simple cardigan or just a pullover, you can always experiment with the neck and sleeves.
You can choose to knit a turtle-neck sweater or a V-neck sweater or even a crewneck one. While a cardigan and pullover can take more or less same time, if you are choose sleeveless sweater then it will take lesser time to knit than the sweater with sleeves.
Of course, you don’t have to knit the two sleeves which will save a lot of time. Same goes with the neck. When you are knitting a turtleneck, it will take slightly more time than that of the V-neck or simple round neck.
Type Of The Yarn
There are different types of yarn that you can choose from for knitting your sweater. The main types of yarn are – lace, super fine, fine, light, medium, bulky and super bulky.
Each of these yarns has a different weight and width. Of course, the time you will take to knit the sweater with these yarns will differ from one type of yarn to another.
The bulkier ones usually take lesser time to complete than the fine ones. But it can also depend on your knitting patterns, as mentioned in the previous point.
Gauge of the knitting
Another factor that plays an important role in determining the total time taken for knitting the sweater is the gauge. This means how many stitches and rows you will need.
The size of the sweater you want to achieve is also considered. While you are sewing a sweater for a baby and a person with same experience, knitting pattern and yarn is knitting a sweater for an adult, the time taken by both will differ.
This is because of the gauge and yardage of the sweater.
How Long Does It Take To Knit A Sweater With Knitting Machine?
From the above explanation, hopefully, it is quite clear about how these factors can play a major role. With the evolution of technologies and better mechanism, there have been a lot of changes to the world. Many works, including knitting, have become quite easier and faster than before.
Thanks to the knitting machine, you don’t have to spend hours or days to knit a sweater.
With the help of the knitting machine, it can take about 6 hours to 8 hours from the start to finish for knitting a complete sweater. But excess decoration and sewing can take more time.
For example: If you want to do some decorations on the sweater with the beads or an embroidery work, you will have to spend some more time to complete the sweater even if the knitting is done.
How Much Time Does It Take To Knit A Sweater By Hand?
On an average, the total time it takes to knit a sweater by hand can differ from 20 hours to 24 hours. It depends mainly on the different factors, as mentioned above.
If you are a beginner and you are trying to knit a complete sweater with sleeves and some complex patterns, then it can take more than 24 hours too. But if you are an experienced knitter with a general experience of knitting sweater previously, then you will take about 21 to 22 hours for the same.
But for a professional expert with years of great experience, it can take less than 20 hours too.
Also, the type of yarn that you choose plays a major role. Even the type of knitting pattern too plays a crucial role here.
The most important type of yarn that people choose is the wool yarn and it is a wonderful choice for winter clothing. It offers you warmth as well as it can hold its shape for a long time. But it also has different types such as fine, medium, long and double-coating i.e. merino wool.
Which Wool Is The Best For Knitting?
When you are knitting a sweater for your need or for anyone in your family or friends, you have to make sure that you are choosing the best quality wool for them.
You need to choose the yarn very carefully. It should be a good quality one and also something that is easy to use. We have already discussed about the general wool yarn. Here are some of the types of yarn that you can choose for knitting are:
- Cashmere wool: This is the softest types of yarn that you can choose. These wools originate from the Cashmere goats and they feel quite soft and premium. They are quite expensive too. But when it comes to knitting, it is easier to knit with this quality because of their soft nature.
- Alpaca wool: This is another type of yarn that you can choose from. This comes from the Alpaca which is a type of Lama found in South America. It is natural wool that can help you to keep super warm. This feels as soft as silk.
- Merino wool: This is the most popular type of yarn which is widely used for knitting. The quality of the fabric is quite chunky and it is derived from the Merino Sheep. It looks and feels quite unique with a soft touch. It doesn’t cause any allergic reaction to your skin.
Conclusion
It is quite evident now that how much time it can take for you to knit a sweater. If you are knitting it with the help of the machine, it will not take more than 8 hours approximately. But if you want to knit it with your hands, then it may take 20 to 24 hours depending on various factors that are mentioned above.
It is not possible for anyone to knit 20 to 24 hours straight. So, either it will take few days depending on your speed and the time you give to knit. If you spend more or less 3 to 4 hours daily, then it will take about a week or so to complete the entire sweater.
Before you start knitting, you have to make some decisions. These are – the type of yarn you want to choose, the type of sweater you want to knit and the pattern of knitting.
Once you start the knitting, you will realize that the time taken to knit at the initial stage will be more. Later, when you get the hold of the shape and the size of the sweater, it will be faster and easier.
All you have to do is to make a complete plan about what type of sweater you want to knit, what patterns you will apply and what yarn you will use. These decisions are crucial and you have to get it sorted in order to achieve the best result.
