Somebody asked about knitting pattern skills and skill levels during one of my in-person classes, and I realised that I’ve never said a word about this! So today I’m diving straight into how I see knitting skills. This is in terms of levels and the skills I think are most transferable from one pattern to another.
Before I do, I just want to say that it’s most important for you to curate your own skills base. That is, there are so many techniques and tricks within knitting, it’s impossible to learn them all. It’s a global craft, and every culture and country has their own spin on it. So what I’m about to say is very different to the many helpful articles out there on knitting pattern skill levels. Consider yourself warned!
So my general view is that you learn whatever you need to learn to knit the things you want to knit. Sometimes this comes down to personal interest; sometimes this relates to the pattern you’re following. Somewhere in the middle of this Venn diagram is your personal sweet spot.
What about knitting pattern skill levels?
I find it more helpful to think of skills in terms of what’s needed to do what you want to do. Ideas of beginner and intermediate can vary according to opinion and experience. Listing skills required – which is what I do in my pattern shop listings – gives you the opportunity to self assess. It also gives you the chance to look up tutorials before committing to buying the pattern. This allows you to see:
- Whether there are any gaps in your knowledge in relation to that pattern;
- Whether you need to revise anything;
- Or, whether you can jump straight in!
Categorising knitting pattern skill levels
THIS is where I think it’s easiest to see where you are in terms of your knitting skills. I’ve created six broad categories, which I think are generally helpful no matter which designer’s patterns you buy:
| FOUNDATION SKILLS | PATTERN READING SKILLS | FABRICATION SKILLS |
| Knowing techniques for: Casting on Knit stitch Purl stitch Casting off The 4 things you need to be able to do in order to produce a piece of knitting. Variations, e.g., working through the back loop, are also handy to know | Being able to follow, for example: Written instructions Charts Pattern repeats Schematic diagrams This takes you beyond stocking stitch and garter stitch, and also builds your fabrication skills | There are too many to list, but examples are: Cables Lace Stranded colourwork Intarsia Brioche And anything that adds variety beyond stocking stitch and knit and purl textures (e.g., seed, moss, rib) |
| SHAPING SKILLS | CONSTRUCTION SKILLS | FINISHING SKILLS |
| How to increase and decrease stitches. Again, too many to list, but I’d focus on symmetry and directional shaping, e.g.: M1L (make 1 left) M1R (make 1 right) SSP, SSK (left-sloping) K2tog, P2tog (right-sloping) CDD (central double decrease; my favourite because it’s the black sheep of the family 😊) | Tools and techniques that allow you to build a piece, or join pieces, of knitted fabric, e.g.: Knitting flat Knitting in the round (DPNs, magic loop, or both) Picking up stitches Hand sewing or seaming pieces of knitting together 3-needle cast-off Grafting Neckline shaping (leaving stitches on hold partway through a row to shape one side at a time) | Again, lots of these, but some key ones are: Wet blocking Steaming Sewing in loose ends Weaving in loose ends as you knit (handy for colourwork) Anything that stops the knitting from unravelling, and allows it to hold its shape. Longevity is the goal here. |
Using your knitting skills in the wild
For me, the skills and techniques above will get you very far with knitting patterns. That is, you can feel confident about knitting most patterns, being fairly relaxed about the instructions, and happy with the outcome.
That being said…again, the most important thing is to put yourself first. There are hundreds of techniques out there. My best advice is to create a bank of skills and techniques that will serve you well. Be selfish and think about:
- The item, or type of garment or accessory you want to knit
- Your personal styling preferences, e.g., favourite neckline, favourite type of sleeve
- What suits your body shape (if a jumper or cardigan)
- What you enjoy knitting
- And – what you don’t enjoy knitting
Curating the knitting skills you need for the patterns you want to knit
You can use the table above to create a personalised checklist and set goals according to whatever you want to make. You don’t have to learn everything under the sun, unless you really want to. Just learn enough to enable you to knit the projects you really want to knit.
Picking projects you can see fitting into your life is a HUGE motivator and learning inspiration. This makes it a lot easier to work out which skills and techniques you need as a knitter. Restricting yourself to choosing designs within certain knitting pattern skill levels can be tricky.
The limitations of prescribed knitting pattern skill levels
This is why it’s not always helpful to rank or choose patterns according to a prescribed skill level – beginner, intermediate, advanced, etc. These terms are too relative and subjective, especially if you’re assessing yourself or working independently. Even if you’re with a yarn shop owner, they will ask you what you already know how to do and recommend patterns based on your answers. They won’t necessarily have a label that matches where you think you are skills-wise, either.
Also, knitters don’t always choose patterns according to ‘difficulty’ or skill level. Sometimes you just want knit something because it’s beautiful. And sometimes experienced knitters go for easy or ‘beginner’ patterns because they’d rather not make anything taxing. They’re after a more relaxing project. Emotional drivers can be more powerful than technical drivers when choosing a pattern.
Last, skill levels don’t take into account experience and how you’ve spent your time knitting. For example, someone who’s been knitting for four months might be considered a beginner. But – if they’ve spent a lot of time learning skills and techniques, e.g., knitted a cabled hat, top down baby cardigan in stocking stitch, and a stranded colourwork cowl -the context changes completely. Equally, someone who’s been knitting for four years but stuck to scarves in basketweave stitch is not going to have a wide range of skills.
Build your own knitting skills profile
This is a general look at the knitting skills needed to knit a wide range of patterns. But – and I can’t stress this enough – cherry pick the ones you want. It’s not so much about skill level; more the skills you need to knit the items that you want to knit and wear, for whatever you want to get out of your knitting.
Side note: The same applies to knitwear design 😉
It’s the same when you design knitting patterns. I only ever use techniques that give me the results I want from my knitwear designs. There are definitely things I don’t know how to do. Magic loop is one of them. I just don’t care to learn. There’s nothing wrong with magic loop, but I’ve never wanted to learn it for its own sake, nor has it been required for any pattern I’ve wanted to knit.
Here’s the table above, revised for all the techniques I’ll ever use for my knitting pattern designs. If you can tick all these off, you can have the run of my pattern shop!
Knitting skills needed to knit any pattern designed by Natalie in Stitches
| FOUNDATION SKILLS | PATTERN READING SKILLS | FABRICATION SKILLS |
| Casting on (cable method, thumb method) Knit stitch Purl stitch Casting off Knowing how to work through the back loop | Written instructions Charts Pattern repeats (written and charted) Schematic diagrams (for finished garment measurements and choosing a size to knit) | Cables Lace Stranded colourwork |
| SHAPING SKILLS | CONSTRUCTION SKILLS | FINISHING SKILLS |
| M1L (make 1 left; left sloping increase) M1R (make 1 right; right sloping increase) SSP, SSK (left-sloping decrease) K2tog, P2tog (right-sloping decrease) CDD (central double decrease; my absolute favourite 😊- forms a cute little mitre, I love this for waist darts) | Knitting flat Knitting in the round (DPNs) Hand sewing or seaming pieces of knitting together Setting in sleeves (in the round or flat) 3-needle cast-off Grafting | Wet blocking Steaming Sewing in loose ends Weaving in loose ends as you knit (handy for colourwork, but not strictly necessary) |
I also don’t mind if you improvise using skills you have that I don’t require for my designs. That’s the beauty of having things on your own terms and making your own clothes 🙂
Focusing on your personal skills profile = less overwhelm
It’s less overwhelming, too, if you curate a portfolio of skills that suits you, and dovetail that with the habit of looking carefully at the information in the pattern listing. Always pay attention to that when you’re looking for a project. That will help you to ‘read’ the photograph, or gauge what’s required by seeing how it’s made. This comes with time and experience, but looking at the skills requirement will get you started.
With garment patterns, you also need to look at the schematic diagram to get an idea of fit – but that’s another post for another time.
So…if you haven’t already got the message, create your own skills bank! Or make a checklist, if you’re looking to build up your skills. And use it as a guide or reference, together with your emotional motivation, for choosing a pattern to knit.
My next post will be on the three key skills I think are most important for garment knitting. Don’t miss it if you’re looking to make your first sweater!
Finally, if you’re new to me, my patterns, or knitting in general, I hope this post serves you well, and that you can use it to choose knitting projects that make you happy to be a knitter. Thank you for reading, and if you found this advice helpful, please pin it or share it with other knitters.
And last but not least, a big thank you to Katie and Connie for their ongoing support via Ko-Fi! If you’d also like to fill my tip jar and treat me to a hot chocolate, the button is on the bottom left of your screen. Thank you! 🙂