How I Made my Own Chunky Cardigan with We Are Knitters
WE ARE KNITTERS
ALL THE HAPPINESS IN A KIT
Ever since I was young, I've always been so curious about knitting because, sure, crocheting is cool (a skill I've learned many years ago, thanks to my grandma), but knitting looks so much cooler, and to be quite honest, I think it is way more "legitneth"! So when I was given the opportunity to work with We Are Knitters, I couldn't say no! I thought to myself: I can finally learn how to knit!
We Are Knitters is basically a one-stop-shop for people who have an affinity for needles and yarn! From knitting, to crocheting, even petit pointers, they've got us covered! They provide kits, supplies, and lots more, and because WAK loves sustainability, we're sure that everything they make are of the best quality! To learn more about them, click here.
What I love about We Are Knitters is that they cater to crafters of all levels of expertise!
If you have zero knowledge about knitting, it's okay, because they have different easy projects for beginners (like myself). If you feel like you can handle a more difficult project, they've got a few patterns for you as well! And can I just say that their projects are all so beautiful?! If only I could buy and make them all, I would, then I'll be wearing WAK all fall and winter! But since I'm a noob at knitting, I chose something fairly easy to make. The Simone Cardigan is filed under the "easy" level (not beginner level), and since I thought knitting would be kind of similar to crocheting, I went for it, I mean, how card could it be for a beginner right?! I have never been so wrong in my life! 😂
Knitting and crocheting - two totally different things! NOT EVEN 1% SIMILAR AT ALL! But the good news is, knitting is so much more fun than crocheting!
What's included in my Simone Cardigan Kit:
• 6 BALLS OF 100% PERUVIAN WOOL YARN (200 GR.)
• 15 MM / UK S/E/ US 19 WOODEN KNITTING NEEDLES
• THE PATTERN
• A SMALL KNITTER'S SEWING NEEDLE
• WAK PACKAGING
I felt so excited and pumped to start on my project after I unpacked my kit, but after seeing my pattern's instructions, I felt so discouraged because I couldn't understand anything the manual was telling me to do! "WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?!" I found myself asking. I wish the instructions of the pattern was a little more "beginner-friendly", but We Are Knitters knows how to take care of their customers because they have a bunch of video tutorials on their website that I found extremely helpful! In addition to that, Anna, WAK's representative who I was in contact with the entire time was a huge help to me. Every time I found something confusing in my pattern, she was more than willing to clear things up for me! Thank you so much Anna! My cardigan would have been a total flop if it wasn't for your help!
HOW I DID IT:
1. I GAVE MYSELF TIME TO LEARN
It only took me a few hours (of the first day) to learn all the stitches I needed to know to be able to do my project. Then the next day, I practiced a lot! Then the next day, I practiced some more, until I felt like I was ready to actually begin on the project. I didn't rush into the project. I gave myself a lot of time to learn. I knew that if I rushed into starting on the pattern without fully understanding the stitches I had to make, the cardigan would be a disaster.
The main stitches/techniques that I had to learn are the following: cast on, cast off, knit, purl, rib, stockinette, pick up, increase, decrease.
2. I SOUGHT GUIDANCE FROM THEIR VIDEOS
Every time I had to refresh my mind on how to make a certain technique or method, I always went back to their website and watched their tutorials! Some instructions are in Spanish, but all I had to do was follow the demonstration in the video, and I was good to go! And in the few occasions I did not find the method I needed to learn from their website, I relied on the thousands of knitting tutorials all over YouTube. And I realized that it really isn't hard to learn something new if only we put our time and our effort to actually learning them!
3. I CREATED A BULLET JOURNAL SPREAD FOR MY PROJECT
If you already knit, and know the process of knitting, then you probably have an idea on why I did this. To those of you who are a little confused, let me explain.
When you start a project, especially one that is large like a cardigan, you will be required to count a lot, and remember which row you're working on, because most of the time, your stitch depended on what kind of number that row is (whether it's an even or odd number). Okay, I think I confused you guys even more. HAHA. But you just got to knit to understand what I'm talking about. Anyway, I thought it was too much for me to keep on reminding myself in my head the number of the row I was working on. Literally, I was whispering the number to myself over and over again just so I won't forget, and there were times when I still forgot, and that screwed me up, so I decided to create a spread in my bullet journal to make my life so much easier!
So basically, I wrote down the number of rows I had to make for the back, the front, and the sleeves of my cardigan. For the back, I had to create 56 rows of stockinette, so I wrote the numbers 1 through 56 in a box, and every time I finished whatever row I'm working on, I cross that number out in my notebook. I found it to be such an effective way to not lose track of my progress. Also, I was able to binge watch on Girlboss, while knitting, after doing this system. HAHA.
4. I DID NOT GIVE UP
I know that I said earlier that knitting is way more fun than doing crochet, but let me be honest here, knitting is hard, and there were times when I wanted to quit! I don't know how many times I had to unravel my rib stitches because it didn't look like the way it's supposed to. I don't remember how many times my yarn broke because I was pulling it too hard. I don't know how many times I had to watch a certain technique on video, because I couldn't understand how to do it myself. It was discouraging, especially for me, because I take pride in everything I do and create, and not being able to do a simple stitch was heartbreaking for me. But that didn't stop me from carrying on. I wanted to finish what I started, to be able to wear it, flaunt it, call it a cardigan, and tell the world that I created it myself. And so I did!
YOU WILL SEE IN THIS PHOTO THAT I'VE ALREADY FINISHED THE ENTIRE FRONT PART OF THIS CARDIGAN, BUT BECAUSE I MESSED UP THE BOTTOM PART, I HAD TO REDO ALL OF IT. IT WAS TEDIOUS, BUT I WASN'T GOING TO LEAVE IT LIKE THAT.
5. I PRACTICED PATIENCE
I know this point is kind of similar to the previous one, but knitting is a long game of patience! Knitting a cardigan takes a lot of learning, practice, time and energy! It doesn't just all happen overnight, so when you do want to start your own project, you got to remember to be patient. As soon as I got the hang of it, I absolutely enjoyed it! Yes, my shoulders and back felt sore for a couple nights, but seeing it come together slowly but surely kept me pushing forward. Even as I finished the project, and seeing that it looks like a beginner's cardigan (😂 ), I learned to be patient with myself knowing that there's a lot of room for improvement, and the only way to go from here is up.
MY RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I give We Are Knitters a perfect score because my cardigan turned out so cute! The project was altogether a lot of fun, and because of it, I leveled up in life by learning a new skill! I highly recommend checking them out if you want to learn how to knit, crochet, etc. Not only do they provide high-quality yarn, their patterns are all so fashionable too!
BONUS: Now, I can gift my loved-ones knitted items, handcrafted by moi!!!
I partnered up with We Are Knitters to give you guys a 30% discount on their site! Like I said before, they have a lot of kits and patterns to choose from, and I'm sure you'll find something you'll like! Maybe you want your own Simone Cardigan too, then we can be twinning!
✨ Use my code "CORINTHSUAREZ_WAK30" at checkout! ✨
Be sure to check out how I styled it, and also, don't forget to follow We Are Knitters on Instagram for inspiration!
I truly enjoyed this project, and when I do need to do another one, I know who I can go to! We Are Knitters made knitting so much fun and rewarding, and I'm so happy about the new skill I've learned! I cannot wait to see my hands improve at this craft.
Do you knit? Do you crochet? What's a skill you would want to learn in the future?
Tell me all about it in the comment section below!
DISCLAIMER: This post is sponsored by WAK, but as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own. Some photos taken by Jorge Suarez, all edited by moi.