"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity."
β Amelia Earhart
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Hello there fellow knitter!
This is The Yarnist. The daily newsletter that makes you love knitting the same way Doris Day loves to Cuddle Up.
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Knitspiration
π You Already Know How to Knit a Sweater
One thing I hear from knitters all the time: "I'm not ready to knit a sweater yet."
When I ask what they mean, it usually comes down to: "I haven't learned all the skills I need."
But then I ask what they can knit.
"Hats, scarves, dishcloths. I've done a few shawls. I'm working on socks."
In my mind I envision a training montage with Eye of the Tiger playing in the background.
The truth is they've been training to knit a sweater this entire time. Now it's time to get in the ring.
Why sweaters feel different
Most knitters treat sweaters like they're in a completely different category from everything else.
Hats? Easy.
Scarves? Beginner stuff.
Socks? A fun challenge.
Sweaters? We don't talk about sweaters.
It's like sweaters are sitting at the adults' table while you're still eating chicken nuggets with the kids.
But here's the thing: a sweater isn't a different kind of knitting.
It uses the exact same skills you've been practicing all along.
It takes fewer skills to knit a sweater than you think
The myth of the skill gap
We tell ourselves we need to "level up" before we're ready for a sweater.
We need to master cables or colorwork, complicated shaping and specialty bind-offs, and possibly Latin.
But most sweaters don't use any of that.
A basic sweaterβthe kind you'd actually wear, not the kind that wins awards at fiber festivalsβuses about six skills:
Cast on. Knit. Purl. Increase. Decrease. Bind off.
That's it.
If you can knit a hat, you pretty much know all six already.
The only difference is a sweater has more stitches which takes longer. But "more" and "longer" aren't new skills. They're just... more and longer.
Like the difference between running a 5K and a marathon. Same activity. One just makes you question your life choices for a lot longer.
It looks a lot more complicated than it is
What keeps knitters stuck
The real barrier isn't skills.
It's the story we tell ourselves about what a sweater requires.
We see a finished sweater and think: "That must have taken advanced techniques I don't know yet."
But what it actually took was stacking the same six skills you already have in the right order.
The "advanced" part isn't the skills. It's stacking them in the right order and not giving up when you're 60% done.
And even if there are a couple skills you haven't tried before, that's perfectly fine.
Sweater are great projects to learn new things, as long as you don't overdo it.
One of the gorgeous sweaters made during our last Sweater Camp session
Final thoughts
You're probably closer to knitting a sweater than you think.
Not because sweaters are secretly easy.
They're not. They take time and focus and will test your patience like a 3-year-old who doesn't want to go to bed (I'm looking at you Amelie).
It's because you already know how to do every single step.
The question isn't "Am I ready?"
The question is: "Do I have a plan that doesn't involve quitting halfway through?"
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Announcement
Just a few of our recent Sweater Camp Successes!
Want to actually knit a sweater in 2026?
Above was just one of the lies that keep knitters stuck. There are two more that I cover in my free class "Knit a Sweater You'll Actually Wear in 2026."
In it, I show you:
The simple way to knit a sweater in 6-weeks instead of 6 months
Why difficult techniques aren't as complicated as you think
How to find one focused hour a day in your real life to keep momentum
And the #1 Key to sweater knitting success (hint: it isnβt the pattern you pick)
Knit in bed without waking your partner or squinting at your stitches.
This bendable neck light wraps around you like a cozy scarf and shines exactly where you need it, so you can count rows at midnight without disturbing anyone.
The soft silicone won't bug your neck even during marathon knitting sessions, and one charge gives you up to 40 hours of light.
Perfect for finishing that sweater sleeve while everyone else sleeps.
Before you go...below you'll find a few ways we can work together, and other bits & bobs:
Here's some ways to take our relationship to the next level:
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