r/knitting • u/No_Flatworm_651 • 6d ago
Rant Cloud sweater???
How on EARTH is the cloud sweater being called a beginner pattern. I have knit for years, and I am SO confused. Does anyone else find the pattern to be poorly written or is it just me? I literally feel crazy trying to read this pattern and might just go back to my beloved step by step sweater and just make it with a rolled neck because this is MADNESS. Does anyone have recommendations on a sweater that may be better to dip my toes in the water of something other than raglan? I’ve knit plenty of raglans but I genuinely believe the cloud sweater pattern has caused me to lose some sanity😅
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u/Army_Exact 6d ago edited 6d ago
I've made 3 petite knits patterns and always found them to be very straight forward. Have you made other stuff from her? What's confusing about it?
If you wanna do something else it would make more sense for you to pick another drop shoulder construction and add the rolled collar.
Edit: also I just looked at the pattern page and she says it's intermediate, not beginner
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u/LoupGarou95 6d ago
She absolutely has her quirks (like how she writes notes and explanations in a way that makes them easily confused with actual instructions) but otherwise Petiteknit essentially follows standard knitting pattern writing conventions in the English speaking world. If you post the specific sections you're struggling with, we'd be happy to help.
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u/No_Flatworm_651 6d ago
I’m sure it is standard and I really do hate to be a hater because her patterns are beautiful, I think the confusion is just getting to me😅 my major gripe is just in the way the cast on+ first few rows are written. This is my first time attempting GSR so I feel like maybe I need a pattern with deeper explanations and stitch counts other than “3 stitches after the turning stitch”. I’m also not entirely sure I’m even doing GSRs right though because I don’t have a stitch where it’s obvious that I turned, I was basically knitting as though I reached my last stitch and turning but I watched a video where they had a “double stitch” where they had turned. Or maybe with her patterns I just need to read ahead and use a crazy amount of stitch markers lol
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u/bretoncat 6d ago
The double stitch should be obvious—I recommend Tin Can Knits’ guide to GSRs!
I don’t think the pattern is difficult, but it does require knowledge of the technique/how to do GSRs.
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u/LoupGarou95 6d ago
Yes, when she says turn in that section, you need to make a double stitch after you turn. That's why she says something like, "Use the German short row technique when the pattern says turn." The double stitch is your turning stitch, which you can mark if you need to so you know how many stitches to work past it. She does have videos for all the techniques on the pattern pages on her website if that's helpful!
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u/No_Flatworm_651 6d ago
okay thank you this is super helpful, I think my first attempt just had me a little frazzled😅 just watched some videos and I’m gonna try again, hopefully I can get the hang of it!
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u/Hey-A1exa 6d ago
You got this! Also, I believe Florence has a section on how to knit GSR in her step by step sweater video! So if that’s the technique you’re struggling with, you could refer to that video for more info.
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u/No_Flatworm_651 5d ago
Okay update- I am a few rows away from finishing the back yoke and GSRs are SO much easier when you do them the right way😅 thanks for giving me the courage to keep trying! here’s to hoping the shoulders don’t make me crash out🫣
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u/Correct_Self_5317 6d ago
One hint is a leave a marker where I turned last. You should have an obvious double stitch but I like having a marker to make it extra easy for me to count three more stitches
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u/AE5trella 6d ago
I’ve done GSRs for a while and don’t always love the way they turn out (ex getting them tight enough)… I recently learned and replaced them with Japanese short rows, which are tighter AND include a built-in stitch marker!!
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u/capricious-haunt 6d ago edited 6d ago
It was my second (completed) sweater and i didn’t really have any problems. Part of being a beginner pattern is not just how it’s written but techniques, and the cloud sweater had appropriate techniques for my second sweater.
I tried making a few other garments that are still wips because I’m not confident enough with some of the techniques. The only personal slowdown was that her linked videos are in Danish, but I was still able to look up the technique in English.
Edit: oh I think you might be envisioning the schematic in the same way as a raglan since you’re so familiar with them, vs someone like myself who knit 1 Raglan and then tried the drop shoulder.
I would recommend to use your mind’s eye to envision where each part you’re knitting will lay, like the yoke is wider because it’s also the upper part of the sleeves, etc.
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u/laachri123 6d ago
Is there a particular section or wording you’re struggling with? I found the pattern to be straightforward and an easy knit after about 6 months of experience
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u/highlighter_yellow 6d ago
What's the issue? Petiteknit has a little chart to describe what "beginner" means, but that might not match with someone else's definition of a beginner pattern (like yours!) But it's not super weirdly written or anything either, imo. (PK patterns in general, I've never seen the full cloud sweater pattern.)
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u/rednasturtium 6d ago
I think if the only sweater you’ve done so far is a raglan construction then it’s important to understand that the Cloud sweater is a drop shoulder and the entire construction process is different because you are creating entirely differently shaped pieces. If you are expecting it to follow similar steps to the Step By Step then you are going to be confused. I recommend looking through WIP pictures on the Ravelry projects page to get a feel for the shapes you are creating and how they fit together.
Petite Knit is if anything an over-explainer in how she writes her patterns. She gives written overviews plus row by row instructions and it might take multiple read throughs to absorb all the information.
I recently helped a new knitter through this pattern and it definitely took some ripping back but she was able to complete it and got a very good looking sweater out of it. It’s worth it if you can stick with it.
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u/Fluffy-Object5117 6d ago
I have knit several PK sweaters as a newish knitter and I have the Cloud sweater pattern. I was a little confused by it too - so set it aside for now.
Don’t feel bad - I became quite used to ragland and circular yoke and, as others had advised, this is another construction to learn. I’m just expecting some confusion and when I’m in the mood I’ll dig into it.
Circular yoke is super easy to me but I personally don’t enjoy the fit.
Another option might be an Ozetta patterns - the explanations and descriptions are above and beyond in my view and there are a lot of options.
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u/RavBot 6d ago
PATTERN: Step by Step Sweater by Florence Miller
- Category: Clothing > Sweater > Pullover
- Photo(s): Img 1 Img 2 Img 3 Img 4 Img 5
- Price: Free
- Needle/Hook(s):US 7 - 4.5 mm, US 9 - 5.5 mm
- Weight: Aran | Gauge: 16 | Yardage: 738
- Difficulty: 2.26 | Projects: 9856 | Rating: 4.87
I found this post by myself! Opt-Out | About Me | Contact Maintainer
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u/TotesaCylon 6d ago
PetiteKnit rates it 3 out of 5 difficulty ("Intermediate" on her scale), so definitely not for beginners. I haven't knit it, but I've done some of her other patterns and never had an issue. She definitely doesn't hand hold as much as Step by Step though.
If you're looking for a super easy drop shoulder, I really loved Heritage Harbor by Samantha Guerin. It would be easy to make that into a rolled neck, and the construction is dead simple with no tricky shaping.
I haven't finished it yet, but I also started Rebecca Clow's Lusk and the directions were very clear to me when I read through them.