Preparation

• 1). Select a knitting pattern for your sweater. There are many free patterns online that range in difficulty from beginner to advanced. If you are new to knitting stripes, a simple pattern may be a wise choice to allow you to concentrate on the striping.
  
  
• 2). Once you have selected a pattern, gather the appropriate materials. Check your pattern to make sure you have the proper size knitting needles and enough yarn to complete the project.
  
  
• 3). Determine how wide you want your stripes to be. For a plain knit, you can select almost any width, but if you are using a pattern knit, it is best to determine how many rows the pattern takes up and determine your stripe width by a number of pattern rows.
  
  

Knitting

• 1). Follow the directions in your knitting pattern to complete the ribbing at the waist of the sweater in your main color. Continue to follow the pattern for your first stripe in your main color. If you are knitting in the round, place a stitch marker at the first stitch to avoid a spiral pattern as opposed to a stripe. Move your stitch marker up with each completed row.
  
  
• 2). To start your first contrasting stripe, hold the main color yarn in your non-dominant hand (the one holding the knitted section of sweater). With your dominant hand, take hold of the end of your contrasting yarn. Leave yourself a 1 inch to 2 inch tail of your contrasting yarn and begin knitting the next row with the contrasting yarn. Continue knitting in the contrasting color until you have completed your first stripe.
  
  
• 3). Repeat Step 2 for any additional colors.
  
  
• 4). To begin using your main color again, cut the yarn from the sweater, leaving a 1 inch to 2 inch tail on the sweater. Tie the tail from your main color and your first contrasting color together to prevent raveling. Then, repeat Step 2 with your main color of yarn.
  
  
• 5). Repeat Steps 2 to 4 until the body of the sweater is complete. Repeat Steps 1 to 4 for the sleeves.
  
  

Assembly

• 1). Using your yarn needle, weave the ends of your yarn into the back of your work.
  
  
• 2). Still using your yarn needle, sew together any required seams and attach the sleeves according to the pattern directions.
  
  
• 3). Once your sweater is complete, wash the sweater and lay it flat to dry.