Skill level 1: Beginner
- A simple knit, with little to no shaping
- Cast-on of knitter’s choice
- No lace knitting
- No charts
- Gauge is generally not crucial to the finished piece
Skill level 2: Adventurous Beginner
Patterns may include any of the following techniques:
- A sweater in a basic pattern
- Work increases into a basic pattern and/or work short-repeat texture patterns
- Either written instructions only or written plus chart(s)
- Decreases and bind-offs for shaping, but no short-rows
- Circular knitting
- Some special techniques but the pattern will include technique descriptions and often there may be a simpler way to accomplish something covered in a specific technique
Skill level 3: Intermediate
Patterns may include any of the following techniques:
- Shaping by decreases and bind-offs
- Short rows but generally only on stockinette, reverse stockinette, or garter stitch only fabrics, with no concurrent shaping
- Charts
- Simple cable patterns
- Simple lace, with patterning on the right side only
- No round marker shifting on charts; if a shift is necessary, it will be spelled out in the pattern’s directions
- Some special techniques but the pattern will include technique descriptions and often there may be a simpler way to accomplish something covered in a specific technique
Skill level 4: Adventurous Intermediate
Patterns may include any of the following techniques:
- Work stitches into an established pattern, without the need for explicit written instructions
- Stranded colorwork and/or intarsia
- Short rows
- Charts with interior shaping and/or or certain-size-only instructions
- Special cable symbols with decreases
- Concurrent shaping
- Multiple beginning-of-round marker shifting
Skill level 5: Advanced
Patterns may include any of the following techniques:
- Complex instructions in regards to higher-level knitting skills
- Construction that uses advanced sewing techniques
- Complicated method(s) of assembling the garment
- Large number of instructions to keep track of at once
- Multiple referrals to special techniques
- Steeks
- Lace patterning on both right- and wrong-side rows
For more information on the structure of our patterns, please see our Anatomy of a BT Pattern resource.