Reading an "old fashioned' Knitting Pattern with DIY Learning

I am super excited because today I will do starting to knit my second sweater! It's a big undertaking but I have my yarn and my pattern. This pattern is from a magazine that I love, not only because it's named "Rebecca" but also because their patterns turn our quite nicely. I made a scarf over the summer from a "Rebecca" pattern and it was very simple and ending up looking really pretty.

However, knitting patterns are notoriously difficult to read. 

So, today I am going to walk you through this sweater pattern and how I do my online crafting research. I could do this for every part of the pattern, but that would make an unnecessarily long and rather repetitive post, so I will just be showing you the basics of my online craft searches and how ridiculously simple it can be to clarify your crafting confusion. 

Title: Raglan Sweater in Half Fisherman's Rib

I want to know what a raglan sweater is, what it will look like, and what makes it different from knitting other kinds of sweaters. A quick google search should fix that.

Interesting. I am now curious about the sleeves, because they have a different style than the ones I am used to. I can skim this article from craftsy: http://www.craftsy.com/article/understanding-raglan-sleeves

Also, I have never heard of half fisherman's rib before. I'm going to google that. 

My Google search came up with an explanation right away. Simply clicking on the images tab will show me some examples of what this stitch may look like. 

This image search can also help influence my color and yarn choices. Different types of yarn and different colors of yarn will look different, even if you are using the same stitch. This can show me the basic design without my knitting an entire swatch. 

Finally, YouTube:

I hope this post gave you a bit more insight into how the online environment can really benefit the average crafter. Feel free to comment if you have any questions and as always, stay creative!

Rebecca