Knitting a chunky-knit sweater: what should you keep in mind?

Dear users, dear designers,
if you want to knit a chunky-knit sweater, what should you keep in mind? Can you achieve this effect with crochet, too?

Well, dear Josefa, that’s a broad topic. In any case, a large gauge swatch (for me, over 20 x 20 cm) in the original stitch pattern is essential. Please also wash the gauge swatch and only measure it afterwards. Especially with loosely stitched sweaters, things can very quickly end up huge.

Personally, I always start with a needle size at least one size smaller than what’s indicated on the yarn label. The stitches will stretch out later anyway—so I prefer to start a little tighter.

Of course, you can also crochet loosely stitched sweaters. But maybe someone else can write a bit about that.

Thanks for the info :-)

I’d crocheted a dress using a large hook and viscose yarn; it was made of panels, so I couldn’t try it on until after I’d sewn it all together. After a few minutes, the stitches on the shoulders stretched out sooooooo long, and it just looked terrible—so I unraveled the whole thing. I think this only turns out really nice with very lightweight yarn. In any case, this smooth and heavy viscose yarn wasn’t suitable for it.

Both are possible. However, as already mentioned, you should always make a fairly large gauge swatch, wash and block it, and let it dry thoroughly so that the final measurements are accurate. Blocking is important because small swatches don’t stretch as much in length and width as larger pieces do. Depending on the material, it can stretch quite a bit. I speak from experience here—my merino wool crochet sweater, which was originally hip-length, ended up almost knee-length after hand-washing. Well, 

Have any of you had the chance to knit a few chunky-knit sweaters recently?