Step 1: Yarn choice and needles.

Choose a bulky yarn that you just fall in love with! Buy one ball. Before we can actually knit the sweater you will need to know what your gauge is. Buy 2 sets of 24" circular needles. One in the size suggested on the yarn label, and the other set a size smaller.

Step 2: Knit a Swatch to Obtain Gauge

Cast on 20 sts. Knit in stockinette stitch for 20 rows. Stockinette stitch is knit all right side rows, purl all wrong side rows. Bind off the last row loosely. (I am assuming that you now know how to cast-on, knit, purl, bind-off).

Now, with your swatch laying flat, and using a ruler, measure 2" horizontally in the middle of the swatch. Count the number of stitches and rows in the 2" area. 

The image below illustrates measurement with a gauge ruler.

The gauge ruler has an opening of 2 x 2. I blocked out the area that is solid to emphasize the 2" opening.  In my sample there are 6 stitches showing in the horizontal opening and 8 rows showing in the vertical opening. I divide both the stitches by 2 and the rows by 2 to get my 1" gauge. The gauge in the illustration is 3 sts per in, 4 rws per in.

Once you have obtained your gauge you are ready to start.

Please Note that when you are following the pattern to count your rows. If your row gauge is off, and you go by measurements instead of counting rows, you may run out of yarn.