tutorial: measuring yourself, choosing a size, and ... · if you have problems measuring your cross...

Tutorial: Measuring Yourself, Choosing a Size, and Adjusting for Proper Fit 1 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © by Christina Körber-Reith (aka strickauszeit), 2015. For any questions please contact me: www.ravelry.com/people/strickauszeit or send an email: [email protected]. This tutorial is only for personal use. Please do not reproduce or sell this tutorial.

Here are some hints and procedures for how to measure yourself and how to choose the correct size and make adjustments when knitting my patterns.

I. How to measure yourself This is Susi, my shop-window mannequin:

Please pay no attention to her off-center posture – she’s a mannequin and can’t stand up straight even if she wants to. When you take your measurements, please stand tall and evenly balanced and always hold the tape straight horizontally or vertically when measuring. When you measure yourself, wear only underwear so you can get your true body measurements. Here are the measurements in the photo at left: A cross back B chest circumference C waist circumference D1 high hip circumference D2 full hip circumference E shoulder width F neck width G armhole depth H1 arm (or overarm) length H2 underarm length I upper arm circumference J wrist circumference



1. Cross back (A) The cross back is measured from shoulder bone to shoulder bone (where a set-in sleeve seam would end). To feel your shoulder bones raise your arms a little bit and move your arms forwards and backwards. When measuring, do not include your upper arm flesh and muscles. Measure only from bone to bone. The roundness of your shoulders doesn’t belong in the cross back measurement; this roundness should be accommodated by the sleeve cap. If you have problems measuring your cross back behind your neck (and let’s face it, husbands are not usually the most reliable helpers when trying to take correct body measurements!), you can measure yourself as follows: Wearing only a bra, face the mirror and picture where the seams of a set-in sleeve would lie. Mark the position of these imaginary sleeve seams at the top of your both shoulders using a ballpoint pen. Then take a tape, hold it straightly across the front neck and measure from one marked point to the other. If you have a problem finding the correct placement of the imaginary sleeve seams, have a look at your armpits and think about a straight vertical line from your armpit up to your shoulder. It can help to clamp a pencil or a long ruler in the armpit to determine this point. Note: Your measuring lines must be straight horizontally (cross back) and vertically (sleeve seams)! The slanting lines in the photos below are based only on Susi’s unavoidable tilt. Stand up straight! Tip: If you are having problems determining your cross back measurement, take a look in your closet and find a perfectly fitting blouse with set-in sleeves. Then measure the cross back of this blouse (the distance from one sleeve seam to the other). You can also use a pullover or cardigan or T-Shirt for measuring, but make sure that the fabric is not too stretchy as this could give you an inaccurate measurement. You can’t go wrong with a well-fitting top made from a non-elastic fabric.

2. Chest circumference (B) If you have a small bust and wear a bra cup size A or B, it is usually enough to measure your full chest circumference. Only if you are planning to work a very tight fitting sweater, it would be necessary to measure the upper chest circumference and maybe the under chest circumference as well. If you have a larger bust (bra cup size C and larger), I recommend always measuring your upper chest circumference and your full chest circumference and sometimes – when working a very tight fitting sweater – your under chest circumference, too. For more details about the chest circumference see pages 5 to 7.



Note: When measuring around your torso, be sure to hold the tape horizontally (parallel to the floor) all the way around. B1 The upper chest (sometimes referred to as “high bust”) circumference is measured around your torso under the armpits and above the full part of the bust. B2 The full chest circumference is measured around the fullest part of your bust. B3 The under chest circumference is measured around your torso under the bust.

3. Waist circumference (C) and hip circumference (D) C The waist circumference is measured around your torso at the smallest part of your body. You need this measurement only if you plan to work a sweater with waist shaping. D The hip circumference is measured around your torso at the hips. There is a difference between the high hip measurement and the full hip measurement – which one to use depends on the length of the sweater you plan to knit. For long sweaters or tunics which will cover your bottom, you need the measurement of your full hip circumference. For sweaters reaching only to the top of your hips or your butt, you need the measurement of your high hip circumference.

D1 The high hip circumference is measured around your torso at the beginning of the hips, across the top of your hip bone. D2 The full hip circumference is measured around your torso at the fullest part of your hips, including your butt.

In addition you may also want to measure your belly circumference around the fullest part of your belly.



4. Shoulder width (E) and neck width (F) Note: When measuring, remember to hold the tape straight horizontally. The slanting lines in the photo are based only on poor Susi’s off-balance posture. E The shoulder width is measured from the shoulder bone to the beginning of the neck, at the base of the neck. F The neck width is measured across the base of the neck from one side to the other.

The cross back measurement (A) includes the measurement of the neck width (F) and two times the measurement of the shoulder width (E).

5. Arm measurements (G to J) G The armhole depth is measured vertically from the top of shoulder at the shoulder bone down to the armpit. H1 The arm length (or overarm length) is measured from the shoulder bone (the beginning of the cross back) down to the wrist along the outside of the arm. H2 The underarm length is measured from the armpit down to the wrist along the inner arm. When measuring hold your arm slightly bent. Measuring with your arm outstretched will give you a too-long sleeve measurement because your everyday arm position is naturally somewhat curved. I The upper arm circumference is measured around the fullest part of the upper arm. J The wrist circumference is measured around the wrist, just above the beginning of the hand bone, around the slimmest part of the wrist.



II. How to choose the correct size Because the shape of our bodies do not always match the shape of the sweater pattern, simply choosing as size based on one measurement may not produce the desired results. In this section I will describe what measurements should be given priority consideration and how to zero in on the proper size. You may actually end up following instructions for different sizes at different parts of the sweater pattern. But first it is essential for you to understand the chest circumference in the context of knitting patterns, as well as the concept of “ease”.

1. Understanding the chest circumference in knitting patterns Most knitters choose their pattern size based on their full chest circumference and assume the other measurements will then automatically fit for them. It is possible this might work for knitters with a small bust (bra cup sizes A or B). But for knitters with a larger bust (bra cup size C and larger) this could cause some problems. To understand the background, it is important to know the following: The measurements for the different sizes in knitting patterns are usually based on standard measurement systems which rely on generalizations and averages, including an assumed bra cup size B (the average cup size among women). In addition to that, there is a connection in the standard measurement systems between the full chest measurement of such an “average bra cup size B-woman” and the other standard measurements of this woman, especially the measurements of the width of the back, the width of the shoulders and the upper arm circumference. If you think about the chest circumference as the measurement around your torso at the fullest part of the bust, you will observe the following: Your chest circumference is not evenly distributed front and back; most busts require more room across the front than across the back. With smaller busts the front-to-back ratio is more even, and the supple nature of a knitted sweater usually conceals any disproportion. If you have a larger bust, however, and choose the size based on the full chest measurement alone, there is the danger of working too big of a sweater with too much fabric at the back and at the shoulders. This will cause the shoulders and the sleeves to hang down, the back to pucker and a poor overall fit. A larger bust could also cause the front ride up, making the front appear shorter than the back. Think of two women, each with a 102 cm/40 inch chest circumference. One woman has a bra cup size B, and the other has a bra cup size D. The first woman must have a broader back and broader shoulders; the woman with the larger bra cup size has “more up front” and therefore must have a smaller back and smaller shoulders. Yet their chest circumference is the same. If both women knit the same sweater size, the following will happen: The sweater will fit the woman with the smaller bust because her body measurements are similar to the standard measurements; little differences are covered up by the stretchiness of the knitwear. For the woman with the larger bust, the sweater will not fit properly at the shoulders and at the back. Also the sweater could be stretched out of shape if there is not enough give in the fabric to compensate for the needed room in the front; this can cause the back to be pulled forward at the sides or shoulders and the side seams to be misshapen. Also the sleeves of the sweater are probably too big because apart from her bust this woman may have an otherwise slight build. As a result, women with larger busts often don’t fit into the described standard measurement system when they choose the size corresponding to their full chest circumference. If you wear a bra cup size C or larger, you can avoid many problems with fit by choosing the pattern size which corresponds to your upper chest circumference, rather than your full chest circumference. You may very well notice that the other measurements for this pattern size more closely match your own, in which case you need only make adjustments in the pattern for your bust in order to enjoy a well-fitting sweater.



2. Understanding “ease” in knitting patterns Often in knitting patterns you read “The sweater is intended to be worn with … cm/inches positive ease”. Usually this means the measurement you must add to your own chest circumference in order to achieve the same fit of the sweater as shown in the pattern sample. In other words: the positive ease determines how closely or loosely the sweater should fit around your upper body. Ease is simply the difference between your body’s measurements and the garment’s measurements. You may also see the terms “no ease” and “negative ease”. When you measure yourself as described in Section I, you are taking your actual body measurements. By nature your skin fits you with “no ease”. If you want to knit a very tight fitting sweater, the sweater should be worked with no ease, i.e., the finished measurements will equal your body measurements. The stretchiness of knitwear also makes it possible to work a sweater with negative ease, i.e., one that is tighter than your body and will stretch to fit like a second skin. Often, however, you don’t want your knitted sweater as tight as your skin. So you must add some positive ease to your body measurements. As a general rule, the following numbers are standard values in most knitting patterns for adding ease:

For a very-close fitting sweater add no ease to your body chest circumference or work with negative ease.

For a close-fitting sweater add 2.5 cm to 5 cm (1 inch to 2 inches) to your body chest circumference.

For a standard-fitting sweater add 5 cm to 10 cm (2 inches to 4 inches) to your body chest circumference.

For a loose-fitting sweater add 10 cm to 15 cm (4 inches to 6 inches) to your body chest circumference.

For an oversized sweater add 15 cm (6 inches) or more to your body chest circumference. Keep in mind: The above described “ease” is the ease at your chest. You must also allow for ease for the other parts of a sweater. I will explain how to do so in the following section.

3. Hints for choosing the correct size Except when working a loose fitting sweater with dropped shoulders or a sweater with raglan sleeves, a sweater should fit precisely at the top of the shoulder and above the bust. So the most important measurement for sweaters with set-in sleeves (regardless of the method by which the set-in sleeves are worked) is the cross back measurement. The correct cross back measurement is essential for the proper fitting of the sleeve cap. If you work a sweater with too wide of a cross back measurement, the sleeve seams and the sleeve cap will be pushed outwards on your arms away from your body and shoulders, making them ill-fitting and baggy. For the cross back measurement I recommend adding no ease; use your actual body measurement. Because of the stretchiness of knitwear and the front neck shaping, there is always the danger of the back spreading out at the shoulders. In addition, the weight of the sleeves can often cause the cross back to stretch. So as a general rule, it is better to err on the side of too narrow than too wide. In other words, it is okay, or even preferable, to work a sweater’s cross back slightly narrower than your body measurement (no more than 2 cm/0.75 inch difference) rather than make the cross back too wide. Just avoid making the cross back too, too tight as compared to your actual body measurement, as this will cause the sleeve caps to ride up, creating unintentional puffed sleeves. In all of my patterns you can find a schematic and a table with all measurements of the finished sweater. So mark in the row “cross back” the size corresponding to your cross back measurement. This will most likely be the size you begin with when you cast on.



Now consider your chest circumference. As I explained above, I recommend using your full chest circumference if you wear a bra cup size A or B, and your upper chest circumference if you wear a bra cup size C or larger. If the pattern calls for a specific amount of positive ease, add this number to your body’s actual (upper) chest circumference (or subtract, if negative ease). If the pattern includes no statement about the ease, see the standard values above. Then add/subtract the amount of ease depending on how close-fitting you prefer your sweater. Refer back to the pattern’s measurement table and compare the chest circumference for your chosen size (based on cross back measurement) with your desired finished chest circumference as determined above. Does it match? If not, is there only a little difference? If so, think about whether this small difference in ease is acceptable, considering your body and the desired fit. If not, or if there is a huge difference, mark in the row “chest circumference” the size corresponding to your desired finished chest measurement. You will refer to this size later when making adjustments. If you have chosen the size depending on your upper chest circumference, you must now check what size corresponds to your full chest circumference (plus/minus ease). Mark this size in the pattern’s measurement table for reference when making adjustments. Tip: If you are unsure about the accuracy of your cross back measurement, use your (upper) chest circumference (plus/minus ease) as a first point of reference for choosing the correct size. If your cross back measurement is the same (or a little wider) than the cross back measurement for this size, you can safely start working this size. To compare your cross back measurement to the one given in the table, mark on the measuring tape the cross back measurement from the table. Facing the mirror, hold the tape straight across your front from shoulder to shoulder, with your front neck at the center. Now you can see the points where the cross back of your chosen size will lie on your shoulders, i.e., where the sleeve seams will be. Think of the sleeve seams as a vertical line from shoulder down to armpit, and consider if this is the correct placement for you. If not, determine the points where you think your sleeve seams should be, and use the tape to measure the distance between these imaginary seams. Check the pattern table and mark the size which corresponds to this cross back measurement. By marking in the measurement table the size or sizes which correspond to the above measurements, you now have a good idea of which pattern size will best fit you. Now compare the other measurements given for this size/these sizes with your actual body measurements. The procedure outlined below for comparing the measurements sounds very time-consuming, but think about the time required to knit a sweater. Spending all that time to create an ill-fitting sweater would be a pity. And rest assured, after knitting a perfect-fitting sweater or two, you will know all your measurements, as well as when and where to make adjustments for your figure. The easiest way to compare measurements and to check their accuracy is as follows: Face the mirror with measuring tape in hand. Hold the tape with the given measurements of the finished sweater of your chosen size(s) at and around your body and check all the measurements, deciding if they are correct for all areas or if a particular measurement of another size would be better. While measuring and comparing, make notes which of the measurements are not perfect for you and what other measurement you need. Remember: The measurements in the measurement table are the measurements of the finished sweater, including ease. When comparing your measurements in this way, you should wear something similar to whatever garments you intend to wear regularly under your planned knitted sweater. If it will be a tight fitting sweater, wear only a bra or a thin top. If it will be a thicker outdoor sweater worked in a heavy yarn, wear a pullover. And so on. Certainly you could also compare your actual body measurements directly with the measurements in the table. But don’t forget to add the required ease to your body measurements. How much ease you add depends on the style of the planned sweater (tight fitting, loose fitting, thin yarn, thick yarn, etc.).



Here are some hints for adding ease when comparing the body measurements: For waist circumference (when working a sweater with waist shaping) and hip circumference you should add the same positive ease as for the chest circumference. When you are planning to work a long sweater covering your butt, I recommend adding more positive ease to the hip circumference than to the chest circumference to avoid making the bottom of the sweater too tight. For the sleeves a general rule is to add 50 % of the positive ease for the chest. In my opinion this rule does not work well because it tends to result in sleeves that are too tight in close-fitting sweaters ant too loose in roomier sweaters. For my patterns I prefer sleeves that are just right – neither skin-tight nor too baggy. Here’s how I do it: I add approximately 5 cm (2 inches) positive ease for the sleeves when working with lace or fingering weight yarn and up to 8 cm (3.25 inches) when working with DK weight or worsted weight yarn. Of course it is up to you how tight you prefer your sleeves, but always consider the following: When the sweater is intended to be worn over a long sleeve shirt or a blouse or a pullover, you need more room in the sleeves than when working a tight fitting pullover, intended to be worn only over your bra. So have a look at the style of the sweater you plan to knit. The same applies to the wrist circumference. For the armhole depth you should add approximately 2 cm to 3 cm (0.75 inch to 1.25 inches) to your body measurement to avoid pinching the sleeve in the armpit. Add more when it is a sweater worked in a thicker yarn or the sweater will be worn over a long sleeve shirt or blouse or pullover. After comparing all your measurements, your marked measurement table might look something like this:

In the next section, you will learn how to incorporate all these measurements into one perfectly fitted, customized sweater.

III. How to make adjustments Chances are you have marked two or more sizes on the measurement table. To begin you will want to work the size corresponding to your cross back and make adjustments as needed for your bust, arms, neck, waist and hips. General hint: When working adjustments, try on the sweater regularly to check the fit and to make sure your adjustments have the desired results. To avoid unexpected surprises after washing the finished sweater, I recommend washing the knitted piece from time to time while in progress (and letting it dry before continuing to knit!), especially before beginning an important adjustment. Washing often affects the



large item differently than it does the small swatch. So periodic washing of the unfinished sweater will help you anticipate what to expect once the sweater is complete. For washing on the needles, fill a wash bowl with water and add a little bit of wool detergent. Then dip the knitted piece into the water and gently swish it a little bit, while holding the needles (including the last rows/rounds) above the water (avoid getting the needles wet – this could damage them). Afterwards rinse with clear water and let it dry flat. Be sure to let it dry completely before continuing to knit. Knitting the wet piece could cause the stitches to stretch, resulting in a misshapen finished garment. Hints for sweaters worked in a special stitch pattern: If you are making adjustments by recalculating the number of rows/rounds and/or the number of stitches, always keep in mind that your adjusted count must work for the pattern repeats. When altering stitch counts especially, I recommend using the stitch counts of another size rather than calculating your own numbers. Whenever possible, before working your own calculations, check the measurements and stitch counts of other sizes to see if one would work for you. Note: The procedures that follow apply to top-down knitting. If you work a sweater from bottom up, you will have to reverse and rethink.

1. The cross back as the starting point If the pattern calls for paying attention to the cross back (as in the case of set-in sleeves, for example), this will be your starting point when working top-down. You have measured your cross back and determined the corresponding size. Let us call this size “size #1”. Use the stitch counts for size #1 for your back cast on and also for the shoulder and back neck stitches when you begin working the fronts.

2. The armhole depth and the upper arm circumference Now have a look at the armhole depth and the upper arm circumference of this size #1. Do these measurements match your preferred measurements? If the armhole depth and the upper arm circumference of size #1 are okay for you: Continue following the instructions for size #1, at least as they pertain to vertical measurements, down to the bottom of the armhole. If you will be adjusting the chest circumference (see section 3 below), make sure you do so within the number of rows/rounds specified for size #1. For the sleeves, also follow the instructions for size #1 with respect to number of rows/round, regardless of whether the sleeves are worked simultaneously with the upper body or picked up and worked separately later. If you want to adjust the armhole depth and/or the upper arm circumference, first think about the following: There is a connection between these two measurements. The armhole depth is calculated in a way so that the sleeve cap and the upper sleeve will fit into the armhole. If possible you should follow the same size for working the armhole depth and the upper arm circumference in order to ensure a correct fit. Little differences won’t throw off the fit (e.g. working the upper arm circumference one size smaller or larger than the armhole depth size); however, bigger differences in size between armhole depth and sleeve circumference must be avoided – the armhole and sleeve would not fit together in such a case. So compare which size(s) will match your preferred armhole depth and upper arm circumference. a) To change the armhole depth, you must work more or fewer rows for the armhole than given for size #1. Choose the size which corresponds to your desired armhole depth. Let us call this size “size #2”. b) If you want a looser or tighter sleeve at the upper arm, you must adjust the sleeve stitch number for the upper arm. Choose the size matching your preferred upper arm circumference. Let us call this size “size #3”.



c) Calculations and working adjustments for size #2 and size #3: When you are working a sweater with a sleeve construction that calls for picking up the sleeve stitches around the armhole after finishing the body, it is easy:

When working the body, follow size #2 for the armhole depth and work the number of rows described for this size #2. On the last rows before reaching the armhole depth you work increases at the back and at the front(s) to shape the armhole. When you reach this point you need to recalculate the body increases and the number of increase-rows. See section 3 “The chest circumference” to find out how.

When later working the sleeves, pick up the number of sleeve stitches described for size #3 around each armhole and follow the instructions for size #3 for working the sleeves.

When you are working a sweater with sleeves worked simultaneously, you have to do some additional calculations:

The beginning is easy: For this sleeve type you usually start by picking up just a few stitches at the top of the shoulders for the upper sleeve caps. Therefore follow the instructions for size #1. The same applies when working saddle shoulders which are later continued with simultaneously knitted sleeves.

For the simultaneous sleeves you have to adjust the number of sleeve increases to reach your size #3 upper arm stitch count and you have to adjust the number of rows/rounds to work for your size #2 armhole depth and you have to determine where to begin the body increases: Begin with calculating the number of stitches you have to increase for the sleeves:

- First, determine from the pattern instructions the total number of upper arm stitches for your size #3 (this includes the number of stitches placed on a holder when separating body and sleeves plus the picked-up along the underarm cast on). In my patterns you can easily find this information in the table provided in the sleeve instructions section.

- Subtract the number of sleeve stitches you have picked up for the upper sleeve cap at the shoulders (this is the starting number of sleeve stitches for size #1, see above) from the total stitch number at the upper arm (size #3). The result is the number of stitches to be increased while shaping the sleeve cap.

- Because you will increase on both sides of the sleeves, divide this number of increase stitches by 2.

- Subtract half of the stitches to be cast on under the arm (see section 3 “The chest circumference” below). Now you know how many stitches you have to increase at each side of the sleeve before picking up the stitches from the underarm cast on.

- In the best case you will work the sleeve increases only on right-side rows (every second row/ round). So multiply the above number by 2 to get the total number of rows/rounds you must work for the sleeve increase section.

Now look at the number of rows/rounds you must work to reach your size #2 armhole depth, and determine if this is sufficient to work all sleeve increases. If there are not enough rows/rounds, you will have to work some increases on wrong-side rows (or consecutive rounds when working a pullover). In this case I recommend working these increases on wrong side/every round at the end of the sleeve increases, in the last rows/rounds before separating the sleeves. If there are more rows/rounds than needed, you have to work some sleeve increases only every 4th row/round. I recommend working these less frequent increases at the beginning of the sleeve increases and afterwards changing to the increases every 2nd row/round.

On the last rows/rounds before reaching the armhole depth you also work body increases at the back and at the front(s) to shape the armhole. Work only the sleeve increases until this point, then continue the sleeve increases and work the additional body increases. For calculating the body increases and the number of increase-rows/-rounds see section 3 “The chest circumference” below.

When later working the sleeves, follow the instructions for your size #3.



3. The chest circumference At the back and fronts you increase stitches for the armholes and then cast on stitches under the arms. If the size corresponding to your chest circumference (full or upper, depending on your bra cup size – see page 7) is different from your size #1, you must adjust the number of these stitches in order to reach the desired finished chest measurement. Certain situations call for additional shaping with bust darts, which is addressed in detail in a separate tutorial. a) If you have relatively broad shoulders and the size corresponding to your chest circumference is smaller than your size #1, you will work fewer increases and/or cast on fewer stitches under the arms. The size which corresponds to your desired finished chest circumference is your “size #4”. For calculations see section “d)” below. b) If you have relatively narrow shoulders and the size corresponding to your chest circumference is larger than your size #1, you must decide if it will be enough to work more body increases or if it would be better to work bust darts (alone or in addition to more body increases). Remember: When you work more body increases for your full chest circumference, the back of your sweater will also be wider! Here is how to decide if working bust darts is recommended: Compare the back width measurements (“back width at the bust” in the pattern measurement table) of the different sizes pertaining to your body that you have marked on the table. Now mark a tape measure with the smallest of these measurements and hold it across your back and around to the sides of your torso, approximately at the height of your armpits. Make sure that the tape is centered. Check where the beginning and end of the tape lie at the sides of your torso (under the arms). This is where the side seams of your planned sweater will be. Compare this measurement for the various sizes you are considering, starting with the smallest size. Picturing the imaginary side seams, determine which size will fit best across the back. For the body increases choose the size corresponding to your back width at bust – this is your “size #4”. For calculations see section “d)” below. Now have a look at the chest circumference given for this size #4 and compare it with your own full chest circumference (including ease!): If size #4 fits for your full chest circumference, it is enough to work only the additional body increases – no bust darts are needed. If your full chest circumference is larger than the chest circumference of size #4, you will need to work bust darts in addition to the body increases in order to get the best fit. c) If you have decided to work bust darts, see my Tutorial “Bust Darts in Top-down Knitting”. d) Calculations and working adjustments for size #4 To reach the determined chest circumference of size #4 you now have to adjust the number of body increases and you have to determine when to begin the body increases: Begin with calculating the number of stitches you must increase at the back and the front(s):

Because front neck shaping can affect the total front stitch counts, always use the back stitch count to calculate the body increases! First have a look in the pattern instructions and see how many back stitches you should have for

size #4 after finishing the body increases and casting on the stitches under the arms. In my patterns you can find this information at the beginning of the section “Finish the body”.

Now subtract the number of stitches you initially cast on for your size #1 (cross back) from the number of back stitches for size #4. Now you know how many stitches you have to increase in total for your size #4 chest circumference.



Note: If you are working a simultaneously worked sleeve construction which calls for working a decrease-row after picking up sleeve stitches at the shoulders, subtract 2 stitches from the cross back stitch count, before calculating.

Because you will increase and cast on at each (armhole) side of the back, divide your result by 2. Now you know how many stitches you have to increase/cast on at each side.

Subtract the number of stitches you will cast on at one side at the back under arm (half the cast on – the other half belongs to the front!). Now you know how many stitches you have to increase before casting on under the arm. Hint: For the underarm cast on I recommend following the instructions for size #4 and casting on at least this many stitches for a proper fit under the arm, especially if your size #4 is smaller than size #1. Though reducing the cast-on number by 1 or 2 stitches will be okay, casting on too few stitches will cause the sweater to be too tight under the arms. Conversely, casting on more stitches than specified for size #4 (especially when your size #4 is larger than size #1) will not ruin the fit (see the tip below).

To determine when to begin with the body increases, calculate as follows: Because you will want to work the body increases only on right-side rows (i.e., every second

row/round), multiply your number of increases from the previous step by 2. Now you know the total number of rows/rounds the increase section will require before casting on the stitches under the arm.

You will work these body increases on the last section before reaching the armhole depth. So have a look at the number of rows/rounds you have to work for the armhole depth for size #2. (If you didn’t need to adjust the armhole depth, refer to size #1). Then subtract the number of rows/rounds you need for the body increases, leaving you with how many rows/rounds to work even (or with sleeve-only increases if working simultaneously set-in sleeves) before starting the body increases.

Tip: If you have quite a few stitches to increase for the armholes, you can work some of these on wrong-side rows (or consecutive rounds) to avoid beginning the armhole shaping too soon. As a general rule I recommend comparing the number of body increase-rows/-rounds for one to two sizes larger than your size #4. Your row/round number shouldn’t differ too much from this. If necessary you can work fewer body increases and compensate by adjusting the number of underarm stitches, casting on 1-3 stitches more than specified for size #4. Keep in mind, though, that the number of cast-on stitches under the arm must be the same number of stitches you pick up under the arm for the sleeves! So changing the number of cast-on stitches for the body will affect the number of sleeve stitches and sleeve increases. Be sure to check your sleeve calculations and adjust if necessary.

4. Front neck shaping The final step for the upper body is to look at the front neck shaping. a) For the number of front neck increases you can usually follow size #1. Size #1 is based on the cross back measurement, which equals the back neck width plus two times the shoulder width. When working a pullover the front and back stitch counts generally match by the time you finish working the body (armhole) increases and the front neck shaping. Because the front begins with just the two shoulders, it follows that the number of stitches needed to be added for the front neck equals the back neck count. Thus size #1 automatically defines the required number of front neck increases. This is not necessarily the case when working a cardigan, because the style and width of the front bands must be accounted for. Often you will work fewer front neck increases; the remaining width for the fronts will be added by the front bands.



To ensure that you will end up with the correct front stitch count, always do the following calculation:

Add up the following stitch numbers: When working a cardigan, look only at one front (left or right) and add up as follows: Shoulder

stitches of one shoulder (size #1) plus body increases (size #4) plus front half of the underarm cast-on stitches (size #4) plus the number of front neck increases (size #1).

When working a pullover, add up as follows: Shoulder stitches of both shoulders (size #1) plus body increases at both front sides (size #4) plus the front portion of the underarm cast-on stitches at both sides (size #4) plus the total number of front neck increases (size #1).

Note: If you are working a simultaneously worked sleeve construction which calls for working a decrease-row/-round after picking up sleeve stitches at the shoulders, subtract 1 stitch from the number of stitches for each shoulder.

Now compare your result with the number of front stitches you should have for size #4 after finishing the body increases, the underarm cast-on, and the front neck shaping. Both stitch counts must be the same. When your result is higher than the number of front stitches specified for size #4, you must

eliminate some front neck increases and work fewer increases than specified for size #1: Subtract the front stitch number of size #4 from your result to calculate how many increases you must eliminate.

When your result is lower than the number of front stitches described for size #4, you must add some front neck increases and work more increases than specified for size #1. Subtract your result from the front stitch number of size #4 to calculate how many increases you must add.

Subsequently adjust the rate of the increases for the front neck shaping and determine in which rows/rounds you have to work the increases.

b) For the front neck depth you can follow the instructions for size #1 or you can adjust as follows: Have a look at the front neck depth measurements in the pattern measurement table and choose the size you prefer. Let us call this size “size #5”. With respect to the number of rows/rounds to be worked for the front neck depth follow the instructions for size #5. If the number of front neck increases for size #1 differs from the number of front neck increases specified for size #5, then adjust the rate of increases, working more/fewer rows/rounds between each front neck increase. But to make things easy, I recommend first calculating the total front stitch count with the size #5 front neck increases (see previous section). Typically it doesn’t matter if your cardigan fronts end up a little bit wider (1-3 stitches) than specified for size #4, especially if there is no stitch pattern calling for a certain number of repeats. c) Adjustments in the neck width Certainly you can adjust the neck width if you prefer a wider or smaller neck than given in the pattern for size #1. To do so calculate the number of neck stitches by multiplying your preferred neck width measurement by your stitch gauge per 1 cm/1 inch. Also you can have a look at the other sizes and check if the neck width measurement of another size is okay for you and then work according to the neck stitch count for this size. Keep in mind, however, that when you adjust the neck width you will automatically be changing the shoulder widths! Subtract your neck stitch number from the number of cross back stitches and divide by 2 to find the new stitch count for each shoulder, and see if this is okay. You will also have to adjust the neck shaping to reach the necessary front stitch count: You have to work more increases when you have widened the neck width, and you have to work fewer increases when you have narrowed the neck width. So calculate how many stitches you have to increase at each side of the front neck to reach the stitch number you need in the front (when working a pullover) or in the fronts (when working a cardigan), given for your size (size #4) after completing the front neck shaping.



Schematic for upper body adjustments to the sweater



5. Sweater length – armhole to hem Once you have reached the armhole depth and made the adjustments for your upper body as described above, the hardest part is over. From this point on, follow the instructions for the last body size you worked before separating the sleeves and body (size #4 if you have made all adjustments as shown above; size #5 determines only the front neck depth). If you want to lengthen or to shorten your sweater, do this only in the lower part after separating sleeves and body – not in the upper part for which you have already determined and worked the length according to your preferred armhole depth. a) For a sweater with no waist or hip shaping, it is easy: Just work the sweater to your desired length. b) For a sweater with waist shaping and/or hip shaping, the lower part of the sweater is usually divided into different sections:

When working hip shaping only, there are three sections:

First you will work a straight part (1), then a part with increases for hip shaping (2) and then a straight part down to bottom (3).

When working both waist shaping and hip shaping, there are five sections:

First you will work a straight part (1), then a part with decreases for the waist (2), then a straight part for the waist (3), then a part with increases for the hips (4) and then a straight part down to bottom

(5).



To lengthen or shorten a sweater, have your proportions in mind. It is not a good idea to adjust only one of the different sections, especially just the last section at the bottom. Doing so will throw off the proportions of your sweater. So looking at the pattern instructions, find the different lengths for each section, as well as the total length from underarm to hem, and calculate the ratio of each section to the total length. Then shorten/lengthen the different sections, maintaining these same ratios. For example: The lower side length is always 100 %. If the pattern calls for a lower side length of 45 cm to be worked as follows: 15.75 cm (section 1), 4.5 cm (section 2), 4.5 cm (section 3), 11.25 cm (section 4) and 9 cm (section 5); then section 1 is 35 %, section 2 is 10 %, section 3 is 10 %, section 4 is 25% and section 5 is 20% of the total length. When you want to shorten the lower side length to only 40 cm, use the same percentages to calculate the new length of each section as follows: 14 cm (section 1), 4 cm (section 2), 4 cm (section 3), 10 cm (section 4) and 8 cm (section 5). Since we all have different body shapes, I also recommend considering your own proportions by measuring/comparing the lengths of the different sections of your body. Then adjust the above ratios accordingly. As a result you may recognize that some of the sections have the correct length for you and you only need to shorten/lengthen the other sections. Here is a photo with the different sections, shown on Susi’s body:

The line “A” is the lower side length, which is the length of your planned sweater along the side seam, measured from the bottom of the armhole to the bottom edge of the sweater. The lower side length differs from sweater to sweater, depending on style and preference. Accordingly, the length of the sections “4” and “5” (below the waist) differ from sweater to sweater, depending on whether your sweater is to end at your hip bones, below your butt, or somewhere in between. In contrast, your body length measurements of sections “1”, “2” and “3” remain constant. The length of section “1” may vary a little bit, depending on the sweater’s armhole depth.

A special hint for petite and tall sizes: The standard measurements for women are based on an average height between 164 cm (64 inches) and 170 cm (67 inches). If you are shorter than 164 cm, you are considered a “petite”. If you are taller than 170 cm, you are considered a “tall”. For these sizes it is often enough to shorten/lengthen the section 1 of your planned sweater to get a proper fitting length; often the length of the other sections given in the pattern will be okay for you.



A special note about waist shaping: The height of the waist differs from person to person, often to a large extent. And ill-fitted waist shaping can be very noticeable and unflattering. So pay close attention to your measurements when working waist shaping, and try on the sweater regularly while knitting, keeping in mind that the waist decreases should end at the smallest point of your waist. If necessary adjust the spacing of the decrease-rows/-rounds to make it come out right and flatter your figure as intended. When you have determined how much you want to shorten/lengthen each section, you must then adjust the number of rows/rounds you must work for each section, and you must adjust the rate of decreases/ increases. Calculate the number of rows/rounds you have to work by multiplying your length measurement for each section by the row/round gauge per 1 cm/1 inch. Now you know how many rows/rounds you have to work for each section. Then divide the decreases/increases evenly among these rows/rounds to determine the proper spacing.

6. Waist shaping and hip shaping For waist and hip shaping check the appropriate measurements of your chosen size (usually size #4) and decide if these widths are okay for you or if you want to alter these measurements (working more or fewer decreases for waist shaping and more or fewer increases for hip shaping). If you prefer to work your sweater without any waist shaping and/or hip shaping, you can do this. But keep in mind: This will change the intended silhouette of your sweater. To adjust the width at the waist and/or the hips, first check to see if the width measurements of another size will fit. In this case you can look at the number of stitches given for the appropriate size at the waist/hips and adjust your decreases/increases accordingly. If the width measurements of other sizes will not fit, calculate the stitch count for waist/hips for your preferred measurements by multiplying your waist/hip circumference (including ease) by your stitch gauge per 1 cm/1 inch. Then adjust the number of decreases/increases to get your required stitch counts.

7. Sleeve length and sleeve width a) When you want to shorten or lengthen the sleeve, make this length adjustment in the lower sleeve. The length of the upper sleeve depends on the size you have chosen for the armhole depth and the upper arm circumference (see above “size #2” and “size #3”). Follow these sizes until you have finished the sleeve cap. This is done when you have all stitches for the upper arm circumference (including the cast-on stitches under the arm) on your needles (when working simultaneously set-in sleeves: after separating body and sleeves then later picking up the stitches from the underarm cast-on; when shaping the sleeve cap with short rows: after finishing all short rows). The lower sleeve runs from the underarm (beginning with stitches picked up from the underarm cast-on) to the end, including the cuff. When the pattern calls for the same stitch pattern and the same length for both hem and cuffs, do not change the cuff length. This will ruin the intended balance between hem and cuffs. In this case adjust the sleeve length before beginning the cuff. When the cuff length is independent of the hem length, first determine your preferred cuff length (depending on the sweater style). Then shorten/lengthen the remaining sleeve as required. To calculate the numbers of rounds for your shortened/lengthened sleeve multiply your length measurement by your round gauge per 1 cm/1 inch. Afterwards adjust the rate of decreases for sleeve shaping, spacing the decreases evenly among the sleeve rounds.



b) For adjustments to the sleeve width, refer to pages 9-10 above (section 2 “The armhole depth and the upper arm circumference”) for adjustments in the upper arm circumference. When you begin working the sleeve, the number of stitches given for your chosen upper arm circumference (size #3) is your starting point. If you want the sleeve looser/tighter at the wrist, have a look at the other sizes and check if the wrist circumference measurement of another size is okay for you. In this case you can orient yourself by the stitch number given for this size after finishing all decreases for sleeve shaping. Otherwise calculate the number of stitches at the wrist by multiplying your preferred wrist circumference measurement by your stitch gauge per 1 cm/1 inch. When you have determined the number of stitches you want at the cuff, subtract this number from the upper arm stitch count. Then divide this result by 2 (because you will work 2 decreases per decrease round: one at the beginning and one at the end of the round). Now you know how many decrease rounds you have to work. Depending on your lower sleeve length before the cuff, adjust the rate/frequency of decreases. c) Besides these adjustments for the wrist circumference, it is also possible to modify the distances between the decrease-rounds to change the appearance or style of sleeve shaping. Work the decrease-rounds at the beginning more frequently to get a rapid tapering above the elbow. Or work these decrease-rounds farther apart to get a wide sleeve above the elbow and more obvious shaping only at the lower arm.

tutorial: measuring yourself, choosing a size, and ... · if you have problems measuring your cross...

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