Adjusting patterns

Over the past six months, we have delved into a plethora of topics that all aim for the same goal; to create garments that fit and you will wear for years to come. While we are far from finished with this topic, I have come across so many interesting people and resources exploring this topic that I thought it would be handy to put together a resource list here on the blog so you can check them out also. 

Hello friends! It's Claire here and I'm back chatting once again about fit issues we get in our knitting. Today we're going to look at mixing and matching sizes in a knitting pattern. Why would we do that? Well, as you probably know, nearly all patterns are designed based on standard body sizes, but not many people fit perfectly into a standard body size. All our bodies are different, and just because one area of a pattern works for us, it doesn't mean the rest will. 

So how do we find out if we need to mix and match? Let's take a look!

Do you get extra fabric that likes to bunch at the underarm? Back when we first talked about this new series on adjusting patterns and how to get a great fit, excess fabric at the underarm was one of the issues we got a lot of comments on, so today we're going to look at reasons we get excess fabric and some things we can do to try to fix it.

I know, could I have picked a cornier title?! The thing is, corny or not, the success of a new cast-on often lies in a small square of fabric you create before you even cast on your lovely new WIP.

For years I didn't swatch correctly, and I think that was probably because I didn't enjoy doing it. It was the thing I had to do before I got to cast on my new fun project and it took up precious yarn. I just wanted to be able to get on with knitting the actual pattern, and I know a lot of other knitters feel the same way. But after numerous ill-fitting FO's laying unworn in the wardrobe, I finally took the time to knit usable, reliable swatches, and you know what, now I enjoy it!

Over the past few weeks, we've been looking at adjusting patterns, and the first step is to work out what you need to adjust and where that adjustment will be made. For those posts, we used a simple stockinette sweater as an example, but what happens when you're knitting something with a stitch pattern?

Welcome back to part two of adjusting length in a knitting pattern! In part one, we chatted about why you would want to adjust the length of the project you are knitting and how to identify the areas you need to adjust. We then went on to look at exactly how to calculate those adjustments to ensure you get the length you are looking for. If you missed that first post, you might want to go and read that first before diving into this one, and you can do that here.