Knit to Fit- Part 3

Fit problem number 3.- A Baggy Body

     I see a lot of beautifully curvy women walking around in sweaters or tee shirts cut for men, not realizing that instead of hiding the bits they want to cover up, it makes them look larger all up and down their torso.

Any time  a top hangs off the end of the bust as men’s cuts will do on a woman, it lets the mind’s eye of the onlooker assume that the bagginess of the top is filled in with the wearer’s body whether the case or not.

   Counter this  with a little shaping at the sides of the garment; just enough to suggest the waistline and remove some excess fabric.

My free  Shapely Tank pattern mentioned in a previous post  goes into specifics as to how to achieve this (print one out to keep in your knitting bag) but generally, beginning at the upper hip, you will decrease away about 1” worth of stitches at each seam edge prior to reaching the waist area, and add them back in after the waist.

This 4” of nipping is enough to make a huge difference in how your sweater will flatter your middle. Try it on the next garment you knit.

******************************************************************

Just FYI, many of my patterns are now available as digital downloads in my Etsy shop!

Coming Soon : My Craftsy Classes!

I’m so pleased to announce that  I will soon be giving classes through Craftsy.com!

Even better, one of the classes entitled “Feminine Fit” will be based on the Knit to Fit series I’ve been running right here on my blog!

  I’ve hugely expanded the information for this class wherein I demonstrate how to acheive the fit you’ve always wanted in your sweaters but didn’t know how to get. I’ll show how to do this easily and without using a lot of intimidating math equations.

I’ll also be teaching a class on Continental Knitting, so if you’ve been wanting to learn this enormously useful technique,  join me on Craftsy.com for this excellent free class.

I’ll post links, a special discount offer and more information as soon as I have it.

Here I am on the Craftsy set:

 

Joan on the Craftsy set

 

 

Knit to Fit- Part 2

Fit problem#2:

Hem of garment rides up in the front.

 

Addition of short rows solves bust fitting issues.

 If you have a larger bust and have tried to fit it into ready-to-wear clothing, it is no surprise that sporting anything larger than a B cup bra size is going to be trouble when knitting as well. We most often notice this, of all places, at the hemline of the garment when it pulls upward.

  What is going on here is that there is not enough length to go over the breasts and keep the hemline even all the way around the body.

   The fix for this is short rows. Rows are worked across the width of the bust, but stopped short of the side seams, which creates more length within the fabric only where it is needed. 

I offer a free pattern called “The Shapely Tank” on my webpage which walks the knitter through the technique of adding short rows to a simple tank top for a perfect fit.

Find it here: http://www.whiteliesdesigns.com/patterns/lpullovers/fbc.html , and keep a copy in your knitting bag for reference. Once this simple fix is mastered, it can be applied to almost any sweater.

*******************************************************

By the way, I’ve just posted two new styles over at my website.

The lovely and dressy Kate Pullover, and Gillian, a floral embroidered Tee.

Enjoy!

Intro and Knit to Fit – Part 1

The prospect of knitting your own sweater should be filled with potential and the anticipation of adding a beautiful knitted garment to your wardrobe.

However, the reality of this endeavor doesn’t always match dream. In spite of following instructions to the letter, even experienced knitters end up with common fit difficulties that can burst that bubble of promise.

Without knowing how to identify the problems, there is no clear way to fix or head them off .

With that, I would like to address that what I’ve seen over my years in teaching fitting classes are the five most common fitting problems when knitting a sweater.

 

Fit problem #1.- Large gaping neckline/ Drooping shoulders.

Though these seem like two problems, they very often boil down to one thing. The measurement of the cross shoulder in the back of the garment is too large for the wearer.

This can cause the neckline to gape and the shoulder seams to droop below where they should sit and now the sleeves seem too long when they actually may not be.  See how it snowballs?

 

Knit to Fit 1-Cross shoulder

To correct this, begin by measuring across the width of the shoulders in back as shown in my illustration. That measurement should be anywhere between 12” to 18” in an adult woman.

From your chosen pattern and size take the number of stitches that remain after binding off and decreasing for your armholes and divide by your stitch gauge to reveal the shoulder width of the pattern. If your upper shoulder measurement does not match this, continue the decreases at the armholes until the measurement does match yours.  Important: There should be no ease added to this measurement!

Also, some patterns will  have you put your back neck stitches on a holder, only to have you put them back on the needle when working your neckband. It’s a good idea in theory, but in reality this often causes a loose, stretchy back neck that can affect fit negatively. To correct, bind off your back neck, then pick up for the band to get a nice, firm line.

Next time: What to do when your hemline is on the rise.

It’s coming! Knit to Fit!

Next week we’ll begin posting installments of our very popular “Knit to Fit” series starting with part 1.

Sign up to receive notification of new posts by clicking “follow” in the lower right hand corner of this blog.

Also, the series has been so well received we’ll be writing new installments, so if you have any specific fit questions you’d like for me to tackle,  send them along  to me at  Whitelies@yahoo.com .

Enjoy the series and I look forward to your questions!

Joan McGowan-Michael

Tainted Love

Did you know that there are over 50 versions of the song “Tainted Love” on You Tube?

Most of us are familiar with the 80′s version by Soft Cell, but it was originally recorded in 1964 by Gloria Jones.

Here’s one of my favorite renditions on ukulele:

 

 

Holiday Gifting!

Until Dec 23rd, buy a gift certificate from White Lies Designs in a $25 to $100 denomination and receive 1 free pattern with the $25 purchase, 2 free patterns with the $50 purchase and so on.
Free patterns can be sent on to your certificate recipient as an extra gift or sent directly to you as a little holiday reward for getting through all that shopping/knitting/cooking/cleaning that comes with the holiday season! Just write the names of the free patterns and to whom you’d like them sent in the message box upon checkout.!