Mother of Purl (9 page)

There’s a simple rule to follow to determine whether your pattern will work according to the directions. Patterns may be translated improperly from another language or may just have an error. That’s why it is important to read the directions before starting and also brush up on your math skills to check on the calculations as you increase and decrease.

As your knitting skills progress, you should begin to think about knitting your first, more challenging project—possibly your first sweater. The first step in making a well–fitting sweater is to take the time to take proper measurements so you can be assured that the finished garment will fit you based on the measurements and the schematics provided in the instructions.

One of the most important modern advances in knitting patterns has been the introduction of schematics: the outline drawings that indicate the final measurements of a garment. To use this to your best advantage, you will need the precise measurements of your own figure (or that of the person for whom you are knitting). Take time to obtain accurate measurements. Not only will this allow you to choose the correct size in a commercial pattern, but it is also the first step to learning how to design your own sweaters.

Take your measurements and mark them down, updating them from time to time. Understanding what they mean, and how you can use them to adapt existing patterns or write your own, is a crucial step to becoming an accomplished knitter. Note that these are “actual measurements” and don’t account for how your garment will actually fit you. The standard allowance for a sweater’s normal fitting is about 10 percent more. For a looser–fitting garment, allow about 15 percent more.

• Bust/Chest Size: Hold a measuring tape around your bust, measuring the circumference starting from the left underarm. Hold the edges of the tape measure to the side, under your arm, and not the front; this will provide a more accurate measurement. Measurements taken from the front can result in the bust/chest size being as much as 2 inches off.
  
• Back: Hold the tape measure from shoulder blade to shoulder blade.
  
• Neck: Measure across the back of the neck.
  
• Arm Length: With your arm down at your side, measure from 1 inch below the armpit to your wrist.
  
• Upper Arm: Measure the fullest part of your arm.
  
• Wrist, Waist, Hip: Place the tape measure around these body parts.
  
• Desired Length of Sweater: With your arm at your side, measure from one inch below the armpit to your desired length.
  

People come in all shapes and sizes, and so do arm lengths, so it’s important not to skip this step and to realize that the lengths of the sleeves may vary. Nothing looks worse than a sleeve that is either too long or too short.

Before you attempt to modify your sleeves, you must understand two important facts of sleeve construction. First, sleeves generally look best when all the increases are spaced out over the first 12 inches of the sleeve. Second, you should have 5 inches of straight knitting between the last increase and the point where you first cast off to shape the armhole. When altering the measurements of a sleeve, it’s important to maintain these proportions in order to have a well–fitting sleeve.

You can modify the length of a sleeve as follows:

When shortening the sleeve by 3 inches, you will do all your increases over the first 9 inches rather than 12. Remember, you want to knit your last increase 5 inches before your armhole shaping begins.


When shortening your sleeves by 2 inches, with a new total length of 15 inches before armhole shaping, you want to knit your last increase at 10 inches. To determine how to space out your increases, first figure out your row gauge. For example, if your row gauge is 6 rows per inch, you will have 2 inches of ribbing and 13 inches of stockinette before you begin shaping your armhole. You will calculate your increase as follows: 6 rows per inch times 13 inches of stockinette means that you have 78 rows to space your increases. According to your pattern, you have to increase 8 stitches on each side. To do this, divide 8 into 78. You need to increase every 9.75 rows. Since you obviously can’t split a row in half, you will need to increase every 9th and every 10th row alternately, 8 times.

When selecting your desired size, you’ll need to account for ease in the fit of your sweater. For instance, if you have a 36–inch chest and want a form–fitting sweater, you should still allow for an inch of ease on each piece and knit a size 38–inch sweater. If the pattern doesn’t allow for your size, you can use your measurements to help figure out a size that will fit you. For example, if you are a 40–inch chest, you’ll need to make a garment that is a size 42. However, if on the pattern you find that the biggest size listed is only a 40, you will need to do some recalculating. Adjusting the pattern so that it will be your size is easy if you follow these basic steps:

First note the stitch gauge of the sweater. You will need this information to recalculate the number of stitches to cast on for your work.


Since the sweater is a size 40, both the front and the back should each measure 20 inches. You need to add 1 inch of ease to both the front and the back. If you are a size 42, multiply 21 by the gauge of the sweater. That will give you the number of stitches that you need to cast on. If you want it the same length, you will keep the increases the same; when you get to the armholes, you will have to calculate the depth of the armhole you need. You will basically have to recreate the measurements for this.


To calculate the amount of stitches needed to form an armhole, you’ll need to leave enough stitches for the shoulder and the neck, calculated as follows and taking into account the measurements of both the shoulders and the neck. For instance, if your shoulder measures 3.5 inches and your neck 7 inches, you’ll need to leave 14 inches of stitches. If your gauge is 5 stitches
to 1 inch, the amount will be 70 stitches. If you need 21 inches for a sweater, times 5 to 1 inch, or 105 stitches, you’ll need to subtract 35 stitches from the total amount, or round it up to 36 stitches as you will need an even amount for both armholes, therefore shaping your armhole by decreasing 18 stitches on each side.

Certain measurements are standard. The back of a woman’s neck is nearly always 6.5 or 7 inches. Assuming your neck is 7 inches, you will need to put 36 stitches on a stitch holder for the back neck. To shape the front neck, you’ll need to put half that number of stitches in the center of the sweater—in this case, 18 stitches—on a stitch holder and decrease 9 stitches on each side. You will now have the same number of stitches bound off at the front as you have across the back neck.

Unlike with fabric where you can simply cut the material to form the curve that shapes the neckline, with knitting you must form a curve by putting stitches on a holder and progressively binding off and decreasing to form a slight curve. When making a crew neck, I suggest putting the center stitches on a holder instead of binding them off. This will make it easier to find those stitches when you are ready to pick them up to make the border rather than guessing which stitches to pick up. This will also create a stronger and neater edge. The same applies when making a cardigan. I suggest putting the first inch of stitches on a holder. Therefore my pattern will read as follows: knit or purl 5 stitches, put them on a holder, then every other row bind off 2 stitches 1 time, knit 2 stitches together 3 times, thus forming a gentle curve.

Always use a circular needle no longer than 16 inches when knitting a neck. Starting at the back at the right shoulder, pick up and knit the first and all remaining stitches from the holder. Continue as follows: Insert the tip of your needle under the 2 bars of the edge of your sweater, wrap the yarn around it counterclockwise, draw that loop onto your right–hand needle, go to the 2 bars immediately following, and repeat this process. You will be picking up 3 stitches in a row immediately next to each other, then skipping a space. If you fail to do so and pick up every stitch, your border will be too wide and will ruffle. If you skip too many spaces, your neck will be too tight and you might not be able to put your head through the neck opening. When picking up the neck of a cardigan, place the sweater with the front facing you. Starting with the stitches on the holder for the left front, pick up and knit the first and remaining stitches on the holder, and continue picking up 3 stitches in a row and skipping 1 for the curve of the neck. Then pick up all the stitches on the holder for the back of the neck and repeat this process of picking up 3 stitches in a row and skipping 1 until you reach the last stitch on the holder of the right front. Picking up 3 stitches in a row and skipping 1 is commonly referred to as the “Rule of 3.”

Unfortunately we cannot leave stitches on a holder when picking up a horizontal border, but the same “Rule of 3” applies. Insert the point of the needle under the 2 bars formed by the end of your knitting. Wrap your yarn around it counterclockwise, gently pull it through the front of your work, and place it on your right–hand needle. The stitch is made. Continue across the row until the desired number of stitches have been picked up.

To make a buttonhole, the rule to follow is that the buttonholes for a man’s cardigan are on the left side and on the right side for a woman’s. You’ll have to apply mathematical skill when creating buttonholes. Buttonholes are usually made starting 3 stitches from the bottom edge and finishing 3 stitches from the top, with the rest of the buttonholes spaced evenly across the border. Let’s say, for instance, that you need 5
buttonholes, each made of 2 spaces, and your border is composed of 92 stitches. Your calculations should be as follows: 3 stitches from the bottom, 3 stitches from the top, 5 openings of 2 stitches. You will need to deduct 16 stitches from the total of 92 stitches, leaving 76 stitches. For 5 buttons, you’ll need 4 spaces. Divide 4 into 76 and that will tell you that you need to knit 19 stitches between your buttonholes.