Fit to flatter is a ten-part series of tutorials on choosing and modifying knitting patterns to flatter your shape. These tutorials will be released every two weeks both as blog posts (free) and as separate, professionally formatted PDF files for printing (nominal charge). Should you desire the PDFs, each installment can be purchased from the tutorial page as they are released, or via a “buy now” button at the end of the installment. Individual installments are US$2.00 and at the end of the tutorial series the whole series will be available for $US10.00. All text copyright Amy Herzog and all images copyright splityarn 2010, unless where otherwise noted. I hope you enjoy the series!

This ten-part series is not about making you feel badly about what you have already knit. It is not about making you feel badly about your shape, or about making you feel like you can only knit certain things, in certain yarns. In writing these tutorials, I want to help you learn basic principles for dressing the figure you have in the most flattering way possible.

Every person reading these words has both fabulous assets to show off and a thing or two that you wish would disappear forever (or, in some cases, appear forever). The fact is this: Though I won’t argue that we’d all be healthier if we exercised more, wearing flattering clothes will do much more to change the way you feel about your body than losing weight or gaining muscle will.

As knitters, we have the ultimate power of creating a piece of couture perfectly suited to our figures, every single time. Your hand-knits should make you look and feel like a million bucks, and not just because of the skill required to form the stitches. I want to help you get there.

We’re in the home stretch! Previous installments have given you an army of knowledge, tips, and techniques for flattering your shape. In this penultimate installment, we’ll put what we’ve learned to good use and design a custom sweater. In the final installment of the series, we’ll summarize and cover one more advanced topic.

What’s in a Sweater?

We’ve covered a lot of ground in this series so far, from basic principles to detailed discussion of garment elements. In this installment, I want to begin to tie some of these individual topics together into a coherent whole. Throughout the series so far, I’ve talked about both how to choose patterns that will inherently flatter your shape and about how to modify existing patterns to better flatter your shape. Ultimately, though, the most flattering sweater possible is one that has been custom-designed for your very own body. Constructing such a sweater is the focus of this installment.

Usually you’ll have a fundamental choice to make about sweater construction before beginning this exercise. In this installment, I’m going to focus on a sweater constructed in pieces, from the bottom up. This is for a couple of reasons. First, while there exist many, many books on other sweater constructions and how to customize them for your form, I don’t know of nearly as many resources for bottom-up, in pieces sweaters, despite how common that type of pattern is. Second, there are good reasons for the vast majority of sweaters to be constructed this way: Seams provide for excellent structure and help keep a sweater in the right place on your body. From a pragmatic standpoint, if you decide you don’t like something you don’t have to rip out an entire sweater’s worth of work. Finally, it seems taken as gospel that in order to get a proper fit one must be able to try the sweater on constantly during knitting. Without saying anything at all negative about top-down construction (it’s completely fantastic and definitely has its place), I think this attitude is bogus, and I want to prove that to all of you.

So in this installment, we’ll focus on designing a custom sweater knit from the bottom up, in pieces. For now, we’ll go through the process for a stockinette sweater; later in the installment we’ll talk about patterns and embellishments. Finally, I’ve included a sweater worksheet here that includes spaces for you to note your choices and pull together your design.

Elements.

The first step in designing your ultimate sweater is to think about all the different elements you want to incorporate. You can get more information on any of these topics by revisiting the relevant installments; for the purposes of this design it’s useful to get a worksheet together of your choices.

• Cardigan or Pullover? I think it’s a bit easier to start with a pullover, but for some shapes (and wardrobes) cardigans are so flattering that the tiny bit of extra work is worth it.
• Sweater length. There are three basic choices for length: Cropped (good for certain bottom-heavy and proportional shapes), “normal” length (good for most knitters), or tunic (good for very short-torsoed top-heavy knitters).
• Sleeves. Are there sleeves at all? Short? Elbow? Long? Belled or flutter? There are lots of choices, so remember the basic principle: Sleeves will draw attention to the portion of the wearer’s body that falls in line with the sleeve cuffs. A tank or cap sleeve draws attention to the shoulder/neck area; short sleeve to the bust; elbow to the waist; ¾-length to the high hip, and long to the widest part of the hip. Sleeves that change shape (flutter sleeves, puffed sleeves, ballooned sleeves, etc.) will draw additional attention to the portion of the wearer’s body in line with the change in sleeve shape. For example, long belled sleeves draw the eye from the hip down even further to the top of the thigh.
• Neckline. If you’re bottom-heavy and small-busted, go for broad, shallow necklines. Bottom-heavy and large busted? Broad and deep. Small-busted and top heavy? Narrow and shallow. Large-busted and top heavy? Narrow and deep. Proportional shapes should choose a neckline appropriate to their bust size and think about balancing elements for the hem of the sweater.
• Waist and bust shaping. Hopefully installment 8 is fresh enough in your mind that you can call to mind the choices involved. For now just note down the approximate kind and amount of shaping you’d like to include.
• Hem and sleeve edges. Finally, you’ll need to decide what kind of hem, sleeve, neckline and (possibly) front opening edging you’d like to use on your sweater. If you’re a bottom-heavy shape, consider a plain faced hem and more eye-catching sleeve and neckline treatments (like ribbing). If you’re a top-heavy shape, work something interesting on the hem of your sweater, and keep the trims around your top much more subdued. Proportional shapes should ensure all edgings are balanced.

Measurements.

You’ll also need the precise measurements of the sweater pieces you’re producing. The basic set of measurements you’ll need are pictured in this schematic:

You have a good start with this thanks to the measurements you took for yourself in Installment 4. But you’re not done yet–you have to add some ease.

I know, I know. I spent a decent chunk of the last installment talking about negative ease. Typically, when ease is referenced in our community, we are discussing ease in the bust only. And I really do think that zero ease (or a bit of negative ease) in the bust is the right choice for most women. But when you’re designing a sweater for yourself (and even when you’re knitting one another person has designed), nearly every measurement in the schematic above offers its own choice about ease. Let’s go through them. After calculating each, write them down in the provided worksheet.

1. Hip measurement. Most knitters look good with a little bit of positive ease in the hips—not enough to sag or make the sweater stand apart from your body, if the fabric is stiff, but enough to avoid the sausage look. A good amount is 1”/2.5cm per piece (or 2”/5cm total). This will “read” as ½”/1.5cm larger than your hips when viewed straight on from the front. Take the distance around your hips, divide in half, and add 1”/2.5cm.
2. Waist measurement. The measurement around the narrowest part of your waist. Note that this might not be nicely in the middle of the torso vertically, as I’ve drawn it. Most knitters want a bit more positive ease here than in the hips, since very few of us have washboard abs that don’t pooch out when we sit. I recommend between 2-4”/5-10cm of positive ease in the waist, depending on how form-fitting you like your sweaters. (For reference, I like a very trim fit, and I aim for 2”/5cm in my own sweaters.) The simplest way to get this measurement is to take the measurement around the narrowest part of your waist, divide by 2, and then add 1-2”/2.5-5cm to the resulting measurement. If you have a substantial belly you might consider taking a measurement from side-to-side across both the front and the back separately (see Installment 8 for more information). Write your base measurements plus the ease in your worksheet.
3. Bust measurement. The distance around your bust. Busty knitters will actually want two separate measurements here: around their back and around their front. As I’ve said before, I think a smidge of negative ease works well in the bust. Take your measurements, and either write them down as is or subtract 1”/2.5cm evenly across the front and back. Unless, that is, you’re making a cardigan and you plan to button it over the bust. In this case, you will need an inch of positive ease in the bust to ensure the button band doesn’t gap. Take your measurements, add 1”/2.5cm to them, and write them down. (This is under the assumption that you’ll add the plackets later; if you plan to knit your plackets in-line with the cardigan fronts, add 2”/5cm to your measurements instead.)
4. Cross-chest measurement. Nearly everyone wants a bit of ease here. You don’t want the shoulders of your sweater to have the Flashdance look, but neither do you want them so tight you can’t move. Take the cross-chest measurement you calculated in Installment 4 and add between 1”/2.5cm and 2”/5cm to it, depending on how snug you want your sweater.
5. Neck opening. This is how wide you want your neckline to be. You don’t really want any ease in this measurement. Instead, measure straight across the line of your collarbone to the widest you want the neck opening, and then subtract the distance you want for your neckline edging. Note that your cross-chest number, minus this number, divided by two is the width of the shoulder sections of your sweater. Typically a neck opening ranges somewhere in the 5-10”/13-26cm range.
6. Waist decrease vertical distance. You’ll measure the full hem to waist vertical distance for measurement #8, but it is also a good idea to get a sense of how much vertical distance you want your waist decreases to take. This will be used as a guide rather than a precise measurement. You can measure it on your front or have someone help you measure on your back. Note that very short-waisted people will have a very long distance here; I’m rather long-waisted and tend to only want a few inches of waist decreases.
7. Waist increase vertical distance. Like with measurement #6, it is a good idea to get a sense of how quickly you’ll need to build from the narrowest part of your waist to the fullest part of your bust. (Very curvy, very busty knitters might need to insert multiple darts, for example.) Again, this is separate from the full distance from your waist to underarm shaping. I recommend taking this measurement on your front and adding up to 1”/2.5cm to it if you’re very busty and the sweater will have to travel over curves.
8. Hem to narrowest part of your waist. This is the total distance from hem to the narrowest part of your waist, and will be longer than the portion you want to use for shaping unless you’ve got an exceedingly gentle slope to your waist. There is no ease for this measurement since you’re going to be knitting with positive ease in the waist and hips (and hence the knit fabric won’t be stretched shorter over your body).
9. Hem to underarm shaping. This is the distance from sweater hem to where the armhole shaping begins, which is not right up in the middle of your armpit. A sweater usually sits a couple of inches/5cm down from the armpit. A good place to measure is to the top of the side of your bra. You won’t want to add much to this measurement, if any at all. If you’re very busty, add up to ½”/1cm. If you’re not, use it as is.
10. Hem to shoulder. This measurement is easiest to take with help from a friend, down your back. If you’re using more than an inch of negative ease in the bust, add ½”/1cm to your measurement since the fabric will shorten in length as it stretches over the bust. A small bit of stretching will not matter, but anything substantial will cause the sweater to ride up in front. Measure separately down your front and the back if you’re very busty.
11. Armhole depth. This can be calculated by subtracting measurement 9 from measurement 10. Note that this will have some positive ease over a measurement you take of your actual armhole depth. This is good, if you want to move your arms comfortably.
12. Circumference of sleeve bottom. Depending on where you want your sleeve to end, this may be the same as the circumference at your bicep. (Or you may not be using it at all, if you’re knitting a tank!) Generally speaking you want at least ½-1”/1-2.5cm of positive ease at the bicep, elbow, or forearm, and a bit more at the wrist.
13. Circumference of sleeve top. It’s always a good idea to give yourself a bit of ease at the widest part of your bicep. Short sleeves want less ease, long sleeves usually want more. A cardigan intended to be worn over a shirt will probably want 2”/5cm of positive ease here.
14. Sleeve length to cap shaping. Like most vertical measurements, it is not necessary to add ease to the sleeve length since you’re not knitting your sleeves with negative ease in the circumference. (Negative ease in width will cause the knit fabric to stretch, making it shorter in the process.) Measure your own arm from where you want your sleeve to end to the point where the sleeve cap shaping will occur (again, not right up at the armpit but instead an inch or two (2-5cm) down.
15. Neckline Depth. There is one more measurement you need, and that is the depth of the neckline you want the front of your sweater to have. I didn’t draw this on the schematic because it varies so widely. Take it as follows: Measure from the top of your collarbone straight down against your skin (between your breasts, if you’re busty) to the place you want the top of your neckline to reach. No ease is required for this measurement. In fact, now subtract the length of any edging you want to add to the neckline and write the result down on your form.

At this point, you have selected all of your design’s elements and know the measurements each piece needs. Whew! You have one more decision to make before getting started.

Yarn.

Before you can write your custom sweater pattern, you need to decide what yarn to use. Encyclopedias have been written on the different qualities of the different fibers, so I’ll leave the bulk of this discussion to the experts. (The Knitter’s Book of Yarn, by Clara Parkes, is one excellent reference that springs to mind.) Looking at yarn with a critical eye toward flattery, I find that wool and wool blends are the most attractive choice for a trim, figure-conscious fit: Wool (particularly when the yarn is plied) retains its shape very well, so finished garments made with wool tend to continue to cling to all parts of the wearer’s body equally throughout a day. Yarns made of natural non-wool fibers like cotton and bamboo tend to produce a less elastic fabric that stretches with wear. I feel this makes cotton a better choice for garments intended to have a drapey, swingy feel. When evaluating a yarn for your project, think about the inherent qualities of each fiber and what kind of look the finished product will create.

In addition to the fiber content itself, I want you to think about two things when considering yarn: Weight and fabric density.

We talked a bit about this in the last installment. The denser and more stiff the fabric is, and the thicker the fabric is, the more your body’s shape is going to resemble the shape of the sweater.

In the pictures above, the sweater I’m wearing has extremely dense fabric knit with bulky yarn. My shape is almost completely hidden (hint: I do have a waist). Danielle is wearing a very fine-gauge machine knit sweater, done in a looser gauge for the yarn thickness than my densely knit piece. It drapes her form without distorting her own curves. Generally speaking, getting a supremely flattering sweater is easier to achieve in a fine yarn than a thick one. However, if the thought of knitting yourself a sweater on size 2 needles is scary, you can increase the fluidity of your knitted fabric by knitting a thicker yarn at a slightly looser-than-normal gauge.

(Personally speaking, I pull the sweaters I’ve knit on US2 and 3 needles out of my closet again and again and again, while the bulkier items get less wear. I think I get more value-per-knitting-hour out of my fine-gauge stuff. Your mileage may vary.)

The Perfect Sweater . . . for You.

Okay. You’re armed with a yarn, a set of design elements, and a detailed schematic with all of your own measurements. The rest is just math. And trust me. Math? Totally not scary.

Step One: Draw out your sweater pieces.

The first thing I want you to do is draw out a schematic like the one I’ve given you above, but true to your own design elements. Include a front, a back, and one sleeve (unless you’re making the sleeves different from one another). Draw in shaping on the back but not the front if that’s how you’re going to knit it. Draw in the neckline you plan to use, with the back neckline dropping down just a bit from the shoulders and the front neckline true to scale. This will serve as a plan for your knitting and help prod you to generate the correct knitting instructions.

In this example, I’m going to knit myself a summery short-sleeve pullover with a very simple square neckline. If the drawing makes you nervous, feel free to base your drawing on a schematic from your favorite pattern or magazine.

Step Two: Swatch. No, really.

I know, I know. None of us like to swatch. You don’t like to swatch, they don’t like to swatch, I don’t like to swatch (well, actually, that’s a lie, I do like to swatch, but I realize that puts me over in crazy-land). Most knitters go to great lengths not to swatch, either throwing caution entirely to the wind and just sitting down with needles, pattern, and yarn, or lying to themselves and saying that the sleeve they just cast on is a “swatch”.

To design a successful sweater for yourself, you must. swatch. And by that I mean that you need to sit down with needles and yarn, knit at least a 4”/10cm square, measure it, play with it, feel it, wash it thoroughly, let it dry, and then measure it and play with it again. If you don’t like the fabric, repeat with different needles until you have something that you love. Note how much the swatch grows, if at all. Consider letting it dry hung up, the way a sweater will hang on your body as you wear it. (If there’s a lot of stretch, you’ll need to knit your sweater pieces shorter than you want them to be eventually.)

Before investing hours of your time knitting a truly couture piece, you need to get all the information you can about how the yarn will react in a fabric after washing. After treating the swatch the way you will treat your sweater, get two measurements: your row and stitch gauges, measured over at least 2 but preferably 4 or more inches (that’s at least 5cm and preferably 10cm or more). Write these down on your worksheet.

Step Three: The back.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road. You’ll be referencing your sweater “plan” drawing and using your gauge and measurements to calculate stitch counts. In the following list, calculations are in plain font and actual pattern descriptions are italicized. You can find a separate worksheet with blank fill-ins for your personal numbers in a link at the end of this tutorial. For the purposes of the tutorial, I’m going to give you directions for a sweater with vertical waist shaping on front and back and no bust darts. You should modify these instructions as appropriate. Let’s begin!

1. Take your hip measurement (#1) and multiply by your per INCH (or cm) stitch gauge. Round down, if this is an odd number. CO this number of stitches on your chosen needles.
2. Calculate your decreases: Take the difference between measurements #1 and #2. Multiply by your stitch gauge, rounding down to an even number if necessary. This is the number of stitches you must decrease. Because you will lose two stitches on each decrease row, divide by 2: This is the number of decrease rows you must work; call this number N. Take your measurement #8 (hem to waist), subtract 3”/7.5cm. Compare this to your rough guess at vertical waist decrease difference (measurement #6)—they should be similar. Then, multiply this distance by your row gauge to get a number of total rows worked during the decrease portion of your sweater body. Divide by the number of decrease rows (rounding down), and subtract 1. Call this number of even rows worked between decrease rows M.
3. Calculate your shaping marker placement: Divide the number of CO stitches in thirds, adding any remainder to the middle section. Work even in the edging of your choice, followed by stockinette stitch, for 2.5”/6.5cm. On your last row, place markers as follows: Work 33% of the stitches, pm, work 34% of the stitches, pm, work 33% of the stitches. Next row (decrease row, RS): K to 2 stitches before first marker, SSK, sm, k to second marker, sm, k2tog, k to end. Work M rows even. Repeat these rows (N-1) more times: N total decrease rows worked, and you now have (#2 x stitch gauge) stitches. Work 1”/2.5cm even.
4. Calculate your increases: Take the difference between measurement #2 and the back measurement #3. Now, multiply by your stitch gauge, rounding down to an even number if necessary. This is the number of stitches you must increase. Because you will add two stitches on each increase row, divide by 2: This is the number of increase rows you must work. Call this number X. Subtract your measurement #8 from your measurement #9: This is the vertical distance between the narrowest part of your waist and the underarm shaping. You will want to incorporate some straight knitting in this part of the sweater, so check that your estimated measurement #7 is at least 1”/2.5cm less than the difference between measurements #8 and #9. Now, multiply #7 by your row gauge to get the total number of rows worked in the increase section of your garment. Divide by the number of increase rows you must work (X), rounding down. Subtract 1: This is the number of rows you must work even in between increase rows. Call this number Y. Next row (RS): Work to first marker, m1R, sm, work to second marker, sm, m1L, work to end. Work Y rows even. Repeat these rows (X-1) more times: X increase rows worked, and you should now have (#3 multiplied stitch gauge) stitches. Work even until piece measures (measurement #9) inches/cm from CO edge, ending with a WS row.
5. Calculate your armhole decreases. First, subtract measurement #4 from measurement #3 and multiply by your stitch gauge. Round down to get an even number if necessary. This gives you the number of stitches you must decrease total in your armhole shaping. Again, because your decreases come in pairs, divide by 2: This gives you the number of stitches you must decrease on each side of the back of your sweater. Call this number N. Call the number of stitches in 1”/2.5cm of knitting M. If N-M is still a large number, as is likely the case if you are a plus-size knitter, repeat the first two rows of instructions at least once more. BO M stitches at the beginning of the next 2 rows. Decrease 1 stitch at each end of every RS row (N-M) times. You now have (#4 x stitch gauge) stitches–call this number A. Work even until piece measures (measurement #10 – 1”/2.5cm), ending with a WS row.
6. Calculate the number of stitches in your neckline. Multiply measurement #5 by your stitch gauge, rounding down if necessary to ensure that the number of stitches currently on your needles minus the neckline stitches is divisible by 2. This is the number of stitches in your neckline (call it B). For the back of the sweater, I recommend binding off (B-4) stitches on your first neck shaping row and then decreasing one stitch at each neck edge every RS row twice to get a bit of a curve to the neckline. If you want to do something different, feel free to fiddle with these instructions as you see fit. Next row (RS): Work (A – (B-4)/2) stitches, BO (B-4) stitches, work to end. Work one WS row even, attaching a new ball of yarn to initial stitches and working each side of the neckline simultaneously. Decrease 1 stitch at each neck edge every RS row twice. Work even until pieces measure (measurement #10) from CO edge.
7. Shape your shoulders. I know I’m using a lot of variables in this list, but trust me: It will make sense once you plug your own numbers into the worksheet. At this point, let’s call the number of stitches you have for each side of the neckline C. You want to bind off these C stitches in two batches, over 3 rows (two bind-off rows with an even row in between them). Next row (RS): BO C/2 stitches, work to end. Turn work, leaving right shoulder stitches alone for now. Work 1 WS row even. BO remaining stitches. Return to held stitches. Work 1 row even. Next row (WS): BO C/2 stitches, work to end. Turn work and work 1 RS row even. BO remaining stitches.

Voila! You now have a sweater back perfectly crafted for your form.

Step Four: The front.

To knit the front of your sweater, you essentially want to repeat the instructions for the back, save placing the shaping markers in a slightly different spot and using your front measurements rather than your back measurements where appropriate. You will also want to shape the front neckline differently from the back. In an attempt at keeping the length of this installment manageable, I’m going to provide instructions for a pullover. If you’ve decided on a cardigan, knit two pieces with half the stitches each (plus any placket stitches you knit in-line with the sweater), and place the shaping markers in the middle of your front pieces.

Since much of the sweater’s front is identical to the back, I’ll only give detail on the steps that differ.

1. Work CO as for back.
2. The process of calculating waist decreases for the front is identical to doing so for the back. If your waist shaping will be identical to the back, simply use the numbers you calculated then. If you desire less waist shaping, re-do the calculation from the back (the variables N and M in later instructions refer to the number of decrease rows you must work and the number of even rows worked between decrease rows, respectively). If you desire no waist decreases on the front, skip to step 4.
3. Calculate your shaping marker placement: Waist shaping markers on the front of sweater are placed one-quarter of the way in from the sides instead of one-third. Work even in the edging of your choice, followed by stockinette stitch, for 2.5”/6.5cm. On your last row, place markers as follows: Work 25% of the stitches, pm, work 50% of the stitches, pm, work 25% of the stitches. Next row (decrease row, RS): K to 2 stitches before first marker, SSK, sm, K to second marker, sm, K2tog, K to end. Work M rows even. Repeat these rows (N-1) more times: N total decrease rows worked, and you should now have (#2 x stitch gauge) stitches. Work 1”/2.5cm even.
4. Again, the process of calculating waist increases for the front is identical to the process for the back. You may desire additional increase rows on the front of your sweater to accommodate your bust, so re-calculate your numbers if necessary. The only possible difference of interest here is that if you are extremely busty the rate of increase might be so high that it makes more sense to insert two vertical darts for bust shaping. If you calculate that you should increase every 3 rows (or more frequently), please see Sandi Wiseheart’s bust dart tutorial series here for excellent instructions on multiple bust darts.
5. Finally, armhole decreases are worked identically on the front and back of the sweater, to ensure that the sleeves will set in properly. If you must decrease additional stitches on the front of your sweater due to bust darts, decrease them into the neckline rather than the armhole.
6. Calculate the number of stitches in your neckline. Multiply measurement #5 by your stitch gauge, rounding down if necessary to ensure that the number of stitches currently on your needles minus the neckline stitches is divisible by 2. This is the number of stitches in your neckline (call it X). Since necklines vary so much from style to style, I can’t really give precise directions for this step. For the front of your sweater, you’ll have to perform your own calculations to determine how to get from your cross-chest number of stitches to (current stitches – measurement #5) stitches for the shoulders. When piece measures (measurement #15) from CO edge, perform front neckline shaping. Work even until pieces measure (measurement #10) from CO edge, attaching a new ball of yarn to held stitches when necessary and ending with a WS row.
7. Shape your shoulders. At this point, let’s call the number of stitches you have for each side of the neckline X. You want to bind off these X stitches in two batches, over 3 rows (two bind-off rows with an even row in between them). Next row (RS): BO X/2 stitches, work to end. Turn work, leaving left shoulder stitches alone for now. P 1 row even. BO remaining stitches. Reattach yarn to held stitches. Work 1 row even. Next row (WS): BO X/2 stitches, P to end. Turn work and K 1 row even. BO remaining stitches.

Congratulations! You now have a perfectly-fitting front and back. If you were making a vest, you’d be done now save finishing and edging. Otherwise, on to the sleeves!

Step Five: The sleeves.

I’m going to do a little bit of buck-passing with the sleeve instructions. The first part is easy: Multiply measurement #12 by your stitch gauge and cast on this number of stitches. Work straight in whatever edging you’ve selected, for as long as you’d like. If measurements #12 and #13 are equal, simply work straight in stockinette until the sleeve measures (measurement #14), ending with a WS row.

Otherwise, subtract measurement #12 from measurement #13 and multiply by your stitch gauge, rounding down to an even number if necessary. Divide by 2. This is the number of increase rows to be worked on the sleeve; call it N. Next, subtract the length worked for the edging from measurement #14. Multiply this number by your row gauge and divide by N, rounding down and then subtracting 1 to get the number of even rows between increase rows. Call this number M. Next row (RS): k1, m1R, k to last stitch, m1L, K1. Work M rows even. Repeat the last rows (N-1) times more. Work even in stockinette until piece measures (measurement #14) from CO edge, ending with a WS row.

Here’s where I’ll direct you elsewhere. The amazing folks at Exercise Before Knitting have blessed us all with an armscye calculator that will tell you, given some information you’ve already calculated, how many decreases must be worked over how many rows to ensure a sleeve cap fits properly. The web form for performing this calculation can be found here.

The only thing you need to know about using this form is that one typically binds off around an inch/2.5cm of stitches at the very top of the sleeve cap, and often binds off half that many stitches on each of the two prior rows. Also, the initial armhole bind-off on each side is identical to the initial armhole bind-off on the first two rows of the sleeve cap.

Once this form has given you the number of decreases and the number of rows, you have two main options. First, you can decrease in more or less a straight line by simply performing some division. This will give you a sleeve that fits neatly into the armhole but is a little trim in the upper arm. You will get a better fit with some knitter’s graph paper. Draw out your initial armhole bind-off stitches (the same as your initial bind-off stitches on the body of the sweater) the appropriate distance apart. Now, using the number of rows in the sleeve cap given to you by the armscye form, draw in the top bind-off rows for the sleeves. Then, using a pencil, draw a bell curve shape between the two points. Translate that into a stepped line corresponding to actual stitches, and then write your instructions down from your line.

Step Six: Finishing it off.

At this point, you have a perfectly fitting sweater—it’s just in pieces. The first thing to do is block those pieces, to ensure they retain their shape and hang together well when seamed. The second thing to do is seam: I like mattress stitch, but you may use what you like. You’ll likely be very excited to wear your sweater now, but it’s worth the time to get a good finish. Work carefully and check your work often.

Finally, you need to work neckline or button-band edgings as necessary. There are a plethora of books on these subjects, so I won’t talk about them here.

Step Seven: Bragging.

Congratulations, you’re done! Your sweater should fit you like a glove and call attention to all of your best parts. Be sure to wear it out to gatherings where knitters and non-knitters alike congregate. It’ll be a great ego boost.

Incorporating Other Elements.

Of course, sometimes you want more than a plain stockinette sweater. Without spending too much time on this topic, there are two ways you can incorporate a fancier stitch pattern: All over, or embedded in “panels”.

An Allover Pattern.

Allover patterns can be both attractive and hide some squishiness around your middle. They can dress the sweater up (often true of lace patterns) or highlight the visual interest of the yarn (often true of textures). To incorporate an allover pattern in your design, it’s easiest if the number of stitches in the body of your sweater at points #1, #2, and #3 are multiples of the stitch pattern repeat itself. If your repeat is small, you can almost certainly achieve this by calculating your stitch counts as above, and then finding the closest multiple of your pattern repeat to that number. Use the multiples, rather than your original calculations, for your pattern.

If the stitch pattern repeat is quite large, you might have no choice but to use your precisely calculated stitch counts. In this case, you can center the pattern repeat on the front, back, or sleeve and work partial patterns on the sides. Decreases in later sections of the piece can also be worked partially on the sides when necessary.

Embedded Elements.

Small sections of patterning can also be added to your sweater, often with fewer calculations and headaches than an allover pattern. Cable panels, such as those in Bonne Marie Burns’s Twist cardigan, below, are an extremely common way to work some visual interest into a sweater.

It is typically quite easy to place these panels in such a way that they do not affect the shaping of the sweater at all. In something like Twist, for example, shaping could occur entirely outside the cabled panels (or at the side seams of the sweater). If you have a visual motif you’d like to work into your sweater, I recommend spending some time sketching it on your schematic drawing until you like where it looks. Then, figure out how to add the shaping around it. Using your schematic sketch as your guide, along with the stitch counts of the motif you’ve chosen, it is a fairly simple calculation to write out instructions including the textured panel.

What’s Up Next.

We’re almost there! We’ve covered a huge amount of ground so far, and I hope you’re feeling confident both in your ability to choose patterns that will inherently flatter your shape and your ability to carry out modifications–including knitting a totally custom sweater. We have one more installment left, and in the series finale I’ll review what we’ve learned and tackle an advanced topic: What to do when the latest “it” design won’t suit your figure . . . but you want to knit it anyway.

I feel passionately that you should have a closet full of hand-knits that you’re proud to wear wherever you go. Helping you understand what your own shape is and how you can choose knitting patterns that will make you look your best are the reasons I’m writing this tutorial series. I hope you’re enjoying them!

(In case you missed it in the body of the installment, here is the worksheet you can print out and use for your own sweater design! Thanks!)

To purchase a PDF version of this installment (US$2.00), or the entire series (US$10.00): Buy this Buy all