#sewingversusknitting

The Dressmaker Meets the Nature of Knitting: Sweet Tee Recalculations

I took a simple bottom-yoked sweater named Sweet Tee and recalculated its sizing upward, its yarn gauge, and its collar, all of which worked well until I came to the actual neckline. If you sew a neckline, even with a knitted fabric, there is a moment when you stabilize it. Perhaps with a facing, or with a length of seam tape in the shoulder seam or the neck itself, even with a bit of elastic. But there is not such thing in knitting.

So, failing to realize that my re-sizing upward had created a wider and largely unstable neckline, I pulled my new sweater on over my head. It promptly fell to my hips. Oops. My husband said it had a nice fit. Ha ha.

What to do? I took out a ready-to-wear knitted top that I like the fit of, and recalculated the neckline circumference that I was aiming for. So, my first tip for those who like a knitting pattern, but want to change to gauge or sizing, is still Do the Math. But my second tip is Do the Schematic sketch of the sweater as a whole. Focusing your primary attention to making the bust and waist fit may lead you to ignore the rest of the garment.