Measuring your Body for the Best-Fitting Knits
I love teaching my Tailoring Workshop because it enables knitters to make better choices about what size they should knit but more importantly, where and how they should modify garments for a better fit! Before you can learn to modify a garment, it’s essential that you have accurate body measurements. Use this video series to record your own body measurements so that you always have them on hand when choosing a size, and when looking at a schematic to see how it compares to you and your beautiful self! Embrace your body—it’s the only one you’ve got and being accurate when you take these measurements will absolutely reflect in your projects going forward.
Before you Begin
Grab a sheet of paper so that you can record each measurements. Go ahead and make it a “pretty” sheet, because you’ll want to save these measurements for reference each time you’re about to start working a new project.
For the most accurate measurements, dress as follows: wear the style of undergarments that you’d typically wear for your sweater with a thin/lightweight top or tank and fitted, thin pants if possible for the hip measuring section.
Know what “ease” means: I won’t go into much detail about ease in this post because it’s very full already but I do want you to know what it is. Ease is the difference between your actual body measurement and the measurement of the garment itself in any given area. Ease applies to circumference measurements only. Positive ease means that the garment is larger than your body and negative ease means it’s smaller. No ease means that the garment is meant to match your actual measurements. Actual body measurements are what we are taking here. Ease is something that is considered when choosing your size and your pattern should indicate suggested ease.
You don’t need a partner to take these measurements, I’ll show you how to take them all by yourself but if you do have someone around to help, it certainly doesn’t hurt! So here we go, let’s roll!
Armhole & Yoke Depth
You may notice that I didn’t mention Yoke Depth in this video, and that’s because Yoke Depth in a pattern is based on Armhole Depth. There’s not a separate measurement responsible. In general, both depths are calculated using the total number of rows in the top section of your sweater divided by the pattern’s row gauge. For a top-down sweater, this is the length before sleeve separation; for a bottom-up sweater, it’s the length worked after joining body and sleeves. If your row gauge is significantly different than the pattern’s row gauge, you may end up with a different depth in this section. Usually, a small row gauge difference won’t affect your Yoke or Armhole Depth enough to be a bother. It’s easier to “fix” shorter rows (more rows per inches than the pattern gauge), because you can knit for extra length at the bottom of the Yoke or Armhole section. For longer rows, there’s not much you can do to shorten your depth unless you are very comfortable with pattern math and know how to adjust the spacing of your increasing or decreasing over this section. You might notice Yoke Depth measurements being slightly shorter than Armhole Depths for a similar fit—this is because the actual spacing created in a raglan or circular yoke design is on the diagonal, which results in a slightly longer line. If you don’t remember the Pythagorean Theorem (the explanation for the difference in the diagonal) that’s totally ok, just know that it’s normal to see a Yoke Depth in a raglan or circular construction that’s closer to your actual Armhole Depth versus a set-in sleeve or drop shoulder design.
Back Neck-to-Cuff & Wrist Measurements
You won’t find the Back Neck-to Cuff measurement reported on a schematic, because most knitters aren’t familiar with it. However, a good designer will have used this set of standard measurements to determine the underarm sleeve length. In this post, I’ve not shown you how to take your underarm sleeve length measurement and that’s because I highly recommend that you never compare underarm sleeve length directly. Think of a sweater as a pile of puzzle pieces that all fit together. Your desired sleeve length will be based on the amount of ease you’ve chosen to knit along with the length or width of the sweater’s Back Neck, Shoulder + Yoke or Armhole Depth. But don’t worry! I’ve got a tutorial that I recommend you utilize before beginning any long sleeve sweater that will allow you to directly compare Back Neck-to-Cuff in the pattern to your own measurement. Click the button below and use this tutorial if you’re interested in calculating your perfect sleeve length while taking into account all the puzzle pieces I mentioned!
I’ve also included Wrist Circumference in the above video because you’ll want to measure your wrist at the same location where you’ve chosen your sleeve to end. Take both of these measurements as many times as needed to have the details that will allow you to modify your sleeve length or wrist circumference for 3/4, bracelet, long or extra long sleeve length. Sleeve length is one of the most common modifications knitters need to make, and that’s because Bust/Chest measurements have nothing to do with our height and therefore, very little relation to sleeve length, either. The easiest place to modify your sleeve length is at the very top, before shaping begins. You can make this section shorter or longer to suit your modification. If you need significant length modification, you’ll have better results by adjusting the spacing of your sleeve shaping rounds (closer together for shorter sleeves and further apart for longer ones) but that’s a lesson for the Tailoring Workshop!
Upper Bust(or upper chest)
Is this the first time you’re hearing that you should take your Upper Bust/Upper Chest measurement? If so, you’re not alone. Most of the time, it’s better (and easier) to choose a size based on the fullest part of your bust. However, I recommend using your Upper Bust to choose a size in the following situations:
Tailored, set-in sleeve designs: you’ll likely have better fitting shoulders if you use this upper measurement when choosing a size. If the design features a-line shaping below the bust, you’re good to go and likely won’t have to modify anything. If the sweater is fitted all the way, and you’re blessed in the chest (that is, you have a significant difference between your upper and full bust), you may need to add short rows after sleeve separation (top down) or before sleeve join (bottom up) in order to get enough fabric for the girls to be comfortable. It’ll be well worth it for a sweater that sits perfectly on your shoulders and isn’t falling off to one side. If you need to add short rows, you can add them in dart form (click here for a great resource on this technique), or, they can go all the way across your chest with the shortest row being on the side-boob area (sorry for not coming up with more ladylike terminology here) and the longest row going across the entire front from the center of one underarm to the other. In September 2023, look for the Perfect Tee design from me, as it features this style of short row and the worksheets included in the pattern will be invaluable assets that can be utilized in other patterns going forward. For either bust short-row situation, I recommend using either the German or Japanese methods, as they are less visible than a standard wrap & turn and this is one area where you most likely don’t want to draw extra attention.
Designs with a lot of ease: if a design already has significant ease built in, that means that you can safely use your upper bust measurement to choose your size and still have enough room in your chest for the ladies. The reasoning for using the upper measurement is the same as above, you’re likely to get a much better fit at the shoulders and neckline if you’re able to use your upper bust as the decision-maker.
If you are often finding that your sweaters are too large at the shoulders, it’s (again) worth your while to use the upper bust to choose your size and learn how to modify at the full bust, which can be done in a variety of ways. You can use either of the short row methods noted above, add extra increases to the pattern itself in the front & back sections or increase the stitch count at the underarm. Just be mindful that if you increase the stitch count at the underarm, you will also increase the stitch count in your upper arm, which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your desired upper arm measurement.
Full Bust (or full chest) & Length
This combination begins a series of paired measurements. The pairings are important because they allow for consistency in where your measurements are taken, and in this particular case, your Full Bust/Chest Length can be very useful to know if you’re working waist shaping in a pattern. Bust and Chest are synonymous, so I’ll stop repeating myself now and only use one term, just know that they refer to the same area!
Full Bust Circumference
If you’ve been knitting for any time at all, you probably know that the Full Bust Circumference is the measurement that a designer uses in determining all the other measurements for the pattern. I’ve mentioned “standards”, which are simply averages that we use in designing because it’s the best we’ve got and takes the maximum number of individuals into account. Here’s a look at the Yarn Council standards for women, which are just one example of a set of these standard measurements. Find your full bust measurement on the first line and look at the corresponding measurements below it; you might get an idea of why you have particular areas that you commonly need to modify! For me, I have a small bust and the upper arm circumference that goes with my bust size doesn’t work for me. Therefore, when I knit for myself, I almost always need extra room added on the top of my sleeve. If the situations I mentioned above in the upper bust section don’t describe the sweater you’re planning for, you should choose what size to knit based on your full bust circumference.
Full Bust Length
This might be a measurement you’ve never taken before! If you’re working a pattern that includes waist shaping, or you’re adding waist shaping to a pattern that doesn’t include it at all, this measurement is very important. You always want to have your full stitch count over your full bust so that you have enough fabric for good coverage. Therefore, if you’re working from the top down, you don’t want to start decreasing for your waist until you’ve passed your Full Bust Length. Conversely, if you’re working from the bottom up, make sure that all increasing is completed prior to hitting that length. It’s ok if a pattern doesn’t begin or end the shaping exactly at your full bust length, you just want to make sure that the shaping doesn’t interfere with it. If you’re adding shaping to a pattern, a great place to have your first decrease (top down)or final increase (bottom up) is about .5-1”/1.5-2.5 cm below this length measurement.
Waist Length & Circumference
This paired measurement is the most critical for waist shaping and it can also be useful if you love knitting cropped sweaters! A cropped sweater may be shorter than your Waist Length depending on the design, but if the total length is longer than your waist length, you’ll want to shorten the body of the sweater or else it won’t be cropped on you at all. Knowing the circumference at the waist will allow you to be sure that once your waist shaping is completed, you’ll have a similar level of ease at the waist as you do on the chest. If you find that there are too many or not enough shaping rounds for your Waist Circumference, modify! Be sure that the small of the waist on your sweater is at or slightly above the small of your actual waist. If it hits anywhere below, your waist shaping will not be flattering, as it will not mimic the shape of your body and instead will be snug as you get closer to your hips. To determine the amount of spacing over which you can safely work waist shaping, work the following super-easy calculation:
Waist Length - Full Bust Length = maximum length over shaping
Use this calculation to determine if the pattern’s set-up is going to work for you or not. If it doesn’t, go one step further and divide the length over shaping by the total number of shaping rounds you want to work (especially if you’ve decided to modify the total number of rounds). Then you’ll know how often to work your shaping and still have the small of the waist sit in the appropriate place on your body.
Upper Hip or “Favorite” Sweater Length and Circumference
Just like the paired shapings that came before, these two measurements correspond in order to make sure that you’ll have enough fabric at the bottom of your sweater for your Upper Hip Circumference. In the video, I called these measurements “favorites” because everyone has their own preferences about exactly where they want a sweater to hit on their hips. The longer the sweater, generally the more fabric needed around the bottom. If a sweater has a straight body, you’ll simply compare the full bust circumference to your upper hip circumference. As long as the full bust is larger than the upper hip, you’re good to go. If it’s not, you’ll want to think about modifying your sweater with some gentle increasing (top down) or decreasing (bottom up), in the area between your waist length and you Upper Hip Length in order to accommodate your hips. If a sweater includes waist shaping, it’s usually even easier to increase this total area because you’ll already have shaping markers set up and can add extra shaping rounds overall. If you are working your sweater from the bottom up and encounter this issue, you will need to cast on more stitches than the pattern calls for and make sure you get rid of the extra stitches before you get to your waist length, regardless of whether or not the pattern includes shaping.
Full Hip Length and Circumference
I won’t go on and on in this section because it’s really the same concept as in the previous one. If you are working a sweater that is this long, the bottom of it needs to accommodate your Full Hip Circumference. If you are working knit bottoms of some type, you’ll probably have chosen a size based on this measurement. If you do need extra fabric for your full hips, shape the are between your Full Hip Length and waist length as you would have between the upper hip and waist length for a shorter sweater.
Upper Arm Circumference: 4 ways
In this video, I explain a couple of very common upper arm scenarios. First, most of us have a different Upper Arm Circumference around our right and left arms. It doesn’t necessarily correspond to whether you are right or left handed, either, as that’s something I’ve asked my students regularly. Secondly, not all of us have the largest part of our arm at the very top. So, taking the four suggested measurements will allow you to determine which of the four is the largest and that’s the one you want to go with when you’re comparing your actual upper arm measurement to a schematic. It’s normal to have less ease (in terms of inches or centimeters) in your upper arm when compared to the ease in your chest, because ease is proportional and your chest is larger than your arm. However, in most cases you do want to make sure that the upper arm in your sweater is at least slightly larger than your largest actual upper arm measurement. If it’s not, you’ll want to modify by either adding extra stitches during your sleeve increases (whether they are on the sleeve itself for bottom up, or on the yoke/armhole section for top down) or by adding stitches to the underarm section. As for the full bust section, remember that adding underarm stitches will also increase the stitch count in the chest so don’t do this unless you know you want more stitches in both the chest and the upper arm.
Crossback, Back Neck Width & Shoulders
We’re at the final set of measurements! Whew! As for Back Neck-to-Cuff, you won’t typically see Crossback on a schematic, but you should see either Back Neck or Neck Circumference. Unless the design is a boatneck or features an intentionally wide neckline, neck circumference should be smaller than your head circumference. Back neck is a component of your crossback, but I’m going to briefly discuss the two separately.
crossback
Crossback measurements are most important in set-in sleeve designs. You want the crossback of the design to be smaller than your actual crossback in order for the sweater to sit nicely on your shoulders and for the sleeves to be at the top of your shoulder, instead of beginning further down your arm. You can calculate the pattern’s crossback by adding together the Back Neck and both Shoulders, the reverse of the formula shown in the video to calculate back neck using the other two measurements. But taking your crossback measurement isn’t just important for set-in sleeve designs, it can also help you determine if your back neck is set up nicely.
back neck
Although the total crossback should be smaller than your actual measurement, the back neck measurement in the pattern should be wider than your actual measurement so that you don’t get choked by your sweater but not so wide that its encompassing your shoulders. A common neckline issue occurs when a designer increases the width of the neckline by the same rate as they increase the chest. An actual neckline increases at a much smaller rate, and therefore if you’re knitting a larger size than is modeled, you really want to be confident that the back neck width is in a sweet spot and isn’t overly wide. If your pattern does not include a back neck measurement on the schematic and is a drop shoulder, raglan, or set-in sleeve design, you can easily calculate it yourself by looking at either the set-up row (top down patterns) or the final row before bind-off (bottom up patterns). Find the smallest stitch count in the back section and divided it by the pattern’s stitch gauge (over 1”2.5 cm). Voila! The number that you get after this simple act of division is your back neck measurement! Now you can compare it to your own. This is also where your actual crossback measurement comes back into play. If your back neck is more than half of your crossback, you might consider modifying it so that it has fewer stitches.
Now What?
I created these videos before I wrote the text to go along with them, and as usual, I ended up going into much more detail than I had planned! What can I say, I’m long winded and sometimes I just can’t help myself! However, I hope that even though this post wasn’t meant to teach you how to perform each potential modification, you know how to take your measurement and you know how it is supposed to compare to the schematic. You should also have a good idea of when and where modifications might be needed. There’s so much that goes into designing a single sweater, and then extended it to cover a wide range of sizes is a whole other thing! As a knitter, you should never feel constrained by a pattern. From suggested needle size to featured yarn to stitch counts, don’t be afraid to make modifications whenever you need to so that your sweater fits and flatters YOU! That’s what it’s all about.
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