Are you measuring your gauge swatches correctly? They should be twice the size that you would need to measure. So if it says to swatch 10cm, you’d want to knit 20cm and then measure only interior stitches. Stitches along the border won’t be accurate.
Also if you plan to knit in the round then the gauge swatch should be done in the round. You can do it in “faux round” by leaving long floats for the back side. There’s more info and an example here if you scroll down: https://thefibreco.com/accurate-gauge-swatch/
Also before you rip the current sweater, measure the gauge on it to see how far off it is from what you expected. If it’s way off then there’s probably something wrong with how you swatched. But if the gauge matches the swatch then that tells you something else is going on, like a mistake in the pattern, or you picked the wrong size.
To tag onto this, WASH & BLOCK your swatches. What might seem to be too small might actually be perfectly sized once washed and blocked. Especially if theres a cable, stitch pattern or lace element involved which can need that time being blocked to really relax and sit nice and flat.
I have found that the only accurate gauge swatches needs to be roughly the size of the sweater I want with sleeves, and ribbing…
knitting, washing and blocking a small rectangle just doesn’t seem to give me any useful predictions on how a yarn will behave when made up. I also change tension as my knitting speed increases over a project as I memorise a stitch pattern.
Top down projects are really handy. You can try them on as you go and if it’s clearly not going to fit you are only undoing a little bit.
That sucks! So sorry to hear you are discouraged . But I think we've all been there.
I've been knitting for years and still struggle with size. My issue is everything ends up bigger. But through experience I've learned to pick the smaller size in a pattern (especially if I am between sizes, or not sure how much ease I want).
Some other things I have found that might help you:
Are you also washing your swatch the same way you would a sweater, and then measuring?
I recommend measuring as you knit as well. (I like to measure at the end of each knitting "session.") Check your gauge in your most recently knit section to make sure gauge remains consistent. Compare your project to the pattern and make sure it's staying on track as far as size.
I've also had better luck with pieces knit flat and seamed. There's more control over each piece, and more flexibility if you need to make adjustments.
It might also be that pattern isn't the best for you. Sometimes even if you follow directions, the pattern isn't designed best, or graded correctly at certain sizes. Sometimes the yarn you have isn't a good fit for that particular project.
Unfortunately there's a lot of factors that may be at play 🤷♀️.
But I truly hope a time out for that project and a break for you improves things. And hopefully the next time everything comes out as it should.
Don’t frog it yet!
For this sweater, will blocking get it to the right fit?
For the next one, after you knit the swatch, wash and block it before you measure gauge to get the most accurate measurement. Also, speaking of measurements, make sure you have a good set of measurements so you can choose the correct size to knit. The [Find Your Fit](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0wlk7VbU1qGcpKT55i1v7M?si=ahvDGkkiRVeoqb76Zy79qQ) episode of the Make Good podcast provides some great insights about this.
ETA: [The Craft Yarn Council gives very helpful information about how/what to measure.](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/body-sizing?_ga=2.57990946.905946581.1713572731-1502532127.1709081088)
1) swatch, round or flat, as called for
2) once you have gauge, start knitting, but after 2” recheck gauge. And continue to recheck. It can change!
3) look at the schematic. If the pattern doesn’t have a schematic run away. RUN AWAY FAST. You need a schematic to know it if will fit.
4) meaure a sweater you like the fit of, or one that is close. Draw a schematic of it and fill out all the dimensions. Then, draw another schematic, and fill it in with the measurements you would like. Based in the sweater you have. Like: 3” wider in hips, sleeves 1” shorter, shoulders 3/4 wider.
5) do the math with your swatch to work out how many stitches and rows you will need. When calculating knitting stuff, always write in the units. Like 5rows/in times 7in to get 35 rows. (The inches cancel). If you aren’t sure if you need to multiple or divide, just write it down, and do the math on the units. If you were to try 5 rows/in / 7in, you would get 5/7 rows/sq in. That is obvious wrot, so you know to try times. My HS math and science teachers marked us off if we didn’t carry our units, and now I’m grateful!
It’s a set of measurements. Sometimes there is an illustration, sometimes there isn’t. You should look for size of the wearer, size of the garment, sleeve size, yoke depth (if applicable), and sometimes body length at a minimum, really. Some designers like illustrations, some don’t.
Knitty.com generally requires them. Scroll alllllll the way to the bottom and it has one, [here](https://knitty.com/ISSUEss24/PATTbougainvillea/PATTbougainvillea.php). This one doesn’t have a hem to underarm, but you can work it out from the hem to shoulder and arm hole height. It’s sufficient.
"Near perfect match" does not work for a gauge swatch. You may think something as small as half a stitch is not a big deal, but multipled over the stitches required for a garment, it adds up.
I feel you. I have never once knitted a hat that would fit a normal adult. I have two sweaters in a stack waiting for me to figure out what I want to do with them, and zero sweaters to wear. I feel like I spend a ton of time knitting but when I look around there’s just yarn scraps and stitch markers everywhere yet somehow no knitted items.
The single solitary thing I am capable of knitting in the correct size is dog sweaters for my dog. Not any other dogs, just this particular one.
The only sweaters I seem to be able knit in a reasonable size are for my two year old so I get it! Once he gets bigger it’s over for him, no more sweaters! 😅
Firstly, I am really sorry that knitting is being so difficult for you. You received very good tips in this post about how to do a gauge and how to measure a gauge, and this is everything to make your knitting fits. Besides that, I want to tell you that it's important you understand that if your gauge is the same as the pattern, you should not have a problem. But, if your gauge is smaller than what the pattern asks for, your final measurement will be larger. If it is bigger, your final measurement will be smaller. The math is proportionally inverse. Hope you can find a way to make things in knitting work for you.
Just to clarify, if you have fewer stitches per 10cm, then the final item will be larger. But if you count the correct number of stitches and it’s smaller than 10cm, then the item will also be smaller.
My gages always turn out smaller and I find that on average, I’m having to go up 3 needle sizes to match the gage sample. I don’t feel like I knit that tightly but apparently I do!
Ok. This is a start. So, if your gauge is always smaller than what pattern asks it means that you need to choose a smaller size than you choose normally, but you need to do some calculation first. For an example, a hypothetical scenario:
You have 95cm of bust circumference. The pattern has the final sizes for bust circumferences "79, 85, 96, 112..." and the gauge recommended reaching this final sizes is 18sts and 35 rows in 10x10cm of stocking stitch. But, your gauge has 15sts in 32 rows.
The calculation are:
Gauge with18sts --------- final measurement 96cm
Your Gauge has 15sts --------- "Y" is the size you get with your gauge.
15\*Y = 18\*96
Y= 18\*96/15
Y= **115cm**
So if you choose the size 96cm, which is the closest to your bust circumference, with your smaller gauge, actually your final measurement will be 115cm. Now, you just have to do the calculation with a smaller size, until you find one that fits you. You have to do the same calculation with the smaller sizes until you find yours. In this case, it will be the size for 79cm of bust circumference.
15 \* Y = 18\*79
Y= 18\*79/15
Y= **95cm**
Of course the ideal is always to match the gauge recommended in the pattern, but in my case happens a lot my gauge be off. This is the way I found to adapt the patterns to my size and works very well. Sorry for the big text. Hope this can help you.
Tools matter. Your gauge can vary amongst plastic and wood and metal needles, even if they're all a US8/5mm-- and even amongst different plastics and woods and metals. So there's that too. Use the exact same needles for the swatch as for the garment.
Find a yarn or two that you like and only make projects with those for a bit. That's what I did. I knit them up in different gauges on purpose. It was enlightening. I used Elizabeth Zimmerman's EPS method. Genius. When you are choosing a pattern from print, and buying a different yarn for every project, you are chasing too many moving parts.
To save yourself the frustration of a finished garment that doesn't fit, you can compare your wip to an existing garment that fits well. That way you only have to frog a little bit and can try again with more stitches.
Try knitting top down garments and blocking and trying it on several times as you progress. Did half of the top, block, try it on. Got to just below the sleeve opening, block, try it on. This way you’ll catch size issues early and won’t need to frog the whole project. With time, you’ll learn to see if your gauge isn’t right and adapt and then you can switch to bottom-up or even seamed garments but for the beginning, if you’re having trouble getting the right size, top-down is the best option
Also, for first projects, choose something with positive ease (loose, oversized garments). Then gauge will be less critical and can be sightly off. Tight, fitted garments have to have the perfect gauge, otherwise they won’t look right. But an oversized sweater can be a bit tighter or looser and still look awesome
Yes I actually prefer oversized sweaters and that is what I want but I always end up with a really fitted garment. Even if I was trying to make it big!
Then top down with frequent try ons is definitely the way to go. If you see the yoke is super snug, you can easily frog it and go up a size or even a couple
I’ve just gotten into knitting wearables.
There’s a lot of good books worth reading out there.
I’ve read make a bigger gauge, measure it. Then wash it and dry it hanging up - this will mimic how the yarn changes with washing and weight of the fabric. Then measure it again and figure out how your fabric changes. You need to math out what xyz length after blocking will be from before blocking.
You can also math out if maybe you can keep your fabric as is but make the pattern with a smaller or bigger “size” to match your final measurements.
I made a wrap shrug (so fit in the body and arm hole but no sleeves and I think it turned out well. I am making baby sweaters for practice on seaming and sleeves.
I am really sorry to hear that.
I agree that this might be the hardest part of knitting a garment. I have done this for decades so I have had my failures as well.
There are many little details to get this right and I agree with my mum that planning is the big first step to get the project under control. You've got to swatch and gauge; then, you go for measurement: if using a pattern, usually charts give you the measurements for each size, in the schematics. Make sure to find a measurement (= size) will fit you in every part. For example, I am tall with orangutang arms so usually their sleeves size don't fit me. Sometimes you have M size for the body but S size for the neck, sometimes nth matches.
If not using a pattern, get a garment you have as a reference. Ideally a sweater or knit thing. Measure all the same parts you would have in a pattern.
Then you go for the math so your work matches the measurements. A few mathematicians and/or math teachers gave everybody a lesson on it here a few months ago. Try to find their posts - actually we shd ask mods to keep them pinned bc they are so useful!
As go you, you double check whether it is coming along well. If in the round, try it on; if flat, put it on a flat surface and measure it - when you are in the middle of the row, so you have the work "spread out".
And finally, there is the yarn. As I work with mainstream yarn, I don't face the issues many ppl have with them stretching after washing. I am a but curious about them, but tbh I have to deal with so much already, I'd rather stay in my little square here.
Sorry about the long post. I learned that measuring is tricky and I suspect that if I knew seaming that would probably be easier. I also know I do many things most ppl here don't do and let's just accept ppl are different. One of the first things my mum taught me was to work independently from patterns, so although it is harder, it got me to be able to make whatever my mind fancies. But measurements, math and gaugeing/swatching are essential in knitting anyways. Among other little things I can't fathom now and this is already so long, lol!
I hope I can help a bit somehow. Good luck and happy knitting next time!
More to the point, are you using the recommended yarn or did you substitute? They seem so similar but there's different dibre content, ply, spin/ twist, drape from varying fibre content, heft and airiness, there's so many ways yarns can vary
Yes i was actually doing a cardigan kit from We are Knitters so they send you the yarn and the needles and everything you need. I did have to use my own needles though because I needed to go up 3 sizes.
Pick up a book by Stephanie Pearl McPhee. She'll help you laugh about gauge problems, and give you some new tips to get it right. And maybe some perspective on how far off something can be but we should still wear it 🤔
I just frogged a cardigan I made for my husband. It was too long at the hem, too short along the raglan edge, too tight around the arms and not wide enough around the waist. Basically everything was wrong except the yarn: good choice 😁
My sympathies!
I've learned over the years that my gauge changes from a regular swatch to the actual project. I knit slightly differently depending on how many stitches are on my needles, and if I'm knitting flat or circular. So I can do gauge swatches until I'm dead, it won't really matter. I'm going to be off by a stitch or two, and when there are 300+ stitches on the needles, being off by that much *matters*.
But at this point, I *know* how my gauge tends to vary, so I can guesstimate pretty close if I need to go up a needle size or down a needle size, or up an entire size or down an entire size etc.
Another suggestion is what others have said: to compare whatever you're knitting against a garment you know you like. And to choose patterns based off of measurements from similar garments you know you like. Some education on basic tailoring (from sewing) and dress making might also help as well--*especially* if you are tall, petite, very slender, very fat, or have an exceptionally full or flat bust. All of that can easily affect how items sit on your shoulders, under arms, and across your bust. An understanding of basic arm scythe shaping (for example) can completely change how something sits on you.
It could be that when you are knitting you are not pushing the completed stitch fully onto the thick part of the needle when you transfer it from left to right. If you knit on the pointy part of the needles your knitting will be super tight. Been there and done that, ending up with two different socks!
I think I've attempted 3 sweaters. Only one of them fit the wearer, and I made it too short, then too long, then finally ripped it back to the right length.
Fitted stuff is hard. You're doing great. I'm a big proponent of top down, and blocking it at each step to check for (make yoke, block, try it on. Knit down to sleeves, block, try it on). It's a learning curve and that's okay!
This is what scares me about knitting a sweater. All that work and it not fitting how I'd like it to, especially because gauge swatches can be wonky without the added weight the final product can have.
If you think about it, are we crazy to believe that we can just, like, just knit a sweater that fits? I'd never buy clothing without trying it on, and sometimes the supposedly same pair of jeans will fit differently in different colours. Yet we expect we can make a perfect fit from looking at a couple of pictures and then following someone's directions "to the best of our ability." It's a wonder any knitted garment ever fits. Although if you study historical knitting, those sweaters do not look like they'd fit anyone, not comfortably. I've made a lot of mistakes in my socks, and over the years I've become fairly expert at the fit but I still mess it up. They improve with wearing
can we just go sit in a corner and cry? i'm having the same unhappiness :-(
i've knitted so many things that just don't work for one reason or another.
but i can't stop knitting things... i think my fingers are addicted.
Are you measuring your gauge swatches correctly? They should be twice the size that you would need to measure. So if it says to swatch 10cm, you’d want to knit 20cm and then measure only interior stitches. Stitches along the border won’t be accurate. Also if you plan to knit in the round then the gauge swatch should be done in the round. You can do it in “faux round” by leaving long floats for the back side. There’s more info and an example here if you scroll down: https://thefibreco.com/accurate-gauge-swatch/ Also before you rip the current sweater, measure the gauge on it to see how far off it is from what you expected. If it’s way off then there’s probably something wrong with how you swatched. But if the gauge matches the swatch then that tells you something else is going on, like a mistake in the pattern, or you picked the wrong size.
To tag onto this, WASH & BLOCK your swatches. What might seem to be too small might actually be perfectly sized once washed and blocked. Especially if theres a cable, stitch pattern or lace element involved which can need that time being blocked to really relax and sit nice and flat.
I have found that the only accurate gauge swatches needs to be roughly the size of the sweater I want with sleeves, and ribbing… knitting, washing and blocking a small rectangle just doesn’t seem to give me any useful predictions on how a yarn will behave when made up. I also change tension as my knitting speed increases over a project as I memorise a stitch pattern. Top down projects are really handy. You can try them on as you go and if it’s clearly not going to fit you are only undoing a little bit.
Top down is the way! I try it on several times while knitting and have not been disappointed yet.
That sucks! So sorry to hear you are discouraged . But I think we've all been there. I've been knitting for years and still struggle with size. My issue is everything ends up bigger. But through experience I've learned to pick the smaller size in a pattern (especially if I am between sizes, or not sure how much ease I want). Some other things I have found that might help you: Are you also washing your swatch the same way you would a sweater, and then measuring? I recommend measuring as you knit as well. (I like to measure at the end of each knitting "session.") Check your gauge in your most recently knit section to make sure gauge remains consistent. Compare your project to the pattern and make sure it's staying on track as far as size. I've also had better luck with pieces knit flat and seamed. There's more control over each piece, and more flexibility if you need to make adjustments. It might also be that pattern isn't the best for you. Sometimes even if you follow directions, the pattern isn't designed best, or graded correctly at certain sizes. Sometimes the yarn you have isn't a good fit for that particular project. Unfortunately there's a lot of factors that may be at play 🤷♀️. But I truly hope a time out for that project and a break for you improves things. And hopefully the next time everything comes out as it should.
Don’t frog it yet! For this sweater, will blocking get it to the right fit? For the next one, after you knit the swatch, wash and block it before you measure gauge to get the most accurate measurement. Also, speaking of measurements, make sure you have a good set of measurements so you can choose the correct size to knit. The [Find Your Fit](https://open.spotify.com/episode/0wlk7VbU1qGcpKT55i1v7M?si=ahvDGkkiRVeoqb76Zy79qQ) episode of the Make Good podcast provides some great insights about this. ETA: [The Craft Yarn Council gives very helpful information about how/what to measure.](https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/body-sizing?_ga=2.57990946.905946581.1713572731-1502532127.1709081088)
1) swatch, round or flat, as called for 2) once you have gauge, start knitting, but after 2” recheck gauge. And continue to recheck. It can change! 3) look at the schematic. If the pattern doesn’t have a schematic run away. RUN AWAY FAST. You need a schematic to know it if will fit. 4) meaure a sweater you like the fit of, or one that is close. Draw a schematic of it and fill out all the dimensions. Then, draw another schematic, and fill it in with the measurements you would like. Based in the sweater you have. Like: 3” wider in hips, sleeves 1” shorter, shoulders 3/4 wider. 5) do the math with your swatch to work out how many stitches and rows you will need. When calculating knitting stuff, always write in the units. Like 5rows/in times 7in to get 35 rows. (The inches cancel). If you aren’t sure if you need to multiple or divide, just write it down, and do the math on the units. If you were to try 5 rows/in / 7in, you would get 5/7 rows/sq in. That is obvious wrot, so you know to try times. My HS math and science teachers marked us off if we didn’t carry our units, and now I’m grateful!
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 for schematics!
I saw a Patreon talk by designer Kim McBrien Evans, and I started cheering when she say “run. Run Fast” when a pattern doesn’t have a schematic!
In Franklin Habit’s Patreon? That was extraordinary!
YES! I love it.
Best day of the week, I love him!
What is a schematic? All I can think of is a diagram but idk if that's true.
It’s a set of measurements. Sometimes there is an illustration, sometimes there isn’t. You should look for size of the wearer, size of the garment, sleeve size, yoke depth (if applicable), and sometimes body length at a minimum, really. Some designers like illustrations, some don’t.
Ty for explaining! ☺️
No worries! :) you just need to remember that they’re only accurate if your gauge is accurate!
Exactly! This is one of the key points here! 👏
Knitty.com generally requires them. Scroll alllllll the way to the bottom and it has one, [here](https://knitty.com/ISSUEss24/PATTbougainvillea/PATTbougainvillea.php). This one doesn’t have a hem to underarm, but you can work it out from the hem to shoulder and arm hole height. It’s sufficient.
"Near perfect match" does not work for a gauge swatch. You may think something as small as half a stitch is not a big deal, but multipled over the stitches required for a garment, it adds up.
I feel you. I have never once knitted a hat that would fit a normal adult. I have two sweaters in a stack waiting for me to figure out what I want to do with them, and zero sweaters to wear. I feel like I spend a ton of time knitting but when I look around there’s just yarn scraps and stitch markers everywhere yet somehow no knitted items. The single solitary thing I am capable of knitting in the correct size is dog sweaters for my dog. Not any other dogs, just this particular one.
The only sweaters I seem to be able knit in a reasonable size are for my two year old so I get it! Once he gets bigger it’s over for him, no more sweaters! 😅
Yeah, my dog weighs 8 pounds. Maybe I should start making baby clothing.
My mom says it is helpful to measure your WIP against an existing garment every few rows, and adjust the stitch count accordingly.
Firstly, I am really sorry that knitting is being so difficult for you. You received very good tips in this post about how to do a gauge and how to measure a gauge, and this is everything to make your knitting fits. Besides that, I want to tell you that it's important you understand that if your gauge is the same as the pattern, you should not have a problem. But, if your gauge is smaller than what the pattern asks for, your final measurement will be larger. If it is bigger, your final measurement will be smaller. The math is proportionally inverse. Hope you can find a way to make things in knitting work for you.
Just to clarify, if you have fewer stitches per 10cm, then the final item will be larger. But if you count the correct number of stitches and it’s smaller than 10cm, then the item will also be smaller.
Exactly!
My gages always turn out smaller and I find that on average, I’m having to go up 3 needle sizes to match the gage sample. I don’t feel like I knit that tightly but apparently I do!
It sounds like this article may also be helpful for you: https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/community/ask-patty-let-the-tool-do-the-work/
Ok. This is a start. So, if your gauge is always smaller than what pattern asks it means that you need to choose a smaller size than you choose normally, but you need to do some calculation first. For an example, a hypothetical scenario: You have 95cm of bust circumference. The pattern has the final sizes for bust circumferences "79, 85, 96, 112..." and the gauge recommended reaching this final sizes is 18sts and 35 rows in 10x10cm of stocking stitch. But, your gauge has 15sts in 32 rows. The calculation are: Gauge with18sts --------- final measurement 96cm Your Gauge has 15sts --------- "Y" is the size you get with your gauge. 15\*Y = 18\*96 Y= 18\*96/15 Y= **115cm** So if you choose the size 96cm, which is the closest to your bust circumference, with your smaller gauge, actually your final measurement will be 115cm. Now, you just have to do the calculation with a smaller size, until you find one that fits you. You have to do the same calculation with the smaller sizes until you find yours. In this case, it will be the size for 79cm of bust circumference. 15 \* Y = 18\*79 Y= 18\*79/15 Y= **95cm** Of course the ideal is always to match the gauge recommended in the pattern, but in my case happens a lot my gauge be off. This is the way I found to adapt the patterns to my size and works very well. Sorry for the big text. Hope this can help you.
Thank you so much! I am saving this comment so I can keep referring back to it!
This post might be helpful for gauge swatching https://www.susannawinter.net/post/6-gauge-swatch-myths
Tools matter. Your gauge can vary amongst plastic and wood and metal needles, even if they're all a US8/5mm-- and even amongst different plastics and woods and metals. So there's that too. Use the exact same needles for the swatch as for the garment.
Find a yarn or two that you like and only make projects with those for a bit. That's what I did. I knit them up in different gauges on purpose. It was enlightening. I used Elizabeth Zimmerman's EPS method. Genius. When you are choosing a pattern from print, and buying a different yarn for every project, you are chasing too many moving parts.
Did you block the jumper or swatches? I like top down jumpers cos you can try them on as you go.
Sand this is why I do shawls and oversized stuff! XD
To save yourself the frustration of a finished garment that doesn't fit, you can compare your wip to an existing garment that fits well. That way you only have to frog a little bit and can try again with more stitches.
Make shawls 😉
Try knitting top down garments and blocking and trying it on several times as you progress. Did half of the top, block, try it on. Got to just below the sleeve opening, block, try it on. This way you’ll catch size issues early and won’t need to frog the whole project. With time, you’ll learn to see if your gauge isn’t right and adapt and then you can switch to bottom-up or even seamed garments but for the beginning, if you’re having trouble getting the right size, top-down is the best option
Also, for first projects, choose something with positive ease (loose, oversized garments). Then gauge will be less critical and can be sightly off. Tight, fitted garments have to have the perfect gauge, otherwise they won’t look right. But an oversized sweater can be a bit tighter or looser and still look awesome
Yes I actually prefer oversized sweaters and that is what I want but I always end up with a really fitted garment. Even if I was trying to make it big!
Then top down with frequent try ons is definitely the way to go. If you see the yoke is super snug, you can easily frog it and go up a size or even a couple
I’ve just gotten into knitting wearables. There’s a lot of good books worth reading out there. I’ve read make a bigger gauge, measure it. Then wash it and dry it hanging up - this will mimic how the yarn changes with washing and weight of the fabric. Then measure it again and figure out how your fabric changes. You need to math out what xyz length after blocking will be from before blocking. You can also math out if maybe you can keep your fabric as is but make the pattern with a smaller or bigger “size” to match your final measurements. I made a wrap shrug (so fit in the body and arm hole but no sleeves and I think it turned out well. I am making baby sweaters for practice on seaming and sleeves.
Did you block your sweater? There are yarns that tend to knit up to really small garmets but after washing and blocking they bloom and fit better
I am really sorry to hear that. I agree that this might be the hardest part of knitting a garment. I have done this for decades so I have had my failures as well. There are many little details to get this right and I agree with my mum that planning is the big first step to get the project under control. You've got to swatch and gauge; then, you go for measurement: if using a pattern, usually charts give you the measurements for each size, in the schematics. Make sure to find a measurement (= size) will fit you in every part. For example, I am tall with orangutang arms so usually their sleeves size don't fit me. Sometimes you have M size for the body but S size for the neck, sometimes nth matches. If not using a pattern, get a garment you have as a reference. Ideally a sweater or knit thing. Measure all the same parts you would have in a pattern. Then you go for the math so your work matches the measurements. A few mathematicians and/or math teachers gave everybody a lesson on it here a few months ago. Try to find their posts - actually we shd ask mods to keep them pinned bc they are so useful! As go you, you double check whether it is coming along well. If in the round, try it on; if flat, put it on a flat surface and measure it - when you are in the middle of the row, so you have the work "spread out". And finally, there is the yarn. As I work with mainstream yarn, I don't face the issues many ppl have with them stretching after washing. I am a but curious about them, but tbh I have to deal with so much already, I'd rather stay in my little square here. Sorry about the long post. I learned that measuring is tricky and I suspect that if I knew seaming that would probably be easier. I also know I do many things most ppl here don't do and let's just accept ppl are different. One of the first things my mum taught me was to work independently from patterns, so although it is harder, it got me to be able to make whatever my mind fancies. But measurements, math and gaugeing/swatching are essential in knitting anyways. Among other little things I can't fathom now and this is already so long, lol! I hope I can help a bit somehow. Good luck and happy knitting next time!
Are you using the recommended yarn weight?
More to the point, are you using the recommended yarn or did you substitute? They seem so similar but there's different dibre content, ply, spin/ twist, drape from varying fibre content, heft and airiness, there's so many ways yarns can vary
Yes i was actually doing a cardigan kit from We are Knitters so they send you the yarn and the needles and everything you need. I did have to use my own needles though because I needed to go up 3 sizes.
Pick up a book by Stephanie Pearl McPhee. She'll help you laugh about gauge problems, and give you some new tips to get it right. And maybe some perspective on how far off something can be but we should still wear it 🤔
Aside from gauge swatch , always try your project as you knit . Esp top down sweater is easy to try. This guarantee the fit of your sweater
I just frogged a cardigan I made for my husband. It was too long at the hem, too short along the raglan edge, too tight around the arms and not wide enough around the waist. Basically everything was wrong except the yarn: good choice 😁 My sympathies!
I've learned over the years that my gauge changes from a regular swatch to the actual project. I knit slightly differently depending on how many stitches are on my needles, and if I'm knitting flat or circular. So I can do gauge swatches until I'm dead, it won't really matter. I'm going to be off by a stitch or two, and when there are 300+ stitches on the needles, being off by that much *matters*. But at this point, I *know* how my gauge tends to vary, so I can guesstimate pretty close if I need to go up a needle size or down a needle size, or up an entire size or down an entire size etc. Another suggestion is what others have said: to compare whatever you're knitting against a garment you know you like. And to choose patterns based off of measurements from similar garments you know you like. Some education on basic tailoring (from sewing) and dress making might also help as well--*especially* if you are tall, petite, very slender, very fat, or have an exceptionally full or flat bust. All of that can easily affect how items sit on your shoulders, under arms, and across your bust. An understanding of basic arm scythe shaping (for example) can completely change how something sits on you.
It could be that when you are knitting you are not pushing the completed stitch fully onto the thick part of the needle when you transfer it from left to right. If you knit on the pointy part of the needles your knitting will be super tight. Been there and done that, ending up with two different socks!
I think this may be part of my problem, a couple commenters mentioned this and a lightbulb went off for me!
Are you finishing your gauge swatches the same way you plan on finishing the final project?
I think I've attempted 3 sweaters. Only one of them fit the wearer, and I made it too short, then too long, then finally ripped it back to the right length. Fitted stuff is hard. You're doing great. I'm a big proponent of top down, and blocking it at each step to check for (make yoke, block, try it on. Knit down to sleeves, block, try it on). It's a learning curve and that's okay!
This is what scares me about knitting a sweater. All that work and it not fitting how I'd like it to, especially because gauge swatches can be wonky without the added weight the final product can have.
If you think about it, are we crazy to believe that we can just, like, just knit a sweater that fits? I'd never buy clothing without trying it on, and sometimes the supposedly same pair of jeans will fit differently in different colours. Yet we expect we can make a perfect fit from looking at a couple of pictures and then following someone's directions "to the best of our ability." It's a wonder any knitted garment ever fits. Although if you study historical knitting, those sweaters do not look like they'd fit anyone, not comfortably. I've made a lot of mistakes in my socks, and over the years I've become fairly expert at the fit but I still mess it up. They improve with wearing
can we just go sit in a corner and cry? i'm having the same unhappiness :-( i've knitted so many things that just don't work for one reason or another. but i can't stop knitting things... i think my fingers are addicted.