Fitting a Garment

Fitting a Garment

A well-fitting garment is a garment that you will wear often. A poor fitting garment should be given to Goodwill, but will likely hang around and be worn even though you don’t like it. Learning to fit a garment involves a bit of research and the knowledge to apply what you find out.

How a garment fits depends on: the style, the size, and your gauge. (Okay, color and fiber matter too but that’s a whole other topic).

Style:

Style identifies the cut or shaping of the garment – fitted, straight, a-line; the neckline shape – crew, v neck, boat neck, polo; and the armhole shaping – drop shoulder, set in sleeve, raglan, saddle shoulder.

Take a good look at your closet. If you look only at the style, you probably have a lot of one thing. I’m a v-neck cardigan person who only wears long sleeved sweaters. I have some crew necks and some asymmetrical. And the only pullovers I have are sweatshirts – which don’t get worn that often.

For one week, pay attention to what you wear. Why did you wear it? Did you enjoy wearing it? If you could change one thing about the garment, what would it be and why? As you start to analyze what you like you will start to identify your style.

Size:

Size is not a name – XS, M, XL – but a measurement. And the size you make is the combination of physical body measurement and the amount of extra fabric, or lack of, that adds “ease”. Ease is the amount of extra fabric over the physical measurement. Each of us has an amount of ease that we are comfortable wearing, an amount that allows us to move within our clothes.

The amount of ease is particularly important when we start layering garments. The shell of a twin set has less ease than the sweater that goes over it. The shell needs less so it stays closer to the body while the sweater needs more to go over the shell that is over the body. A jacket may need more ease than the sweater and a coat needs to go over the jacket or the sweater.

You can take your physical measurements.  But how do you determine the amount of ease you like to wear?  Find a garment that fits you well, one that you enjoy wearing.  You can measure it.  If only part of the garment fits you, then only measure those parts.  If the body fits – the width and the length – measure that.  If another sweater has sleeves that fit well, measure the sleeves.  Maybe another has a neckline that you like, measure it.  If you have something that you don’t like to wear, measure it and compare the measurements to something you like.  Is it bigger or smaller?  By measuring something you like to wear, you find the amount of ease you like.  This is the only way.

Once you know the actual size garment you need to make, it’s time to find your pattern.  When looking at patterns, do not look at the size name (M,XL,XXL) but look at the finished measurements.  The pattern author may have used a different amount of ease than you like.

Gauge:

Gauge is the one variable in making a garment that fits that is the most difficult to control.  If you have had a stressful day, you will work tighter;  just back from vacation, loser;  it just got muggy, tighter;  it’s below zero outside, looser.  How you feel, how much the item is weighing in your lap, and finally being comfortable with the stitch pattern can all effect your gauge.  And if you take a long time to complete the project, your gauge can change.

A gauge swatch has several important purposes:  to learn the stitch pattern, to determine the hand or feel of the fabric, to have a piece to practice seaming, trims, and finishing on, and most importantly to determine the stitches and rows per inch that YOU produce.

A gauge swatch must be done with the yarn AND hook that you will use on the actual garment.  Only the actual yarn will give you an accurate gauge.  Hooks can differ in size, especially between brands.  I have some hooks that are 20 years old and they differ both in size and weight.  I work a different gauge with them then I do with a newer hook.

A pattern should tell you what the gauge is, and how to make it.  If the gauge does not say a stitch pattern, then use the pattern used on the garment.  Most recommend making a 4” by 4” gauge swatch.  I think you should work somewhere  between 6” and 10” square.  And if doing a heavily textured pattern, such as post stitches, then you need the larger pattern to determine exactly what will happen.

Please note:  Gauge is the key to fitting a garment.  Unless the pattern specifically has you changing hook sizes to change the fit, your gauge should not change.  If it does change in the middle of a project, you need to change the hook size to get back to gauge.  Depending on how long ago this happened, you may need to rip out.

Just because you “get gauge” does not mean that you should proceed.  Are you enjoying working the pattern?  Does the yarn feel good going through your hands?  Does the yarn behave as you think it should or is it splitting?  Does the crochet hook you are using flow smoothly through the yarn?  Does the final fabric feel good, or is it too loose or too tight?

If you like working the pattern and they yarn and cannot get gauge, there are still ways to make the pattern.  More to come . . .

Knit and/or/vs Crochet

Knit and Crochet, Crochet or Knit, Knit vs Crochet

No matter how you look at it, there are always debates over which is better – knit or crochet: One is easier to learn. One produces better finished items. One costs more to do. And the reasons go on and on and . . .

Personally, I believe that they go together. I love to put crochet edges on my knitted garments. I like a knitted rib on a crochet sweater. I do crochet embellishments on the top of my knitting. I enjoy it when I can use both on the same project.

As a little girl, I learned to knit first (from Grandma) then learned to crochet (from the other Grandma). I grew up in a small town where the “five and dime” was the only place to get any yarn (I just gave away my age, didn’t I). I learned from magazines and occasionally a book from the Public Library. Yes, I learned some things “wrong” and have since corrected my ways.

I will admit, even though I do both equally well, I have my preferences. I would rather knit a sweater. I prefer to snuggle (or cuddle) under a crocheted afghan. Crochet lace work is much too open for me. Knitted cables have more texture and flexibility and variety.

I’m always asked which a person should learn first. It really doesn’t matter. Start with one. If you get frustrated trying to learn it, try the other. One may come more naturally to you.

Crochet tends to work better for the person who is one hand dominate – you could tie the other hand behind your back and almost not miss it. Crochet has one hand holding the hook, and the other the yarn. The hook hand should be the one doing the work, but I see people who “throw” the yarn over the hook and maybe even pull the stitches off the hook. If that works for the, great. I cannot tell the difference in the final product once your stitches are even. If you are left handed, you may be more comfortable holding the hook in your left hand – it will work. Find either a left hand teacher or a book or videos where you are watching a left hand person.

Knitting is definitely a two a two hand event. Each hand needs to hold a knitting needle AND one hand needs to also hold the yarn. To me there is no difference whether you are right or left handed, although that may influence which hand holds the yarn. You start with all the stitches on the left needle and work them across to the right needle. Switch the needles and repeat.

A right hander may knit English by throwing the yarn around the needle tip with the right hand. While a left hander may knit Continental by picking the yarn in the left hand with the needle tip. I learned English and then taught myself Continental after watching someone do it. There are techniques and times where it helps to be able to do both. Start with which ever feels more comfortable and natural to you.

If you want to learn both, start with one and give yourself 6-9 months to learn it before you start on the other. While they use “utensils” and yarn and seem similar there are differences and opposites. If you have one “mastered” then you won’t get confused learning the other.

In my opinion, there is room and need for both. So I say Knit AND Crochet.