During our October 2024 Studio Hours, we were treated to another interesting discussion with Kim McBrien Evans. Kim has been a great supporter of Digits & Threads from the beginning and has given much support to the knitters in our group. Kim has spoken at Studio Hours before (see Studio Hours recaps for March 2022 and August 2022) and every conversation has been educational and fun.
(Studio Members: recordings of some of the sessions are available! Check out the video archive here.)
She has also published a great series of articles that detail sweater fit issues, primarily for knitted garments, but the principles apply for most fabrics.
For this session, Kim gave us her “Top five tips for modifying garments for inclusive sizing,” and we enjoyed her clear and candid descriptions!
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Tip #1: Fit the shoulders first. Candidly, she stated that if a garment fits in the shoulder region, most people will think it fits everywhere. To get a good shoulder fit, she suggests that we choose a chest size based on the upper torso measurement, which is obtained with a snug—not tight—measuring tape around the top of the rib cage.
Tip #2: Use measurements from “bone-supported” areas—the rib cage, the hip or pelvic bones. The “squishy bits” (as Kim calls them) change throughout our lives, but our bones stay the same. Breast size is probably the most changeable measurement in the body! Kim suggests taking the upper torso measurement and adding the suggested ease, and then determining whether adjustments will need to be made—such as extra ease for bust adjustment. One member asked whether adjustments could also be made to help fit a “dowager’s hump.” In that case, Kim recommends making sure that the length to the underarm on the back of the garment must be longer than on the front of the garment. This can be achieved by adding short rows on the back between the armholes to build fabric length without affecting the armhole depth.
Tip #3: Armhole depth can be a contentious measurement, but Kim showed us a bone-supported measurement that gives consistent results. Many people measure armhole depth as a straight line down from the shoulder on the front of the body. However, on many bodies, the front of the underarm is 2.5–5 cm higher than the back. Kim suggested that it was better to measure on the back of the body and then add ease. How much ease? Published garment fit books vary in recommendations from 2.5–12.5 cm of ease! The bone-supported measurement Kim suggests comes as a tip from Natalie Warner. For a good armhole depth measurement, we should measure from the shoulder joint down in a straight line to the base (the pointy bit) of the scapula (shoulder blade). The scapula moves wherever the arm goes, so having the armhole depth just below the scapula will be comfortable.
(We were aided in this discussion by a great image from one of Lia’s anatomy texts which she held up to her webcam). This is obviously not a measurement that one can take for oneself! One member quipped in the chat that she’d take a measuring tape to her next massage therapy appointment. Another suggested that shirts with horizontal stripes can help in taking this measurement. Kim suggested having a measuring party at a knitting or crafting night.
The type of sleeve does affect how much ease you should add to the scapula depth measurement. Set-in sleeves don’t require any ease. Raglan sleeve garments are usually more casual, so you could add ease, but it’s not required. For drop shoulder sweaters, Kim would add at least 2.5 cm ease to the scapula measurement. For yoke sweaters, this armhole depth measurement can be a very important guideline. Many designers add too much yoke depth as they increase the chest sizes, and this measure can help you determine whether to follow their pattern or adjust for your body. Kim now makes her yoke sweaters have a yoke depth equal to her scapula depth and says they fit really well.
Tip #4: Knit and crochet sweaters will still fit you, even with a weight loss or gain of 13.5–18 kg (30–40 lbs) due to the nature of the fabric, if you’ve chosen a size that fits your shoulders properly. If you’ve gained weight, your sweater will feel a bit more tailored and fitted. If you’ve lost weight, it will feel looser and more oversized, but it will still be good for your proportions.
Tip #5: Standard sizing assumes that our bodies are the same size on the front and the back. Always check your measurements! If you need extra space for the bust, you only need it on the front, not everywhere. With a seamed garment, the body only needs the same number of stitches at the shoulder on the front and the back, and the same number of rows so that the side seams match. Kim suggested taking measurements of your full circumference and your cross-back measurements at a few heights. At some heights, your front and back measurements may be the same. For many, at the full bust height, the back will be quite a bit smaller than the front. You may want to make a larger size for the front piece or include some full-bust adjustment shaping.
One member asked where the depth of a patterned yoke should be in relation to the waist measurement. Kim responded that the yoke should be related to the shoulder depth rather than the waist—if the patterned yoke depth is overly long, however, perhaps it could be shortened for short-waisted people. She suggested checking the pattern for sizes with the appropriate yoke depth for the armhole depth measurement and seeing if the yoke patterning could be tweaked.
Another member then commented that many patterns don’t have a detailed schematic to allow these kinds of modifications. Kim agreed and suggested that people might be interested in her Not-So-Mysterious knit along early next year where she will be guiding knitters to draft their own yoke sweater base. (Follow her on Instagram and her Patreon for updates). Kim’s website also offers sweater fit tools.
As knitters, we have control over every stitch. Kim’s upcoming sweater fit book (estimated publication, April 2026) will have base patterns for set in, raglan, drop, and yoke sweaters. She hopes that a maker will take the design features from one sweater, such as a neckline or stitch pattern, and use it on a base pattern, making a customized sweater that truly fits.
When it comes to sweater fit, we can get overwhelmed with all the options. Kim encouraged us to focus on just one fit area at a time. For our first garments, she suggests figuring out how to make the shoulders fit. Later, as we gain confidence, we can add more fit tweaks.
Featured photo courtesy of Kim McBrien Evans
