A personal note from Kim McBrien Evans:
This is my last article with Digits & Threads, and I want to take a moment to thank Kim Werker, Kate Atherley, and Michelle Woodvine for four years of saying yes to my article ideas, supporting my passion and activism for size inclusivity, and forgiving my inability to stick to a word count. Digits & Threads is an innovative publication that has supported diverse Canadian voices sharing their knowledge of the full spectrum of fibre arts subjects to the world, and I am proud to have been a small part of it. Kim, Kate, and Michelle, you’ve done a great thing that will be missed! Thank you to the Digits & Threads community for supporting this publication. Please continue to follow and share the work of creators, writers, farmers, artisans, and activists who have brought their knowledge to you through Studio Hours and the pages of Digits & Threads.
You want to learn how to fit your hand-knit and crochet garments to your body, but you feel caught in a chaotic whirlwind of rules, information and numbers that turns you into an overwhelmed, sobbing pile of goo. I’ve been there. I got out—and you can too! What really important things should you know when making garments to fit your body as it is now, and to prepare for changes to it in the future? Here are my top ten tips for fitting your knit and crochet garments.
1. Your Body Is Never the Problem
Patterns are guidelines built on specific body measurements for each size. Those measurement sets may differ from designer to designer. If your body measurements don’t exactly match a size in a designer’s chart—and most of ours don’t—you will need to modify the pattern.
Take a moment to accept that. Grieve the fact that patterns rarely fit anyone as written.
It’s simply not possible for a single designer to build patterns that fit every single body. Even “made to measure” and “mix and match” patterns don’t work with every body.
Your body is never the problem. Start there, and you’ll be well on your way!
These bodies wear the same base size sweater, as they are both the same size in the upper torso. Their heights and body shapes are different so they have to make adjustments to ensure a good fit everywhere.
Photo credit: Kim McBrien Evans.
