Updated: How to Make a Big Sweater Smaller

Update: The original link doesn’t work anymore. Here is an updated and active link.

Whether you like buying sweaters from the thrift store, are gifted something the wrong size, knit something the wrong size or have lost weight and need garments in a smaller size, there may be times when you want to make a big sweater smaller.

Jennifer, who blogs for Jordana Paige, recently scored a great Fair Isle sweater at the thrift store that was way too big for her, and she documented the process of resizing it for herself.

It’s basically a matter of deciding how you want it to fit and doing something like steeking to cut it down to size and reinforce the seams. In fact, if you’re scared of steeking this might be a good entry level project because you can buy a cheap sweater you aren’t too invested in and if you mess it up, well, at least you didn’t mess up something you’d spent hours knitting.

Have you ever resized a sweater (handmade or purchased)? I’d love to hear about it.

[Photo via Jordana Paige.]

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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