Unlock the Secrets of Sweater Sizing with the Rose Thrift Knitalong

One of the potential problems with knitting garments that can keep people from wanting to knit them is that they have to fit your body. Not only do you have be aware of what your actual measurements are, which can be hard for some people to face, you also have to make sure you’re getting the right gauge and knitting the right size so that the finished garment will actually fit.

If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around how you might figure out the right size to knit for you or how to alter a pattern to make it fit the best for you, check out the Rose Thrift Cardigan knitalong guidance from Plymouth Yarn Magazine.

This cardigan (you can buy the pattern on Ravelry for $5) is interesting because the back is worked in a lace pattern that has a 12-stitch repeat. That means each change in size is an increase in 3 inches in width on the back and about 6 inches on the front.

If you don’t need all that extra width, you can work different parts of the sweater in different sizes that will fit your body better. The blog post goes through how to think about which parts should be worked in which size, how to swatch in lace, tips for other ideas for altering the pattern and more.

Even if you don’t knit this particular pattern, this post provides lots of great advice for how to think about sweater knitting, sizing and alteration that will no doubt be helpful in the future.

[Photo: Plymouth Yarn Magazine.]

Looking for more knitting patterns for knitted Cardigans? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Looking for Yarn online? Check out Lionbrand our preferred source for purchasing yarn online.

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long.

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders.

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well.

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn.

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table.

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter.

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.

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