How to choose what size to knit or crochet - including understanding ease.

What size should I knit (or crochet)? 

You’ve found the perfect pattern, and the perfect yarn, and you’re ready to cast on your next piece...but to end up with a finished garment you’ll love wearing, you will want a great fit! So how do you decide which size to knit or crochet? 

The size you choose determines everything from how much yarn you need to how it will sit on your body...but there’s more to it than just picking a number off a chart!  

Read on for advice on how to choose the right size for you. 

 

The most important place for adult tops: Chest/Bust

When making a top, jumper or cardigan, the most important measurement to begin with is the chest or bust measurement (these can be used interchangeably in most patterns).  

For most Bendigo Woollen Mills patterns, we have two listed measurements: the “to fit chest” size and the “finished chest size”.  

The first is the actual measurement of your body around your chest. 

The second is the finished size of the garment at the same point.  

The difference in measurements between these is called “ease” and will impact the way the garment sits on your body. 

 

So, what is ease? 

Ease is the difference between your actual body measurement and the finished measurement of the garment.  

Ease can be positive (garment larger than body = looser fit) or negative (garment smaller than body = tighter fit). 

Most garments will have a small amount of positive ease, so that they fit comfortably but aren’t too loose. Outerwear like heavy jumpers or cardigans may be designed to have more ease - so you can wear them over layers of other clothing. Or you may choose to craft a garment in a larger size to give you more ease. 


POSITIVE EASE PATTERN EXAMPLE - A LITTLE EASE

 

As an example: the smallest size of the Lucia Lace Sleeve Jumper is ‘to fit’ a chest of 75cm, with a finished chest size of 80cm. The finished size is 5cm larger than the body measurement, so we would say it has 5cm of positive ease.  5cm is not a large amount of ease, so it's intended to be a fitted garment – neither tight nor oversized.  

POSTIVE EASE PATTERN EXAMPLE - A LOT OF EASE

 

In contrast, PT 8630 Women’s Boxy Cardi has a finished measurement of 170cm to fit a chest of 115-120cm – that’s 50-55cm positive ease! This amount of ease creates an oversized garment with a boxy fit and casual feel.  

 

NEGATIVE EASE PATTERN EXAMPLE


Some garments that are meant to stretch to fit the body closely will have a smaller finished size instead: called “negative ease”. You can see this in patterns like PT 8637, where the finished size of the garment is smaller than the body measurements – 2-7cm negative ease giving you a close fit that takes advantage of the stretchy rib fabric. This is common for lightweight layering pieces like singlets, especially for teens/young adults.  

Want to see this in action? Take the finished measurements of a jumper/top/cardi you already love by laying it flat, measuring across the chest, then doubling it. Compare this to the measurement of your actual chest/bust and calculate the ease…you’ll get an idea of your preferred fit (fitted vs oversized, for example) from a garment you already wear!  
 

Same garment, different bodies

 

Here’s an example of how the same garment can look when worn with different amounts of ease. This is the Demi Diamond Neck Top. 

These two models are wearing the exact same garment, size L to fit chest 100cm with 5cm positive ease. The finished garment measures 105cm at the chest (100cm + 5cm).  

The first model has a chest measurement of around 90cm, so the garment is worn with 15cm of positive ease (more than “what’s recommended” by the pattern), so it’s very loose and drapey.

The second model has a chest measurement of 114cm, so the garment is being worn with 9 cm of negative ease – you can see it fits snugly around the chest with a little bit of stretching.  She is also taller & longer in the body than the first model, so this garment has a more cropped fit on her.   

Same body, different (sized) garments 

 

Let's see how different ease looks on the same person: here, the model is wearing two different sizes of the Sam Tee – with quite different effects.    

The pink version is worn with 10-15cm of positive ease, while the red version is worn with only around 5cm of positive ease. You can see that one is a relaxed, loose fit, while the other is much more closely fitted.  

TIPS: Other "fit' considerations to help you choose what size to knit or crochet

 

1. Measuring

Measuring correctly is the best way to ensure a well-fitting garment. The key measurement for most upper-body garments is the chest or bust, which can generally be used interchangeably. Measure while wearing your usual underwear and use a soft measuring tape for best results.  

 

2. Bust measurements

Your bust measurement is not your bra measurement. It’s the measurement around the fullest part of your chest when in your usual ‘foundation garments’ (what a phrase!) - whatever you’d usually wear with the garment you’re making. If you’re planning on wearing your garment with a minimiser bra, for example, be sure to wear that when measuring. 

3. Length   

Most patterns will give you a finished body length, which is usually from the neck to the hem. If it’s a scoop or vee-neck, it will be taken from the back of the neck. If that length isn’t what you want, you can add extra length to the body of the garment! This is even easier when crafting a top-down pattern like the Ria or the Isabella, which are knit from the top down in the round so you can try on as you go! 

And remember, if you choose to knit a smaller size to get your preferred ease, the length may be different...so be sure to adjust accordingly. 

 

4. Fitting different body shapes 

To keep things simple, most patterns are made to fit an ‘average’ body – but we’re all different shapes and sizes! If you have wide hips and a smaller bust, you may like to make the size that best fits your bust and then add extra space around the hips by adding more stitches towards the bottom of the garment. If making a unisex garment to fit a man, you may like to reduce the width at the waist for a closer fit. 

 

5. Sleeve length 

If this measurement is included in a BWM pattern, it’s measured from the underarm (not the top of the shoulder). Most BWM patterns tend to have the same sleeve length, regardless of size. Unisex garments will typically have a longer sleeve than women’s patterns, but you can always shorten them to suit.

 

6. Yarn & (finished) fabric 

The yarn you choose will matter! Not all yarn behaves the same. Wool has a ‘memory’ and stretch so is more likely to return to an intended shape, whereas cotton has none and so will not stretch particularly well and may droop if too oversized. If using something like Spring Cotton, you may like to size down, to account for the stretchiness of the fabric.  Read our post on Yarn Substitution for more tips on how different yarns will affect the fit!

For garments with a firm, non-stretchy texture (like PT 8585), the pattern may have more ease than expected – this is because there’s little stretch in the fabric so it’s important that there’s enough room to move! 

7. Don’t forget tension!  

There’s no point in carefully measuring to get the perfect fit if you’re not going to do a tension square! Without an accurate idea of your tension, you don’t know if you’ll end up with the target measurement for the garment. 

 

A quick summary of how to choose what size to knit (or crochet)

  1. Measure your bust/chest size to help identify which size/s could fit 

  1. Understand the ease in the pattern for a size – and pick the size most likely to give you the fit YOU want based on bust measurement and ease 

  1. Decide if you want to vary length of body or sleeves 

  1. Pick your yarn & do a gauge swatch

  2. Make your piece...and enjoy wearing it after! 


 

We hope this will help you choose the right size to create for your next project! As always, if you have further questions, you can reach out to us via email, social media or phone for advice – we're here to help.