I think I’m addicted to knitting sweaters. I love knitting super simple and quick sweaters, using rich yarns in rich colors. And while I traditionally love top-down patterns, there are some aspects of them that don’t quite suit my tastes. Take the Knitting Pure and Simple 992 pattern, for example. I’d love to create a version in a fun chunky yarn, but I need to make a few changes first.

• First, the sizes are a bit too big for me. The smallest chest measurement is a 38 and I really like that mine is about 34 (yes, I know everyone feels sorry for me).
• Second, the section of the sleeve just below the armhole is too loose. I prefer it to be tight.
• Third, I would like the waist to have a little shape…

This is how I can achieve those goals.

• making it smaller: The theory of making the chest smaller is simple: you need fewer stitches. For example, let’s say your gauge is 3 pts/inch. If the finished chest size is 38 inches, you will be knitting 38×3=114 stitches for the body of the sweater. If you want the finished chest size to be a little smaller (for example, 34 inches), you’ll need to take 4 inches off the body, which is 12 stitches (4×3 = 12). So, subtract 12 from 114 and you get 102… That’s how many stitches you want to have on your needle while you’re knitting the body. When it comes to KPS patterns, we can simplify the math even further. At first, it tells you to knit until there are 55 sts between the markers on the back for the 38-inch chest. To reduce the size of the chest by 4 inches, we need to remove 12 stitches in total: 6 from the front and 6 from the back. So… subtract 6 from 55 (giving 49) and that’s the number you’ll knit to. Basically, you can write ’49’ before 55, creating an even smaller size!
• tighten the sleeves: This change is simple. Instead of waiting to do the first sleeve decrease (remember, you’re starting from the top) for 6 rows, repeat the decrease every other row 3 times…then follow the pattern as specified.
• add shape: To add shape to this top-down sweater, you want to decrease about 2 inches of stitches (on each side seam) gradually to 1.5 inches above the waist, knit 3 inches flat, and then gradually increase again. So in the 4 sts/inch example, you would want to decrease 8 stitches in total (1 on each side 4 times). Please note that the standard waist-to-shoulder measurement is 17 inches.

Using these techniques, I can knit a sweater that fits me just the way I want it!

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