As a knitting pattern designer, I try to keep an eye on what other designers are doing. This is especially true for knit garment sizes. It’s helpful to know when industry standards start changing. That way, I can make sure to adapt my patterns or otherwise do what I need to do to keep up with the times.
Lately, I’ve seen some patterns try to take a shortcut on sizing. Instead of grading, they just advise knitters to increase or decrease their gauge to make different knit garment sizes. I’m not talking about patterns that include an entire carefully plotted grid of different stitch and row counts so people can knit the same design in several different gauges. I’m talking about sock patterns that say things like, “to make a larger size, just go up one needle size.” I think that’s a bad idea. Here’s why.
Changing knit gauge affects fabric drape
The drape of the fabric created by your stitches are key elements of a design. A tighter gauge will generally lead to a stiffer fabric. On the other hand, a looser gauge will create a looser, more movable fabric. Take a look at the photo above. This shows the same yarn knit on size 6, size 8, and size 10 needles. You can see visible differences in the stitches, and those are going to create three very different garments.
When you’re working on a project like a handknit sock, it’s particularly important to get the gauge right. A gauge that’s too tight will make the sock stiff and uncomfortable. A gauge that’s too loose will lead to the sock wearing out more quickly than it otherwise would. If the only way you can adjust the size of the socks is by increasing or decreasing the gauge, you will end up with a gauge that isn’t right for the job.
Using a change in gauge as the only way to adjust size on your garment also necessarily limits the range of sizes for that garment. You can only really go up a needle size or two and still use the same kind of yarn recommended in the original pattern. If you go beyond that, the stitches will be too loose or too tight. This means your knit garment sizes will be limited to just a few sizes.
Changing knit gauge often involves additional math
A knit garment is like the inner workings of a clock. You change one part, and that change ends up affecting other parts, too. So when you change the stitch or row gauge on a knit garment as a way to add more knit garment sizes, you end up changing other parts of it that require the knitter to do more math and figure out how to fix the design. When somebody buys a pattern, expecting something well written and easy to follow, they shouldn’t have to do the math, too.
Effectively changing the size of a knit garment can be a tedious and frustrating process, even when done by professionals. That’s why the professionals charging for their work shouldn’t leave that part of the process up to the knitter. Knitters, you deserve better.