A knitter wrote: Do you know how I could adjust this sweater for a 3 year old?
My reply: First, you did to determine your guage or tension by working a sample swatch.
Cast on 20 stitches. Work in Stockinette stitch for four inches. Measure the swatch.
Tension: 5 stitches = one inch
How long should the sweater be?
Search the child's sweater collection to find a sweater that fits well. Measuring the sweater will help you determine how long to knit the sweater.
How wide?
Measure the child's chest.
Add 2 inches for ease of wear.
Divide this number in half.
Multiply this number by the number of stitches to the inch.
For example, 12 inches x 5 stitches = 60 stitches.
You will need 60 stitches for the back and front.
Determine how long the sleeve should be by measuring the child's arm--from underarm to wrist.
More calculations are required to calculate the neckline and sleeve width.
Good books on design are
Sweater Design in Plain English by Maggie Righetti
Designing Knitwear by Deborah Newton
Ethnic Knitting series by Donna Druchunas
Also consult
Standards & Guidelines for Crochet and Knitting compiled by the Craft Yarn Council of America
Here's a very easy children's sweater you can practice on: sweater pattern
How will you adpt it? Please send me a jpg.
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In related news: CBC radio one's program DNTO is planning a sweater themed show for Saturday, March 17th.
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