Thanks for your videos ! I love how they are so informative. I’ve knit some stockinet sweaters and one I added a vertical cable. I loved that. Somehow I can’t find those videos you linked below. I’m watching on an iPad if that makes a difference.
I don’t knit….yet. I crochet. And I love your videos because I can take away ideas regardless of whether it’s shown knit or I change it up for crochet. It’s all “fabric” that we create. And it’s fun to individualize. Thank you
“I don’t knit…yet.” I said that three years ago 😂. I had never intended to knit, but my niece gave me a couple of pairs of needles and I couldn’t just let them be. I still crochet, but my heart now belongs to knitting. Enjoy your craft, wherever it takes you. 😊
My beginning comfy love of craft is crochet. I now sew, spin, knit a little and... I've started machine knitting! The speed of crochet with the thinness and stretch of knitting 😊😊
Earlier this year I made "The Weekender" by Andrea Mowry. Being a fluffier person, I didn't want the 10" of positive ease it called for. Easy, so I went down a size. However, while the body is oversized, the sleeves are not. To avoid potentially having sleeves that would be too snug, I picked up the number of stitches needed for the next size up. It was perfect!
My daughter is a relatively new knitter - she knit a couple of hats as a teen, but hadn’t knit anything else for a few years. This summer decided she wanted to knit a sweater and showed me a couple of patterns to ask my opinion about their difficulty. She chose one, and, with only a bit of help from me, knit the entire thing in a couple of weeks. She then found the No. 18 sweater pattern by my favorite things knitwear and knit that, except after completing it, didn’t like the all-over texture, so she knit another one, all in stockinette. Now, she’s nearly completed a third No. 18, again in all stockinette, but with wide stripes. She also knit a Christmas hat for herself that looks like a Christmas tree, completely without a pattern. She’s done more modifying in six months than I have in 50 years. Lol
Another minor modification you could do: Add decreases to sleeves if they seem like they are going to be to wide for your liking. I recently knitted my very first sweater and I added another round of decreases on the sleeves right before knitting the cuffs. I am SO glad I did this as I am someone who likes to wear their sleeves pushed up and with the original size of the cuff I don't think they would have stayed up. With this small modification, the sweater turned out perfect for me and I love it :)
I love the idea of adding a panel on the side. My stitch dictionary hasn’t been getting any love. I must pull it out of whatever hole it’s fallen down.
I have a couple of basic sweater patterns that fit me well so I use the basic math from them when making other sweaters. I created an excel sheet to help me calc stitch counts with different yarns and fit. It really has helped me to improve my fit success.
The craziest thing about your knitting for your own gauge video is that it helped me discover how wonky the math can be in patterns that size up based solely on the numbers from the sample, oftentimes an XS. I won’t say whose work I’m thinking of, but I did the math out based on gauge and stitch count after the arms are set off, and woooooow. Sometimes a large is actually an XL.
You are truly a wealth of information and inspiration. I'm currently working on a pattern that I am rewriting to fit me properly after ripping it out 3 times. The last rip out was a start over. When I get the fit down, I've been thinking of a fairly dramatic yarn weight and color change. Any tips about estimating yardage? Love your channel!
If one wants to play around with construction methods here are a few that I've done. I have made a seamless bottom up sweater as a top down sweater. It was a fun challenge but for those who prefer knitting sweaters that way, that's something to consider. I have also turned seamed sweaters into a mostly seamless sweaters, I did have to seam the sleeves to the sweater but I generally don't mind seaming at all. Doing a three needle bind-off at the shoulder instead of seaming.
I have recently been heading down the rabbit hole of embroidering on my knits. So far, I've mostly been adding a little something to the back just below the collar just to indicate that it's the back of the garment. I like to do a little pattern or flower. But I have also seen where people add some little flowers or similar on the sleeve just above the cuff. I just love this idea so much. I will be adding to future knits and may go back and add these tiny embellishments to some of my already completed garments as well. I also love the idea of adding a little something like this to the cuff of my knit hats. I've seen some really cute floral embroidery added around the tag (specifically on carhartt hats) and I just think it's all so cute.
I had a Cardigan pattern recently that used the gauge swatch as a pocket...made it easier to do the swatch! I've done it on a few sweaters as an add on after that.
Hi Tayler. I love how you were showing samples of different modifications that people could make to their sweaters. I think you could take it a step further beyond just holding up the different versions of your Felix sweater, as you did in this video. It would require a little bit more on your part in post-production, but it would go a long way to really be effective, especially for less experienced knitters. Just as you put up a shot of the lace pattern instruction page that you wanted to show as an example, you could do the same thing with the different versions of your Felix sweater. After you finish your main video, you could put on the different versions of your Felix and then take a still shot (It doesn’t have to be additional video) pointing out the different changes and pop those still shots into the video just as you did the lace pattern. Some people have a more difficult time visualizing the effect of even simple modifications. This could go a long way to help people be more brave with their own knitting. OR - you could do such modeling of the different variations on your Patreon site to, perhaps, encourage more participation/support there. and promoting in this video that they could find this further demoing there. I love that you did Kika’s striped sweater - I LOVE her, all of her patterns, and her YT channel. I hope you got a good refreshing during the holiday season. I am amazed at how much longer your hair grew in such a short amount of time. I am so far really enjoying what you are putting out in the new year. I can’t wait for more. I also can’t wait to see more of your yarn on your Fiber for the People website. So far I have been unable to catch it in time to be able to purchase any. You are always sold out by the time I can get to it. When you open up your site on Saturday mornings I am in the middle of dialysis and cannot get to it before everything is gone! I will keep trying. I especially love it when you have jewel tones. I know that you personally seem to primarily prefer browns, beiges and other warm neutrals for yourself; I personally lean toward cool-colored, well-saturated jewel tones in either solids, tonals, and variegated colorways, as well as cool shades of gray and, of course, black. ❤🧶
I do not like to knit the same sweater twice, but really enjoyed both the knitting and final look of Mariechen by Isabell Kraemer. When I knitted that pattern a second time, I omitted the lovely pattern on either side of the button band and substituted a cable and added a cable running down the length of the sleeves. I also added a cable to look like a faux underarm seam. I was very pleased with the pattern construction but put my own spin on it. I would love to be able to change the drop shoulder boxy sweater look to a more tailored semi-fitted look. I’ll have to work on that. I realize it is very popular right now, but I just don’t think it is the most flattering look for me. 🤗
I just finished the Felix. I envisioned it with bell sleeves so before I put the saved stitches back on the needles, I tried the body on and determined the length I wished the sleeves to be, subtracted the wrist band length, then using the vertical stitch gauge, I calculated how many rows I would have to knit to each increase. It came to approximately every 2 inches. I determined just by eyeballing the horizontal gauge the amount of stitches I would need to get to the approximate width I wanted. I increased 12 stitches in all, make 1 left and right at the first stitch after the stitch marker. After completing the last increase, I knitted a bit more before decreasing every 3rd stitch all at once to get that bell look. Then added the wrist band. I also always lengthen the yoke and body because I have a long torso. I’m in LOVE with this sweater! Thank you for the recommendation!
Sometimes I just use a pattern to get the amount of stitches I need for my size and then change the stitch pattern, change the neck line, change the sleeve length. I love changing things up it makes me feel like I did something unique and my own. Adding cables is another great way to change things up a bit. Thanks for a great video.
I am just loving this modification series, it is so empowering! The sky really is the limit when it comes to knitting your own sweaters. Thank you for all the wonderful and inspiring content.
Personally, I buy patterns for the design of a garment and for inspiration rather than the stitch and row count for a particular size or ease. I find it more satisfying to use the yarn that I like and,by try and error, create my one of a kind garment that I love. My advice would also be to not be scared of unraveling some process when you modify something. The goal is to make a garment that you will love to wear for a long time and not to knit as many pieces as possible. Have a great day everyone 😊
Tolsta Tee! The testers, designer, and makers have truly explored modifications at every level. By searching through Ravelry / Ravit, the personalization choices are endless. Not to mention, the designer has included the pattern in two different weights.
I think as a male knitter, this stuff should be standard as we often knit patterns written for a more feminine form. It's nice to remind knitters that you are making a custom fit garment and you have options.
Totally Jimmy. I completely agree. In fact, I feel like VERY FEW sweater patterns "marketed" for women feature any design/construction elements that accommodate a woman's shape exclusively (bust darts, waist shaping, etc). SO much of what's being designed is truly unisex/gender neutral and is only categorized as "for women" by its presentation. I would love to see more knitwear designers showing their designs on both men and women (if, of course, they are giving their design the unisex/gender neutral category on Ravelry--like if it says it's a unisex design, let's see it on more than just a woman).
Funny enough, I'm knitting a modification as I watch this! I'm using a very simple, single color tshirt pattern as my base, but I've not only decided to give it stripes, I'm using a 10 round stitch variation from another tshirt pattern that gives the stripes a blended gradient look. Loving it!
Hi Tayler. Great suggestions. I recently took a plain cardigan (Downtown Cardigan) and added a Horseshoe Cable down each arm. I really love how it turned out. 😊
Great ideas! I modified a Douglas Cardi to only be 3 colors and love how it turned out. I kept the button band as a gray, and for the five stripe colors I basically assigned 3 stripes as cream and two stripes as gold. That helped me figure out the yardage I would need of each color. Yarn amounts is my biggest hang-up with thinking about mods. If you have any tips for reliably calculating additional yarn needed for certain changes in garments, that would be so great.
The sweater modification I do most often is adding a folder collar! I like my sweaters to fit closer to the neck than many designers design for. So, I always skip the instructions for the neck ribbing in a sweater or t-shirt pattern and start the pattern after the conclusion of the neck ribbing. Then, I pick up stitches later to make a folded neckline that sits closer to my neck. If it's not close enough to my neck, I can always frog just the neckline, and pick up fewer stitches or knit it longer. Love this mod because my sweaters fit me how I like them to now!
Sorry got interrupted. Knitting is an adventure and learning process. You shouldn't be afraid. You might develop a new pattern. Always remember, if it doesn't work you can frog it😊
I am in the planning stages for a stitch pattern modification! I have had a super cropped, honeycomb stitch cardigan living rent-free in my brain for the past year, so I’m using a well-fitting plain stockinette pullover pattern I like and adding the honeycomb stitch - and steeking it - to get what I’m after. I’ve done all my swatching and math, so hopefully it isn’t a disaster! 😂
I didn’t want this video to end! I basically stopped making sweaters because I’m too warm and if they fit well in front they’re huge across my back. That’s the problem I have, always. It turns out sweater patterns are written as if I’m the same size in both places, but, no. That’s what I need to learn. ❤❤❤
Hi Star! I’m so glad you enjoyed this one. And I can imagine that frustration with proportion. I’m learning so much about this as I write up the pattern for the Frankensweater and it’s amazing how many patterns make this assumption and how it’s something that can be addressed in-pattern with simple modification suggestions, ultimately making the pattern more approachable. Like bust darts. I didn’t mention them here (maybe a part 2), but they’re a great modification for those that need more shaping in the upper front.
That surprises me you talk about changing color. Changing color is soo a no-brainer for me, I do it ALL THE TIME. I almost never knit with the original color of the pattern. I am nearly incapable of ... just keeping to a pattern, while it be in sewing or in knitting. I always change color ; change the neckline ; use a sport yarn for a pattern in DK ; taking a lace cardigan, and use a totally different lace pattern ... It drives my mom crazy everytime she make something for me, as we choose a pattern together, we swear to each other we will just follow the pattern, and in the middle, I got an idea that fits me more, my mom acknowledge it fit me more, and we finaly need to make modifications to go to my idea. In finalle, we were always able to attain my goal, but the """"easy and quick and no-brainer-we-just-follow-the-pattern"""" part of the project had flew out of the window.long before
There is a sibling to that stitch dictionary called The Knitting All Around Stitch Dictionary. I love them both! I found a sweater in a store a few weeks ago that was a basic raglan with a textured stitch on just the sleeves. At some point I’d like to try to replicate that in a natural fiber.
This video came out just as I was starting the swatch for my new sweater. The knit based on gauge part was very well explained, and I'm absolutely loving how the sweater is coming out after applying it to my current project.
What a great video. I almost didn’t watch it because I alter patterns to fit me all the time, but you brought in a few resources I didn’t know about and can’t wait to put to use. Thank you!
Thank you for another educational and useful post! Such good information and I wish my grandma could have seen this video--she was my knitting inspiration. Your necklace is lovely too, btw. Thanks for sharing!
You have motivated me to modify some of my sweater patterns. Up until now I basically just changed colors. I have a few patterns that I like to make over and over and it’s going to be great to make changes.❤
I took a stockinette cardigan and decided to use an all over mock cable. I did a large gauge swatch first (actually did 2). The gauge swatch helped me decide on the openness of the stitch pattern. Then I proceeded to use a cardigan pattern that worked with my gauge. It worked out perfectly and I loved the process. Great topic!
This video came at the exact time. I'm swatching with yarn and needle that is working up to a different gauge and don't want to switch needles or yarn. I watched the attached video and how to choose a size and I'm feeling pretty confident on giving this a try. Wish me luck!
Thank you so much Taylor! This is a great video with lots of good suggestions. I’ll definitely check out your video on choosing the right size. I think it will answer some of my gauge concerns. Well done!
You have been talking for awhile about how you make modifications and I have found it so helpful as I took on my knitting journey. I am currently knitting the DRK everyday sweater, for the second time, but this go around I am making changes that I hope will create a slightly different look and feel. I have knit the neck band longer so that I can have a chunky folded over neck. I am also knitting a larger size with more ease and lengthening the yoke so it isn’t as tight up under my arms. I was already thinking of how I could do something special around the bottom hem and watching your video just now has inspired me to looking into other stitch patterns that I could add as a decorative element and give it some flair but in a subtle way. Thank you for making such thoughtful videos!! As always, I really appreciate and enjoy them. ❤️
Thank you so much for sharing this Susan! I’m so glad that you’re finding this helpful and inspiring. That is my ultimate hope for these videos and it makes my day to know that it’s doing just that. I’m so excited for you! Happy knitting and have so much fun making your DRK Everyday Sweater uniquely yours. ❤️
Love this! I'm excited about your new series of alteration/modification-themed videos. I was super proud of myself last year when I took a cardigan pattern and switched out the main cables in it for a design from the Japanese stitch bible. I also had to do extra math to size the pattern down from its smallest size so it was a ton of math and thinking and trial and error but the result is beautiful and feels like an heirloom piece for me now 😊 highly recommend just taking the plunge to try something out!
I love this! I have tried duplucate knitting little motifs or designs on after and it can look really cool! In a similar vein to modifications, purposeful mending! I mend my handmades and storbought garments with colorful yarn if I dont have something that matches, to add some flare and uniqueness. Reminds me of when patched jeans were cool.
Very interesting, thank you! I recently finished my 2nd Lento sweater and I changed several things about it; (1) twisted rib on collar, hem and cuffs (2) a split hem so it would be slightly longer in the back, and (3) a mock neck length collar. I love how it turned out 🙂
I like to make my own colour work, by mixing up different styles. Sometimes I knit the pattern as purl stitch on the right side of the knit, eg. if you want to knit a heart or a flower, instead of doing it colours, change the the stitch in the pattern to purl stitch. This only works if you would have to use 2 colours for your pattern. ❤
Taylor, I LOVE the green sweater you're wearing! This colour suits you so well, I can't get over it. And thank you so much for this video, I really like your current topic of alternations 😊
Honestly, I don't think I ever followed a pattern 100%, that's the best thing about making your own clothes: you literally do you! But! I wonder if you have any specific suggestions as to how to go beyond the looks of pictures to find a suitable pattern. Revelry search tool is a given, you've covered that extensively, 😊 thanks a lot. I mean looking beyond pictures on pinterest or ig and SEEING beyond the pale. Any insight would be greatly appreciated, I know you have a trick up your sleeve 😉 you always do! God bless!❤
I completed a sweater using a similar approach (starting flat building up the back before joining in the round) but the designer classified it as a saddle shoulder. Pattern is Colette Sweater by Olann Handmade.
My very first sweater was a cable sweater that I designed a Irish Claddah for the front and smaller ones for the sleeves for my husband (by request from my husband) that was the second item I ever knitted and he loved it
I've also added colour "patches" or stripes in the body/end of sleeves if I know I don't have enough of yarn for the project. You could also design intarsia/colorwork like the stitch pattern you showed. On one sweater I switched out the colourwork entirely and played with different width of stripes.
Thanks again for sharing all this amazing info! I crochet since 3 years and now I modify patterns all the time. I made a bag out of a cushion design, a pouch out of a cowl design, used a different yarn weight for garments et cetera. This is why I love Instagram: we can look for a certain pattern and get inspired what other people did to it - color can already make such a difference, like you say. And of course, the direct contact with other makers and the designer himself/herself. Sometimes the designer reacts by a 'Hey, how cool that you did that to my design, I would never have thought of that' and I really appreciate that. Some even say that this is their highest goal: to inspire others to modify their pattern to their own desires and not just copy it from A to Z. That's what creativity is all about, right!
Once I used a top down cardigan pattern from drops studio, which was made in simple stockinette stitch and redesigned the yoke section by knitting leaves. The result was gorgeous!
I have a long torso and ALWAYS have to lengthen knit sweaters. I also hate the look of kfb and tend to exchange them for lifted increases unless they're in garter stitch. Adding/removing bust darts is also a good way to adjust sweaters... if I could remember where I saw a tutorial on it
This was helpful, thank you. I just wish the Felix sweater was size inclusive. I really want to knit it but not confident it make it larger than the biggest size so I can have more ease.
This is so inspiring. Ive been frogging old sweaters I never wore. My question is: how can I modify a sweater if I am short a few skeins? Thank you Taylor for thinking outside the box 😁
I'm watching this video at enough distance from my phone that the picture is a bit blurry, and the photo on the front of the Up Down book looks like a multilayered sandwich! 😂😂 I'll have to check it out, thank you for the recommendation!
One additional modification you are free to do is to change a knitting pattern from knit flat to knitted in the round. Many older pattens knit flat and then seam together, but if the structure allows you can simply knit them in the round by eliminating the seaming stitches. I believe you had begun, but later frogged, a Paton’s pattern that was knit flat, but you may have found it more enjoyable if you had been knitting in the round.
I've been looking forward to a birthday cast-on, the Piping Hot Pullover. Now I'm paralyzed by my swatch 😬. The gauge should be 22x32, but mine is 19.5x31. Not sure whether to go down a needle size , or knit a smaller size 😢. Perhaps another swatch is in order, dammit 🤔 🙂
Great stuff! Thanks. But what if you want to order yarn that you KNOW will be different from in the pattern, but can't do the swatch because you don't yet have the yarn? (Hopefully that makes sense...)
Great video!! There are two modifications that weren't mentioned that i would love to learn how to do. The first is bust shaping. How do you go about adding darts to a knitted garment? The second is modifying the neckline. So many sweaters have a high neckline, which I dont enjoy. I feel like it would be a simple thing to open up the neckline a bit, but I'm not sure how to go about it. As always, thank you for your amazing work!!
I may have missed it, but did you go over adding short rows? I'm doing a sweater for my daughter that is pretty basic but would probably benefit from adding short rows to the pattern. Thanks Tayler!
Great video with lots of good ideas. I don’t know if this info is in another video of yours (i will look it up) but I would be interested in a video specifically in how to modify the yoke depth (to the armpit) and how to modify a sweater when the difference between your underarm measure and your full bust measure is very different. Thanks for your videos !
These are great questions and topics I have yet to explore here on the channel. Thank you for the suggestion! I will certainly consider how I can answer these questions on a future episode. In the meantime, definitely consider the book Sweater Design in Plain English. It’s out of print, but you can find copies from online used retailers. It’s a huge wealth of information that is sure to touch on these very things. ❤️
Hi Tayler! Thank you so much for the inspiring tips about sweater modification. I have knit the Felix cardigan and would like to make a pullover from that same pattern. Any tips on how to modify the cardigan pattern to a pullover? My first thought is that in eliminating the button band I would use the stitch count left and just knit in the round. Thanks!
Hi Trish! So the Felix actually has a pullover pattern and all of that modification work is done for you. Check it out here: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/felix-pullover
I have been wanting to add cables to the Step by Step sweater by Florence forever. Cables down the raglan increases and down the sides, but Im thinking more dk than worsted. Ahh Im so scared.
I am a crocheter learning to knit and am knitting Florence' Step by Step sweater as my first knit sweater. I just split for sleeves and rather than a straight hem, I want to split the hem and have longer ribbing in the back than in the front. I am thinking that once I have the length of the body, I will put the back half of stitches on waste yarn, knit the front ribbing back and forth until I reach the length I want for the front, and then knit the back ribbing. Is this the best way to do this?
I looked for the book you mentioned and Amazon states it is no longer available in hard cover/spiral bound. Is it still in print and available elsewhere?
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Today we’re chatting about easy ways to modify any sweater knitting pattern. Let me know what modifications you’ve done before! Enjoy! ❤
Thanks for your videos ! I love how they are so informative. I’ve knit some stockinet sweaters and one I added a vertical cable. I loved that. Somehow I can’t find those videos you linked below. I’m watching on an iPad if that makes a difference.
Hey, what is is the pattern for the sweater in the video thumbnail? Love your content!
I don’t knit….yet. I crochet. And I love your videos because I can take away ideas regardless of whether it’s shown knit or I change it up for crochet. It’s all “fabric” that we create. And it’s fun to individualize. Thank you
I love this! And it’s very true. Thank you for watching. 🙏❤️
“I don’t knit…yet.” I said that three years ago 😂. I had never intended to knit, but my niece gave me a couple of pairs of needles and I couldn’t just let them be. I still crochet, but my heart now belongs to knitting. Enjoy your craft, wherever it takes you. 😊
My beginning comfy love of craft is crochet. I now sew, spin, knit a little and... I've started machine knitting! The speed of crochet with the thinness and stretch of knitting 😊😊
Earlier this year I made "The Weekender" by Andrea Mowry. Being a fluffier person, I didn't want the 10" of positive ease it called for. Easy, so I went down a size. However, while the body is oversized, the sleeves are not. To avoid potentially having sleeves that would be too snug, I picked up the number of stitches needed for the next size up. It was perfect!
One thing re changing up the colour, I personally love scrolling the project page on ravelry to see how other people chose to make their garment!
My daughter is a relatively new knitter - she knit a couple of hats as a teen, but hadn’t knit anything else for a few years. This summer decided she wanted to knit a sweater and showed me a couple of patterns to ask my opinion about their difficulty. She chose one, and, with only a bit of help from me, knit the entire thing in a couple of weeks. She then found the No. 18 sweater pattern by my favorite things knitwear and knit that, except after completing it, didn’t like the all-over texture, so she knit another one, all in stockinette. Now, she’s nearly completed a third No. 18, again in all stockinette, but with wide stripes. She also knit a Christmas hat for herself that looks like a Christmas tree, completely without a pattern. She’s done more modifying in six months than I have in 50 years. Lol
It’s a whole new knitting landscape with so many educational resources at our finger tips!
@@user-cq6up8rr3w Very true
Another minor modification you could do: Add decreases to sleeves if they seem like they are going to be to wide for your liking. I recently knitted my very first sweater and I added another round of decreases on the sleeves right before knitting the cuffs. I am SO glad I did this as I am someone who likes to wear their sleeves pushed up and with the original size of the cuff I don't think they would have stayed up. With this small modification, the sweater turned out perfect for me and I love it :)
I love the idea of adding a panel on the side. My stitch dictionary hasn’t been getting any love. I must pull it out of whatever hole it’s fallen down.
I have a couple of basic sweater patterns that fit me well so I use the basic math from them when making other sweaters. I created an excel sheet to help me calc stitch counts with different yarns and fit. It really has helped me to improve my fit success.
I’m 1 minute into the video and just want to say I love this view of your office!
Thank you so much Jordan!
Id love to knit a sweater in a smaller size, but I am almost always the smallest size anyway. Thankfully I just make up my own patterns these days
Same - my bust is 31”, waist 23”. The only time I have not knit the smallest size is if children’s sizes are included 😂
I loved this camera angle! and that green looks fabulous on you!!!!
Thank you!! ❤️
The craziest thing about your knitting for your own gauge video is that it helped me discover how wonky the math can be in patterns that size up based solely on the numbers from the sample, oftentimes an XS. I won’t say whose work I’m thinking of, but I did the math out based on gauge and stitch count after the arms are set off, and woooooow. Sometimes a large is actually an XL.
You are truly a wealth of information and inspiration. I'm currently working on a pattern that I am rewriting to fit me properly after ripping it out 3 times. The last rip out was a start over. When I get the fit down, I've been thinking of a fairly dramatic yarn weight and color change. Any tips about estimating yardage? Love your channel!
If one wants to play around with construction methods here are a few that I've done. I have made a seamless bottom up sweater as a top down sweater. It was a fun challenge but for those who prefer knitting sweaters that way, that's something to consider. I have also turned seamed sweaters into a mostly seamless sweaters, I did have to seam the sleeves to the sweater but I generally don't mind seaming at all. Doing a three needle bind-off at the shoulder instead of seaming.
Yes, this!❤
I have recently been heading down the rabbit hole of embroidering on my knits. So far, I've mostly been adding a little something to the back just below the collar just to indicate that it's the back of the garment. I like to do a little pattern or flower. But I have also seen where people add some little flowers or similar on the sleeve just above the cuff. I just love this idea so much. I will be adding to future knits and may go back and add these tiny embellishments to some of my already completed garments as well. I also love the idea of adding a little something like this to the cuff of my knit hats. I've seen some really cute floral embroidery added around the tag (specifically on carhartt hats) and I just think it's all so cute.
I had a Cardigan pattern recently that used the gauge swatch as a pocket...made it easier to do the swatch! I've done it on a few sweaters as an add on after that.
this different angle is so cozy! I love the lights in the background ✨
I'm so glad you like it! It's a nice break from the bright lights. I may use it more often. 😊
Hi Tayler. I love how you were showing samples of different modifications that people could make to their sweaters. I think you could take it a step further beyond just holding up the different versions of your Felix sweater, as you did in this video. It would require a little bit more on your part in post-production, but it would go a long way to really be effective, especially for less experienced knitters. Just as you put up a shot of the lace pattern instruction page that you wanted to show as an example, you could do the same thing with the different versions of your Felix sweater. After you finish your main video, you could put on the different versions of your Felix and then take a still shot (It doesn’t have to be additional video) pointing out the different changes and pop those still shots into the video just as you did the lace pattern. Some people have a more difficult time visualizing the effect of even simple modifications. This could go a long way to help people be more brave with their own knitting. OR - you could do such modeling of the different variations on your Patreon site to, perhaps, encourage more participation/support there. and promoting in this video that they could find this further demoing there. I love that you did Kika’s striped sweater - I LOVE her, all of her patterns, and her YT channel.
I hope you got a good refreshing during the holiday season. I am amazed at how much longer your hair grew in such a short amount of time. I am so far really enjoying what you are putting out in the new year. I can’t wait for more. I also can’t wait to see more of your yarn on your Fiber for the People website. So far I have been unable to catch it in time to be able to purchase any. You are always sold out by the time I can get to it. When you open up your site on Saturday mornings I am in the middle of dialysis and cannot get to it before everything is gone! I will keep trying. I especially love it when you have jewel tones. I know that you personally seem to primarily prefer browns, beiges and other warm neutrals for yourself; I personally lean toward cool-colored, well-saturated jewel tones in either solids, tonals, and variegated colorways, as well as cool shades of gray and, of course, black. ❤🧶
Thank you once again for a wonderful and informative discussion.
I particularly found the “ease” section perfect for me 👏
My pleasure Gael! I’m glad this resonated with you. ❤️
I do not like to knit the same sweater twice, but really enjoyed both the knitting and final look of Mariechen by Isabell Kraemer. When I knitted that pattern a second time, I omitted the lovely pattern on either side of the button band and substituted a cable and added a cable running down the length of the sleeves. I also added a cable to look like a faux underarm seam. I was very pleased with the pattern construction but put my own spin on it. I would love to be able to change the drop shoulder boxy sweater look to a more tailored semi-fitted look. I’ll have to work on that. I realize it is very popular right now, but I just don’t think it is the most flattering look for me. 🤗
I just finished the Felix. I envisioned it with bell sleeves so before I put the saved stitches back on the needles, I tried the body on and determined the length I wished the sleeves to be, subtracted the wrist band length, then using the vertical stitch gauge, I calculated how many rows I would have to knit to each increase. It came to approximately every 2 inches. I determined just by eyeballing the horizontal gauge the amount of stitches I would need to get to the approximate width I wanted. I increased 12 stitches in all, make 1 left and right at the first stitch after the stitch marker. After completing the last increase, I knitted a bit more before decreasing every 3rd stitch all at once to get that bell look. Then added the wrist band. I also always lengthen the yoke and body because I have a long torso. I’m in LOVE with this sweater! Thank you for the recommendation!
I love this modification to the sleeves. Bravo! And I'm so glad you love the sweater. It's a great one for sure. ❤️
Sometimes I just use a pattern to get the amount of stitches I need for my size and then change the stitch pattern, change the neck line, change the sleeve length. I love changing things up it makes me feel like I did something unique and my own. Adding cables is another great way to change things up a bit. Thanks for a great video.
I am just loving this modification series, it is so empowering! The sky really is the limit when it comes to knitting your own sweaters. Thank you for all the wonderful and inspiring content.
Thank you so much for your videos!
I always learn a lot and appreciate the simplicity and depth of your explanations😊
My pleasure Kimi. Thank you so much for watching! ❤
Personally, I buy patterns for the design of a garment and for inspiration rather than the stitch and row count for a particular size or ease. I find it more satisfying to use the yarn that I like and,by try and error, create my one of a kind garment that I love. My advice would also be to not be scared of unraveling some process when you modify something. The goal is to make a garment that you will love to wear for a long time and not to knit as many pieces as possible. Have a great day everyone 😊
This is fantastic advice! Thank you Irina. ❤️
This is so helpful! I’m terrified to change anything. I’ve become emboldened! Going to watch this again. TY
Tolsta Tee! The testers, designer, and makers have truly explored modifications at every level. By searching through Ravelry / Ravit, the personalization choices are endless. Not to mention, the designer has included the pattern in two different weights.
I think as a male knitter, this stuff should be standard as we often knit patterns written for a more feminine form. It's nice to remind knitters that you are making a custom fit garment and you have options.
Totally Jimmy. I completely agree. In fact, I feel like VERY FEW sweater patterns "marketed" for women feature any design/construction elements that accommodate a woman's shape exclusively (bust darts, waist shaping, etc). SO much of what's being designed is truly unisex/gender neutral and is only categorized as "for women" by its presentation. I would love to see more knitwear designers showing their designs on both men and women (if, of course, they are giving their design the unisex/gender neutral category on Ravelry--like if it says it's a unisex design, let's see it on more than just a woman).
Funny enough, I'm knitting a modification as I watch this! I'm using a very simple, single color tshirt pattern as my base, but I've not only decided to give it stripes, I'm using a 10 round stitch variation from another tshirt pattern that gives the stripes a blended gradient look. Loving it!
Hi Tayler. Great suggestions. I recently took a plain cardigan (Downtown Cardigan) and added a Horseshoe Cable down each arm. I really love how it turned out. 😊
Oooo this sounds gorgeous. What a great modification!
Great ideas! I modified a Douglas Cardi to only be 3 colors and love how it turned out. I kept the button band as a gray, and for the five stripe colors I basically assigned 3 stripes as cream and two stripes as gold. That helped me figure out the yardage I would need of each color. Yarn amounts is my biggest hang-up with thinking about mods. If you have any tips for reliably calculating additional yarn needed for certain changes in garments, that would be so great.
The sweater modification I do most often is adding a folder collar! I like my sweaters to fit closer to the neck than many designers design for. So, I always skip the instructions for the neck ribbing in a sweater or t-shirt pattern and start the pattern after the conclusion of the neck ribbing. Then, I pick up stitches later to make a folded neckline that sits closer to my neck. If it's not close enough to my neck, I can always frog just the neckline, and pick up fewer stitches or knit it longer. Love this mod because my sweaters fit me how I like them to now!
You can also sub multiple strands of thin yarn to make gauge of a larger strand.
Ooo yes! I love this idea!
At the moment I am trying to work out how to change a neck line.
Sorry got interrupted. Knitting is an adventure and learning process. You shouldn't be afraid. You might develop a new pattern. Always remember, if it doesn't work you can frog it😊
Tayler your channel never fails to make me smile. Thanks for all the tips!!❤❤❤
Thank you so much Beverly! It's my pleasure. ❤
I like your hair!
I am in the planning stages for a stitch pattern modification!
I have had a super cropped, honeycomb stitch cardigan living rent-free in my brain for the past year, so I’m using a well-fitting plain stockinette pullover pattern I like and adding the honeycomb stitch - and steeking it - to get what I’m after. I’ve done all my swatching and math, so hopefully it isn’t a disaster! 😂
I didn’t want this video to end! I basically stopped making sweaters because I’m too warm and if they fit well in front they’re huge across my back. That’s the problem I have, always. It turns out sweater patterns are written as if I’m the same size in both places, but, no. That’s what I need to learn. ❤❤❤
Hi Star! I’m so glad you enjoyed this one. And I can imagine that frustration with proportion. I’m learning so much about this as I write up the pattern for the Frankensweater and it’s amazing how many patterns make this assumption and how it’s something that can be addressed in-pattern with simple modification suggestions, ultimately making the pattern more approachable. Like bust darts. I didn’t mention them here (maybe a part 2), but they’re a great modification for those that need more shaping in the upper front.
After watching your video on the math and how to get my own gauge and fit in a sweater I tell you, I use it ALL THE TIME!😊
That’s such good news Sharon! Thank you for sharing that with me. I’m so glad it helps. ❤️❤️
This is a great video!!! Sometimes, as a knitter, I need ”permission” to do my own thing!! This video is inspiring in just that way!
That surprises me you talk about changing color. Changing color is soo a no-brainer for me, I do it ALL THE TIME. I almost never knit with the original color of the pattern.
I am nearly incapable of ... just keeping to a pattern, while it be in sewing or in knitting. I always change color ; change the neckline ; use a sport yarn for a pattern in DK ; taking a lace cardigan, and use a totally different lace pattern ...
It drives my mom crazy everytime she make something for me, as we choose a pattern together, we swear to each other we will just follow the pattern, and in the middle, I got an idea that fits me more, my mom acknowledge it fit me more, and we finaly need to make modifications to go to my idea. In finalle, we were always able to attain my goal, but the """"easy and quick and no-brainer-we-just-follow-the-pattern"""" part of the project had flew out of the window.long before
There is a sibling to that stitch dictionary called The Knitting All Around Stitch Dictionary. I love them both! I found a sweater in a store a few weeks ago that was a basic raglan with a textured stitch on just the sleeves. At some point I’d like to try to replicate that in a natural fiber.
These are fantastic ideas! And so many apply to sewing and adjusting sewing patterns and projects.
This video came out just as I was starting the swatch for my new sweater. The knit based on gauge part was very well explained, and I'm absolutely loving how the sweater is coming out after applying it to my current project.
What a great video. I almost didn’t watch it because I alter patterns to fit me all the time, but you brought in a few resources I didn’t know about and can’t wait to put to use. Thank you!
Great video!! Thanks Tayler!!
Thank you! Great ideas! 🎉❤
That looks like a cool book to have on hand! Thank you! I am adding it to my wish list.
Good episode. 👍🏽
Thank you for another educational and useful post! Such good information and I wish my grandma could have seen this video--she was my knitting inspiration. Your necklace is lovely too, btw. Thanks for sharing!
Inspiring as always! Thank you for the video!
You have motivated me to modify some of my sweater patterns. Up until now I basically just changed colors. I have a few patterns that I like to make over and over and it’s going to be great to make changes.❤
Hello. Hello. Hello. Thank you so much for the inspiration!
I’ve added duplicate stitching to beanies. It’s very easy and if I make a mistake, it’s easy to remove and start over.❤️🧶😄
I took a stockinette cardigan and decided to use an all over mock cable. I did a large gauge swatch first (actually did 2). The gauge swatch helped me decide on the openness of the stitch pattern. Then I proceeded to use a cardigan pattern that worked with my gauge. It worked out perfectly and I loved the process. Great topic!
This video came at the exact time. I'm swatching with yarn and needle that is working up to a different gauge and don't want to switch needles or yarn. I watched the attached video and how to choose a size and I'm feeling pretty confident on giving this a try. Wish me luck!
Great video full of helpful info, thanks👍❣️
What a great video!! As always, you always provide such helpful tips to empower us!
Awesome!! Excellent video!! I have and love the “Up, Down, All-Around Stitch Book”
Thank you so much Taylor! This is a great video with lots of good suggestions. I’ll definitely check out your video on choosing the right size. I think it will answer some of my gauge concerns. Well done!
Thank you, Taylor, for the inspiration and encouragement ❤️
My pleasure! Thank you so much for watching. ❤️
Another simple modification I like to do is change the edging. So, instead of 1x1 ribbing, for example, I might use 2x2 ribbing or garter stitch.
You have been talking for awhile about how you make modifications and I have found it so helpful as I took on my knitting journey. I am currently knitting the DRK everyday sweater, for the second time, but this go around I am making changes that I hope will create a slightly different look and feel. I have knit the neck band longer so that I can have a chunky folded over neck. I am also knitting a larger size with more ease and lengthening the yoke so it isn’t as tight up under my arms. I was already thinking of how I could do something special around the bottom hem and watching your video just now has inspired me to looking into other stitch patterns that I could add as a decorative element and give it some flair but in a subtle way. Thank you for making such thoughtful videos!! As always, I really appreciate and enjoy them. ❤️
Thank you so much for sharing this Susan! I’m so glad that you’re finding this helpful and inspiring. That is my ultimate hope for these videos and it makes my day to know that it’s doing just that. I’m so excited for you! Happy knitting and have so much fun making your DRK Everyday Sweater uniquely yours. ❤️
Love this! I'm excited about your new series of alteration/modification-themed videos. I was super proud of myself last year when I took a cardigan pattern and switched out the main cables in it for a design from the Japanese stitch bible. I also had to do extra math to size the pattern down from its smallest size so it was a ton of math and thinking and trial and error but the result is beautiful and feels like an heirloom piece for me now 😊 highly recommend just taking the plunge to try something out!
Excellent video! Thank you for this and all your videos!
My pleasure Lee! Thank you for watching. ❤️
I’m crocheting sweaters now and have been incorporating those ideas of how to alter patterns.
I love this! I have tried duplucate knitting little motifs or designs on after and it can look really cool! In a similar vein to modifications, purposeful mending! I mend my handmades and storbought garments with colorful yarn if I dont have something that matches, to add some flare and uniqueness. Reminds me of when patched jeans were cool.
Very interesting, thank you! I recently finished my 2nd Lento sweater and I changed several things about it; (1) twisted rib on collar, hem and cuffs (2) a split hem so it would be slightly longer in the back, and (3) a mock neck length collar. I love how it turned out 🙂
I really need to knit a Felix pullover! But need to find some cozy soft affordable yarn first.
I like to make my own colour work, by mixing up different styles. Sometimes I knit the pattern as purl stitch on the right side of the knit, eg. if you want to knit a heart or a flower, instead of doing it colours, change the the stitch in the pattern to purl stitch. This only works if you would have to use 2 colours for your pattern. ❤
Taylor, I LOVE the green sweater you're wearing! This colour suits you so well, I can't get over it.
And thank you so much for this video, I really like your current topic of alternations 😊
And I also like the slightly different setup! 😊
Thank you Helen! I've never really worn this color of green before, but I love it and I'm happy that it goes well with my complexion. ❤️
Honestly, I don't think I ever followed a pattern 100%, that's the best thing about making your own clothes: you literally do you! But! I wonder if you have any specific suggestions as to how to go beyond the looks of pictures to find a suitable pattern. Revelry search tool is a given, you've covered that extensively, 😊 thanks a lot. I mean looking beyond pictures on pinterest or ig and SEEING beyond the pale. Any insight would be greatly appreciated, I know you have a trick up your sleeve 😉 you always do! God bless!❤
I completed a sweater using a similar approach (starting flat building up the back before joining in the round) but the designer classified it as a saddle shoulder. Pattern is Colette Sweater by Olann Handmade.
My very first sweater was a cable sweater that I designed a Irish Claddah for the front and smaller ones for the sleeves for my husband (by request from my husband) that was the second item I ever knitted and he loved it
I love this, and especially that your husband requested a Claddagh motif. That’s very special. ☘️
I've also added colour "patches" or stripes in the body/end of sleeves if I know I don't have enough of yarn for the project. You could also design intarsia/colorwork like the stitch pattern you showed. On one sweater I switched out the colourwork entirely and played with different width of stripes.
Thanks again for sharing all this amazing info! I crochet since 3 years and now I modify patterns all the time. I made a bag out of a cushion design, a pouch out of a cowl design, used a different yarn weight for garments et cetera. This is why I love Instagram: we can look for a certain pattern and get inspired what other people did to it - color can already make such a difference, like you say. And of course, the direct contact with other makers and the designer himself/herself. Sometimes the designer reacts by a 'Hey, how cool that you did that to my design, I would never have thought of that' and I really appreciate that. Some even say that this is their highest goal: to inspire others to modify their pattern to their own desires and not just copy it from A to Z. That's what creativity is all about, right!
Once I used a top down cardigan pattern from drops studio, which was made in simple stockinette stitch and redesigned the yoke section by knitting leaves. The result was gorgeous!
Gah! That sounds gorgeous! 😍
Making the simple hug cardi by cozy up knits and I am adding pockets (after thought)&
Now see, pockets on a cardi are something I can get behind. Super cute! ☺️☺️
I have a long torso and ALWAYS have to lengthen knit sweaters. I also hate the look of kfb and tend to exchange them for lifted increases unless they're in garter stitch. Adding/removing bust darts is also a good way to adjust sweaters... if I could remember where I saw a tutorial on it
I added a texture to the top several inches of the front and back but not the sleeves of a basic top-down pullover.
This was helpful, thank you.
I just wish the Felix sweater was size inclusive. I really want to knit it but not confident it make it larger than the biggest size so I can have more ease.
Knitty just reviewed a book on embroidering on knits --- it looks cool.
This is so inspiring. Ive been frogging old sweaters I never wore. My question is: how can I modify a sweater if I am short a few skeins? Thank you Taylor for thinking outside the box 😁
I'm watching this video at enough distance from my phone that the picture is a bit blurry, and the photo on the front of the Up Down book looks like a multilayered sandwich! 😂😂 I'll have to check it out, thank you for the recommendation!
Ooooo yummy!! 😂❤
You mentioned you would link to some videos on adding pockets. I am not seeing them in the description but I'd love to watch them!
Ahh yes! Thank you for the reminder. I completely spaced it. Here's a great one: th-cam.com/video/y8aGcpbz-cw/w-d-xo.html
One additional modification you are free to do is to change a knitting pattern from knit flat to knitted in the round. Many older pattens knit flat and then seam together, but if the structure allows you can simply knit them in the round by eliminating the seaming stitches. I believe you had begun, but later frogged, a Paton’s pattern that was knit flat, but you may have found it more enjoyable if you had been knitting in the round.
I've been looking forward to a birthday cast-on, the Piping Hot Pullover. Now I'm paralyzed by my swatch 😬. The gauge should be 22x32, but mine is 19.5x31. Not sure whether to go down a needle size , or knit a smaller size 😢. Perhaps another swatch is in order, dammit 🤔 🙂
Great stuff! Thanks. But what if you want to order yarn that you KNOW will be different from in the pattern, but can't do the swatch because you don't yet have the yarn? (Hopefully that makes sense...)
Yeah, I don't know how many skeins to order if I'm planning on knitting a sweater with a heavier yarn.
Great video!! There are two modifications that weren't mentioned that i would love to learn how to do. The first is bust shaping. How do you go about adding darts to a knitted garment? The second is modifying the neckline. So many sweaters have a high neckline, which I dont enjoy. I feel like it would be a simple thing to open up the neckline a bit, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
As always, thank you for your amazing work!!
Ysolda has a great TH-cam on bust darts
Can you customize the neckline in the aspect of how close to the neck it comes? Would you do that with size?
I may have missed it, but did you go over adding short rows? I'm doing a sweater for my daughter that is pretty basic but would probably benefit from adding short rows to the pattern. Thanks Tayler!
Hi Eleni! I didn't mention it here, but it's definitely a valuable technique to know to make for sizing and shape modifications.
What would adding short rows to a sweater do to the shaping? I'm not quite sure I can envision what it would do.
@@valerieconrad1005 the way I was thinking was to raise the back of the neck on a sweater to make the front lower and more comfortable
Amazon don’t currently have the up down all around book, but eBay has it with a discount code
Oooo you're stacked! I love it! I think I have Principles of Knitting...I need to check! 🤔
Great video with lots of good ideas. I don’t know if this info is in another video of yours (i will look it up) but I would be interested in a video specifically in how to modify the yoke depth (to the armpit) and how to modify a sweater when the difference between your underarm measure and your full bust measure is very different. Thanks for your videos !
These are great questions and topics I have yet to explore here on the channel. Thank you for the suggestion! I will certainly consider how I can answer these questions on a future episode. In the meantime, definitely consider the book Sweater Design in Plain English. It’s out of print, but you can find copies from online used retailers. It’s a huge wealth of information that is sure to touch on these very things. ❤️
@@WOOLNEEDLESHANDS i will check that out ! Thanks for the recommendation :)
Hi Tayler! Thank you so much for the inspiring tips about sweater modification. I have knit the Felix cardigan and would like to make a pullover from that same pattern. Any tips on how to modify the cardigan pattern to a pullover? My first thought is that in eliminating the button band I would use the stitch count left and just knit in the round. Thanks!
Hi Trish! So the Felix actually has a pullover pattern and all of that modification work is done for you. Check it out here: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/felix-pullover
I have been wanting to add cables to the Step by Step sweater by Florence forever. Cables down the raglan increases and down the sides, but Im thinking more dk than worsted. Ahh Im so scared.
what is the app/website you include screenshots of for the patterns?
I am a crocheter learning to knit and am knitting Florence' Step by Step sweater as my first knit sweater. I just split for sleeves and rather than a straight hem, I want to split the hem and have longer ribbing in the back than in the front. I am thinking that once I have the length of the body, I will put the back half of stitches on waste yarn, knit the front ribbing back and forth until I reach the length I want for the front, and then knit the back ribbing. Is this the best way to do this?
I looked for the book you mentioned and Amazon states it is no longer available in hard cover/spiral bound. Is it still in print and available elsewhere?
.any tha ks for the e ouragem