Ease. I always wondered what “ease” really meant with knitting. I first, sort of understood how the word applied to knitting. When someone would ask if I had negative ease or positive ease in a sweater I would usually answer no ease, it just fits. I mean, the sweater didn’t stretch tight or bag.
Recently I read an in-depth article about ease. It still doesn’t sit well with me. A sweater should fit the way you like to wear a sweater.
Don’t get me wrong, I do believe you can have negative and positive ease in a knitted garment. Just not in the generalizing way most want to describe the term. But, then again, I also think standardized sizing is still in the 1940’s.
Okay, the knitting sweater movement went out of the itsy bitsy sweater sizes when we became a supersized nation. Garment manufacturers got to the point of ridiculous - especially for us not supersized - and now it has tapered off some so I don’t have to look for jeans in the children’s department. (Well that and weigh gain as I get older.)
I am NOT the smallest woman out there. But, in a standardized size chart, they would have me wearing a size 10 or 12 - which, by the way, I wouldn’t need to use the buttons or zippers to pull it on and off.
Back to knitted garments…. If I had never measured any of my garments (hint, hint), only measured around my bust (with a bra on - non stuffed) I would think I would knit a size 40 or 42 (for 0 ease) and walla! A perfect sweater fit - NOT.
Okay take a look at a typical sweater on me: This measures 32 inches in circumference. Yes, I could make it 2 even 4 inches larger for a baggier sweater look.
I wouldn’t call that a positive ease. That would be me knitting a 34 or 36 inch sweater! But, 8 or 10 inches larger and it would look just plain ridiculous on me.
A 32 doesn’t fit tight on me or loose on me. (Sweaters also loosen up and become larger after worn - so my size 32 becomes a size 34 - sometimes more.) I understand that not everyone wants their sweaters to fit the way I do, but that is not called “ease” that is called knitting the size sweater YOU want to wear.
Ease is when the pattern says it is 32 inches in circumference and the actual sweater knits to less (negative ease) or more (positive ease) than the given size. Most sweater patterns for 32 measure from side to side 16 inches on the schematics given - not 15 - not 18 - but 16. If you want it to measure 18 knit the size 36!
Okay, so do yourself a favor. Use that long tape with numbers on it! I know this can sound like a rant, but is the reason the nation is wanting to call a size 36 sweater a 32 because they don’t want to admit they are a size 36?
Come on, no one has to know what size you are knitting. Just cast on and knit.
That’s just the “Ease” of it.
Nancy
Recently I read an in-depth article about ease. It still doesn’t sit well with me. A sweater should fit the way you like to wear a sweater.
Don’t get me wrong, I do believe you can have negative and positive ease in a knitted garment. Just not in the generalizing way most want to describe the term. But, then again, I also think standardized sizing is still in the 1940’s.
Okay, the knitting sweater movement went out of the itsy bitsy sweater sizes when we became a supersized nation. Garment manufacturers got to the point of ridiculous - especially for us not supersized - and now it has tapered off some so I don’t have to look for jeans in the children’s department. (Well that and weigh gain as I get older.)
I am NOT the smallest woman out there. But, in a standardized size chart, they would have me wearing a size 10 or 12 - which, by the way, I wouldn’t need to use the buttons or zippers to pull it on and off.
Back to knitted garments…. If I had never measured any of my garments (hint, hint), only measured around my bust (with a bra on - non stuffed) I would think I would knit a size 40 or 42 (for 0 ease) and walla! A perfect sweater fit - NOT.
Okay take a look at a typical sweater on me: This measures 32 inches in circumference. Yes, I could make it 2 even 4 inches larger for a baggier sweater look.
I wouldn’t call that a positive ease. That would be me knitting a 34 or 36 inch sweater! But, 8 or 10 inches larger and it would look just plain ridiculous on me.
A 32 doesn’t fit tight on me or loose on me. (Sweaters also loosen up and become larger after worn - so my size 32 becomes a size 34 - sometimes more.) I understand that not everyone wants their sweaters to fit the way I do, but that is not called “ease” that is called knitting the size sweater YOU want to wear.
Ease is when the pattern says it is 32 inches in circumference and the actual sweater knits to less (negative ease) or more (positive ease) than the given size. Most sweater patterns for 32 measure from side to side 16 inches on the schematics given - not 15 - not 18 - but 16. If you want it to measure 18 knit the size 36!
Okay, so do yourself a favor. Use that long tape with numbers on it! I know this can sound like a rant, but is the reason the nation is wanting to call a size 36 sweater a 32 because they don’t want to admit they are a size 36?
Come on, no one has to know what size you are knitting. Just cast on and knit.
That’s just the “Ease” of it.
Nancy
