Hip Shaping

 

Hip Shaping

When I’m designing or knitting for myself, I find that I want to add some increases to the hips to balance my sweaters and make them fit better. Most size charts that I have looked at indicate that women’s hips are at least 2 inches larger than their bust measurement, and I find this true for myself. In stockinette, this is relatively easy, where I find that, working top-down, depending on your gauge and torso length, beginning about an inch after the natural waistline, adding 2 increases on either side of the side “seams” every vertical inch of knitting 5 or 6 times seems to give me enough flare at the hips. For example, if my gauge is 5 stitches and 6 rows to the inch (or 20sts /4” or 10cm) , adding 2 stitches to each side of the sweater every 6 rows gradually over about 30 rows ( or 5 times) gives me 20 extra stitches, an additional enough flare and ease and increases the hip circumference to additional 4 inches ( 10 cm) from the bust measurement.

In a stitch pattern, this can be tricky to accomplish. In the case of vertical stripes, for example, here we have a sequence of k6p2, and we add 2 stitches on each side of the side “seam” every 6 rows, deciding when to add purls or knits, keeping the sequence going:

  This adds the required stitches to the bottom of the sweater, and keeps the stitch sequence going.

In a complicated lace, one can add a gradual wedge of lace to result in another repeat of the stitch pattern added after 30 rows or so as seen in my Tulips Cardigan design: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tulips-cardigan-3 . Here I wanted to subtly add 10 new stitches on either side of the sweater, resulting in widening the hips by 2 inches on each side. This of course, could be added at the side seam area, or even at center back for more flare. In the pattern, you would work the regular main stitch pattern down until the side section which can be isolated with stitch markers where you work the increase chart, then work the rest of the row in the usual stitch pattern to the other side of the sweater, repeat the increase section, then finish the row with the usual pattern.

 

  Tulips Cardigan Increases 

                                            Hudson River Increases:

In a similar way, I’ve also increased in the Hudson River Pattern: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hudson-river-pullover.

In a design with columns of pattern, it can be easy to insert purl wedges between motifs to widen the bottom without disturbing the lace motif. For a subtle increase, you can stagger the increases, keeping to the formula of 4 increases per row every 6 rows, by placing them between different motifs. For example in the diagram, the red dots indicate where to place the new purl stitches, which are then kept in the pattern going forward. This increase method ends up with each wedge separated by the same number of purls at the bottom of the sweater, giving a more subtle effect:

Pullover Join

 

Pullover Join by Jeri Riggs July 18, 2024

Here’s a method I use to join the fronts of a top-down sweater in progress, converting what could be a cardigan into a pullover sweater. I often use a 6-stitch ribbed border on both front edges, as it is easy to work at the same time as I am making the fronts, and gives a nice clean edge at the same gauge as the rest of the garment.

If it were a cardigan I would simply continue this edge down the whole front of the garment.

If I want instead to make a pullover front, I would join the fronts when I have reached my target stitch count. This involves making some of the edging stitches disappear and turning the remaining stitches into pattern stitches.

In this example, I am working a leaf lace pattern, and have nearly completed a right side row, except for the last 6 stitches of the row, which is the edging:

Now slip those last 6 stitches to a DPN:

Then hold the DPN 6 to the back of the work, overlapping the first 6 sts of the entire row with the 6 stitches on the DPN. Then knit them together in pairs, one front stitch together with one back stitch.

So, knit the first two together by inserting your right hand working needle into the first stitch on the front needle and the first stitch on the DPN.

 Then knit them together as one.

Now I am going to merge all of these 12 stitches (6 in the front and 6 in the back) into 6 stitches by knitting them together in pairs, much as you would work a 3-needle bind-off but without binding them off.

Do the same for the remaining 5 pairs of stitches.

Now the join is complete and you have merged the fronts and eliminated 6 stitches. Usually the next row will begin in the middle of these 6 stitches, so you can move your counter marker, as the next row will often be a plain row, depending on the pattern specifications.