Our last post where we looked at practical sewing resources for knitters.
The #KnitPetiteProject plan.
All other #KnitPetiteProject posts.

The #KnitPetiteProject now has a Ravelry group. Join us!

Please answer this very brief survey to determine the future of the #KPP!

…youtube video coming soon…

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Workbook + KAL survey! I’m keeping the survey link live because I want to give everyone an opportunity to share their thoughts.

As of the writing of this post (July 21, 2017) we’ve had 116 respondents. Here’s how the questions break down:

Would you be interested in purchasing a knitting book that helped you understand your petite fit, select + modify patterns AND provide you with basic sweater patterns that are petite sized?

I’m happy to say that 81% of those who replied (that’s 94 people!) want to see this book happen.

This is encouraging! I’m so pleased that the #KnitPetiteProject resonates with our knitting community. As I mentioned above, I’ll be keeping the survey open. At this time, I have to reflect on these numbers and figure out the best way to move forward – 116 people is a number too low to base an entire print book publication on, but there are some other fun ideas I have circulating! You’ll hear from me over the next few weeks about this. 🙂

Would you participate in a KAL where you choose a sweater and work with the #KnitPetiteProject community to alter the fit for your petite needs?

A full 50% of respondents (that’s 58 people!) are keen on a KAL. That’s a great number of us, so let’s do this thing!

Here’s what you need to know about the KAL:

• choose a sweater you’d like to knit (consider consulting some of the earlier posts in the KPP to help guide your choices!)
• gather all the materials you need to complete this sweater
• meet in this thread on the #KnitPetiteProject Ravelry Group! Let us know about your project and what you’d like to modify
• this KAL is open-ended; there’s no firm finishing date. You set your own goals and work at your own pace

The KAL will begin on September 1

Please feel free to start talking about making your sweater choices and sharing your yarn search in the thread right away!

What suggestions do you have for the #KnitPetiteProject?

And as always, I want to make sure the #KPP is responding to your needs and interests. Here’s some of what folks have had to say.

• Cardigan
• Keep up your great work! It’s a real inspiration and great to read in depth because of all your excellent research. Thank you so much.
• Because I have sewn my clothes for many years I suspect I have an advantage in getting sweaters to fit, although I have certainly made my share of mistakes in knitting sweaters. Certainly suggestions about how to plan alterations — and the order in which to make adjustments — would be very useful. (I understand adjustments for a petite and slender individual, but not for heavier or buxom women)
• Discussion on adjusting ease to make patterns more versatile
• I’m not sure if this has been covered, but including information about yarn weight and what types (silhouettes, constructions, etc) of sweaters work best in which yarn weights would be helpful.
• Cardigans! They’re always so big and bulky and don’t fit my petite frame well
• As a lefty knitter I typically don’t purchase books that would need to be read in a mirror to apply to me, but I’d certainly participate in a KAL to learn about these kinds of alterations!
• None, so far so good.
• ?
• a project gallery of petite-modified FOs
• Don’t forget plus size petite!
• A basic cardi or pull over with details about how to shorten the waist, adjust the bust, and account for sway-back or narrow shoulders!
• Make sure the section on bust enlargement is pretty detailed! As a petite person, I’m so done with not being able to find a way to modify pattern to accommodate my considerable boobage without the breast area spreading to the back because of the lack of real estate in the front! And it’s even worst when you have to work the modifications while not distorting a pattern, such as with cables or special stitches.
• I love this idea! thanks so much for reaching out =D
• Sadly, right now, I have no time. So no KAL. Otherwise I would like to know that the book covered shoulder, upper back & bust area extensively. I have broad back & shoulders but not much bust.
• love the workbook and KAL idea, i hope it happens!
• I love these ideas – thank you!
• That being petite doesn’t mean being small. but differently proportioned and working with that notion (like me: short torso and arms but regular width shoulders)
• No real suggestions but I await the results, being extremely short waisted, so I think any advice you have will be greatly useful for me. Good luck!
• Include a focus on ease, both ease for fit (allow the body to move freely) and design ease. I’ve often altered mainstream patterns a bit too much because they pattern weren’t written to distinguish the various margins included in the stitch counts.
• Those of us who learned to sew as teens have a good basis for making alterations. The book/patterns would have to offer something special and different — going beyond what one can achieve with, say, Amy Herzog’s Custom Fit. Why doesn’t that meet the need?
• make sure there are plus sizes. Not all petite folks are skinny
• Advice for altering sweater fit would be really useful! Especially for shoulders/armscrye
• Would there be videos and suggestions for knitting different petite body sizes?
• narrow shoulder adjustments as well as length
• I want to explain my “maybe” answer, because the workbook does sound interesting. You said the workbook would go up to “a plus size”. I am 4′ 10″ and a size 2X. Due to mobility issues, I need to wear any top that goes over my head (pullovers, T-shirts, etc.) at least one size bigger (sometimes 2 sizes, depending on the pattern). People come in a wide range of sizes. While smaller than average sizes are necessary for thin petites, please do not ignore the other end of the spectrum. The workbook does sound interesting, but if you limit the sizes to ignore plus size petites, it would be useless for me.
• I’m still catching up on all the posts, videos, etc., so no specific suggestions, but would love to participate in a KAL!
• Just that the pattern designers would realize not every one is short and thin. Most of us are more full bodied but still want a fashionable look.
• Necklines and sleeve width at the armhole are the hardest for me to calculate. Sometimes I’m lucky but mostly I’m frustrated
• Make patterns easy for yarn substitution.
• Include petite plus sizes
• I can’t think of any suggestions at the moment, but am really enjoying learning more about fit and how to achieve the fit I would like.
• Define petite. Short? & wide? or just tiny sizes?

Question

Will YOU be joining the KAL on September 1? Share your sweater plans in the thread!