schematics, part 2: what should be included?

The big why

Do you include a schematic in your patterns? What measurements should be on it? I get asked this question often. Some schematics and patterns don’t include enough information, and knitters are left in the dark, while others put so many measurements that aren’t necessary that knitters can end up being confused. First, let’s talk about why we include what we include - that will inform our decision on what should be in there.

The schematic is used to help the knitter see how the item will fit and what size it will be (find out more here). Measurements of the item are listed on the schematic for every size. They include:

• Any measurement that matters for fit - measurements that can’t be changed, as well as any measurement the knitter is able to modify.
• They need to be the measurements of the actual item(s), so if it is a sweater made in pieces, the schematics would be of each piece, not the seamed sweater, though some patterns will additionally include finished measurements after seaming.
• Exact numbers of the item(s) at the given gauge.

Sizing measurements

Let’s talk pattern measurements. Finished measurements are different than measurements given for sizing, and both are on a pattern. The measurement given for sizing is usually the full bust/chest circumference of the item or the body, and the pattern will specify which it is. If it doesn’t specify, ask! It makes a big difference.

Once in a while the measurement given for sizing will be something else, like a hip circumference, or a length, and when that is done it is relating to what is the most important part of the body that needs to be fit for that item. That is what matters - what part of the body must be right for this garment to fit well.

(Detour to yammer about the upper chest measurement again…)

That being said, if your to fit measurement target is the full bust/chest, consider sizing to fit the upper bust/chest. This is because the upper bust/chest more closely relates to the fit in the shoulders where proper fit is most important for any sweater, as sweaters hang from our…. shoulders! Sizing measurements are not on the schematic. Sometimes they will be the same, but often not. If the sizing information is a body measurement, it will not be on the schematic.

So, the measurement you use to choose a size will be a circumference or a length, either of your body, and you will add the ease intended; or of the item, and you will subtract the ease to match your body size. This is sizing information, and patterns most often instruct how to choose a size, which I find very helpful, as all designs have their own things to consider when choosing. In addition to this number, looking at the schematic can give you an idea of whether or not that size will work for you, by looking at the relating measurements.

In the case of the garment made in pieces, this sizing information will be the same, but you will not find any circumferences on the schematic, only widths and lengths, as the schematic will include the finished measurements of the pieces. In seamed garments, you will find circumferences and widths and lengths.

The measurements you need

When you are looking at the schematic, you are looking at the measurements of the item when it is finished, not the measurements of your body. These numbers include ease (the space between the garment and the body), so you will be able to compare those numbers to your own body or other garments you like, and see if that number will work for you. It is important to check that schematic for things you need to fit, so you know what size will work, or what you can modify. What you need to know:

• Neck width/circumference
• Bust/chest width/circumference (in a cardigan in pieces this will look like front panel/back width)
• Upper arm width/circumference
• Body length
• Arm length
• Cuff/lower arm width/circumference
• Armhole/yoke depth

These measurements are needed to know how the item will fit and how it will be worn, and so the knitter knows what they need to modify, if they can.

The measurements you might not need

Possible measurements needed for garments with specific features:

• Shoulder width (tank tops, etc…)
• Hip/waist width/circumference
• Neckline depth
• Collar width
• Button band width
• Cuff length
• Hem length

• Cross back width (this is near impossible for a knitter to take on their own body but depending on the garment, may be useful to include as a schematic measurement - for sweaters with intentionally oversized open fronts, for example.)
• Cross front width

These measurements are needed only if the size of these points makes a difference in how the item is worn, like if the cuff can be folded, or if the neckline is significant or adjustable, or if the cross back is needed because the front can’t be measured, or if there is waist shaping included, etc... Otherwise, leave them out.

Measurements like these that follow are usually unnecessary and can cause confusion for the knitter, thinking they need to get them right, when knowing all the previous measurements are right took care of the fit already:

• Shoulder depth
• Raglan diagonal (not a good indication of whether something will give the depth you want)
• Full length of the item
• Waist to hip length
• Hem circumference (if it is the same as the bust/chest circumference)

The rule

The rule of thumb in putting measurements on your schematic is to be sure they are finished measurements of the item(s), that they are the measurements that result from the given gauge (not guesses and not rounded off to whole numbers unless they are whole numbers), and that they are the measurements that matter for fit, that will help your knitter to know they have chosen the right size and that it will fit well.

Include what the knitter needs, don’t leave any of it out(!), but don’t add unnecessary information to crowd up the page. The measurements we need for designing are not what is needed for making from a pattern. The knitter doesn’t need an entire body chart, or every detail of your sketches and calculations.

Go with the garment

Using the garment itself as a guide can help determine what measurements need to be on there, and it is usually pretty straightforward. Take the shoulder width and shoulder length for example - if the neck, upper arm, and armhole measurements are given and work for that size, these shoulder measurements are not necessary. They also are not easily altered from the pattern, so knitters are not going to make changes there. In the case of a tank top, yes include the shoulder width, as that is needed for fit and perhaps can be modified, but shoulder depth, not at all. This is what I mean by letting the garment guide you into what you need to include for the knitter. The knitter needs what matters for fit and modification, and to be able to trust that if they work the pattern faithfully, they will get those numbers.