Although it’s a pattern book at heart, Little Red in the City by Ysolda Teague frequently gets recommended for its fit information. The first ¼ of the book is a section called “Tools for a Successful Sweater,” and it covers everything from swatching and choosing a size to adding a few modifications and blocking. I really loved Ysolda’s matter-of-fact way of talking about bodies and style. She explained things like how some design elements will make you appear broader and some will make you appear narrower, but she didn’t make assumptions about what shape the reader should try to create or assign value to anything. I appreciated that because it leaves room for personal style and doesn’t simply assume that an hourglass shape is the ideal.
Most of the fit information is targeted at plus-size and/or curvier knitters. The book gives suggestions about moving motifs to create the look you’re hoping for, and it also gives advice on altering the shaping through the body and sleeves to fit different figures. Although the book does touch on a lot of different kinds of modifications, it only goes into detail and gives calculations for moving the shaping up or down and changing the rate of shaping, and for adding horizontal bust darts. For the other kinds of modifications that are mentioned, the book simply gives suggestions, which is understandable because it’s a pattern book, not a book on fit. There isn’t a lot of information for petite or asymmetrical bodies.
I’d recommend this one to knitters looking to adjust their sweaters for a full bust. A lot of books include calculations for horizontal bust darts, but Little Red in the City does a particularly good job at explaining how to incorporate the darts into an existing pattern.
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