I'm so excited to welcome Alexa Ludeman of the fabulously talented duo - Tin Can Knits today! Their books and patterns are wonderful and so much fun to make. You can pop on over & check them out HERE! Tin Can Knits is a long time sponsor and participant in our KAL's and I'm so happy to have them back again with another awesome guest post! Alexa's joining us today to chat a bit about ease. 

One of the most commonly asked questions in all of our garment related knit along's is about ease. This time instead of chatting about ease in general Alexa is using their lovely Bonny Tank pattern as an example. The Bonny Tank is always a popular pattern choice in our Tops, Tanks & Tees Knit Along. It features a flattering fit, a pretty neckline and is sure to be a great piece in your summer wardrobe. 

HERE'S ALEXA....

EASE AND THE LOVELY BONNY WITH ALEXA OF TIN CAN KNITS

One of the greatest fears in knitting garments is always getting a knit that fits the way you want, and getting the perfect fit is often a question of ease. What is ease and how do I choose my sweater size based on it?! 

Ease is the difference between the finished measurements of the garment and your measurements. So, if you have a 34 inch bust, and your sweater has a finished bust measurement of 32 inches the math works like this: 

32 - 34 = -2 

so you have 2 inches of negative ease. 

If your bust is 34 and your finished garment measurement is 36 the math works like this: 

36-34 = 2

so you will have 2 inches of positive ease. 

Remember, this amount of ease will only be at the bust, there will be a different amount of ease everywhere else, depending on the bust. It is also good to note that some patterns list ‘finished measurements’ and other patterns list sizes and the patterns has the amount of ease intended built in.  

Now, how much ease you want will depend on the pattern you have chosen and the way you want that sweater to fit. Do you want a looser sweater for wearing around the house? Go with some positive ease. Want a sweater that hugs the curves? Negative ease it is! One way to determine the desired amount of ease is to take out a sweater you already own and like how it fits. Measure this sweater and that will give you the finished measurement you are looking for. 

For some garments the question of ease is an easy one, the Lush cardigan, for example, looks best with a little negative ease. The lace comes out when stretched a little and it makes for a great curve hugging sweater. For the Bonny, however, the answer is not so simple, there are options!

Take a look at the same sweater modelled on 2 differently busted ladies. Cassy is wearing the Bonny shell with 0.5 inches of negative ease (she has a 33” bust and is wearing a size S, which is 32.5”). While Nina has a 38” bust so on her the Bonny has 5.5” of negative ease. You can most notably see the difference in the drape of the lace panel. 

For me, one of the best things about knitting is the fact that each garment you create is unique and custom made for you. You can choose how you want the sweater to fit! For further reading to help you get your dream sweater, check out our tutorials on avoiding the sweater curse, perfect fit, sweater blocking and gauge.

Thank you so much for joining in Tin Can Knits! And I hope you all learned a bit more about ease and how to choose the amount of ease you prefer in a garment.

 You can find all things Tin Can Knits below:

WEBSITE // INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK // RAVELRY

For more helpful posts check out our TIPS + TECHNIQUES page! 

1. Don't miss Tin Can Knits SSKAL15 post on "How to Knit a Sweater".
2. And for more about Ease check out our guest post with Alicia Plummer HERE and one on fit with Jane Richmond.

This post is proudly sponsored by Quince & Co.