What Makes a Knitting Pattern Size Inclusive?

Knitting has the potential to create garments that fit any sort of body, no matter what that body's traits are. Yet, if you look at the most popular knitting designers and knitting patterns, most often they are thin women designing garments for their own bodies, typically modeled by thin (white, cis, able-bodied) women.

Today the question we are exploring is: why is that? We are examining the gap between the potential for knitting to embrace body liberation and the reality of Ravelry's top patterns.

#TWYAK05 Notes

Books We Mention

• Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings
• Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves by Sophie Gilbert
• Little Red in the City by Ysolda Teague
• Amy Herzog's Ultimate Sweater Book and Knit to Flatter

Knitting Things We Mention

• Size Inclusivity in Knitting Patterns: Designer's Perspective — Susanna Winter
• A short and non-exhaustive list of some knitting designers who are vocal about size inclusivity: Jaq Cieslak, Jessie Mae Martinson, James N Watts, Rebecca Clow
• Definitely check out the Size Inclusive Repository and follow Size Inclusive Collective on Instagram
• Some Thoughts on Size Inclusivity in Knitting — Karie Westermann
• Sille Slipover by PetiteKnit in Peer Gynt in Natural Tweed
• Schemer Slipover by Apella.Knits in Kelbourne Woolens Lucky Tweed
• Esther Vest by PetiteKnit in Kelbourne Woolens Erin

Other Things We Mention

• Smithsonian American Art Museum's State Fairs: Growing American Craft exhibit
• Sadly Well+Good seems to be no longer, so you can't read Anjali's article about early nutrition science and eugenics!
• Creative Youth sewing classes
• Moon Raccoon Baking Co, a delicious new bakery in Anjali's neighborhood