Where The Darts Go

Bust Dart Placement

Knitting Daily — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:44:55 GMT

Third in Our Series on Bust Darts... For long-time Knitting Daily readers, this post might feel like

Bust Dart Placement

Knitting Daily with Sandi — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:40:18 GMT

For long-time Knitting Daily readers, this post might feel like a slice of deja-vu. There's some

re: Where The Darts Go

AlexandraG@2 — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:54:36 GMT

Hey Sandi -- did you ever post the PDF of the numbers for the bust darts? Thanks!

re: Where The Darts Go

DeniseJ — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:41:36 GMT

I am having a lot of trouble with the idea that short rows and vertical darts are alternatives to each other. They can't possibly be alternatives because they address different issues. Vertical darts deal with the difference between the waist and bust measurements. Short rows deal with the extra length needed at center front. Lily Chin explained this beautifully in an old Threads article. Sandi's sweater is lovely, but it rides up at the center front because her vertical darts did not add any extra length where it was needed. This is accentuated by the placement of the stripe, which arches up at the center front. In order for the stripe to be horizontal, Sandi would have needed to add short rows above the stripe. Yes, short rows are difficult in stripes and cables. They are NOT impossible. It requires some serious design decisions. By analogy, consider sewing. Would you not follow the darts in a sewing pattern because you have chosen a striped fabric? Isn't it more likely that you would take both darts and stripes into account in developing the garment? I worked a striped sweater with short rows, and they are hardly noticeable. Cables are a bit trickier. In one case, my precious cables did not meet at the shoulders precisely. That was my design trade-off for the extra length I wanted at center front. In another case, the four-row offset between the front and back cables actually made them meet more gracefully at the shoulders!

re: Where The Darts Go

ClaudiaC@2 — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:36:15 GMT

It would be great if you could post this info in the "techniques" section. Thanks!

re: Where The Darts Go

Sewshort — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 13:25:26 GMT

My dart problem was a little different. The back neck of the pattern was too wide for me, so I decreased the number of cast on stitches and added two darts at the back neck to increase to the proper number of stitches to get the back width I need for my bust size. Now the sweater stays put at my neck instead of crawling down my back as I wear it.

re: Where The Darts Go

Elsby — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 08:17:44 GMT

First it was bust darts, then buddha belly darts. What next? Will be wanting darts below our derrieres? LOL

Love the site.

Elsby

re: Where The Darts Go

conib — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 19:13:14 GMT

Linda -- about the V-neck thing:

Sandra Betzina (a sewing guru) in her book "Power Sewing" recommends that a curve should be built into the V so that it will lie flat against the upper chest. She suggests that for smaller busts, the curve should be slightly concave:

( )

and for larger busts, the curve should be slightly convex:

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Sandra says that these curves should curve inward or outward no more than 1/4" (6mm) from the straight-line V.

So for a smaller bust, instead of a straight-line increase when knitting the V-neck from the top down, you could try creating a slightly concave curve by omitting the neckline increase on each side of the V at the 1/3 point and then adding that increase back by doing an increase on each side of the V in what would normally have been a non-increase row at the 2/3 point.

Busty women might try doing an increase in a normally non-increase row at the 1/3 point and omitting an increase at the 2/3 point.

I hope this makes sense!

re: Where The Darts Go

PatriciaD — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:21:13 GMT

I think this could be another book in the offing? This time just simple ways to fit before we knit?

re: Where The Darts Go

JaniceY — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:20:14 GMT

Hi, Since I'm not very computer literate I've had no luck in downloading your TOMATO sweater. I have the adobe reader and I've logged in and signed up along time ago. I've also downloaded your shawl and sock patterns. So I,m confused as to why since you've changed the web I'm not able to download. I receive the emails that are sent. Thankyou for helping Janice of shinydiamonds@msn.com
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re: Where The Darts Go

DebbyJ — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:18:19 GMT

As one who used to be a 32A, had a child, then expanded to a 34D, it was your article that made me finally see the light. I'm at the bottom ribbing of a top-down short-sleeve sweater and I am going to rip 'er out in order to redo it with the bust darts. No kidding. I actually took it off the needles to try it on, and it indeed looks downright stupid without the darts. I can't wait! Who would have thought one could get so excited about re-knitting?!?

re: Where The Darts Go

CeriD — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:14:55 GMT

Oh I love the Tomato - and adore the colours - been thinking - I admire the darts, but what if...you kniteed in a lycra mix (Fixation or Heirloom Breeze) can't always get US yarns in Tasmania, Australia and knitted the top section on larger needles and the under bust on smaller needles? Would that do a similar thing to darts? Or is that a really dumb idea?

re: Where The Darts Go

Gauss — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:45:14 GMT

If the site is called "knitting daily", why isn't it updated daily?

re: Where The Darts Go

TinaB@2 — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 21:32:44 GMT

There are some great posts in here - thank you. My beef with short rows in the round for top -down raglans or just in the round, period (my preferred way to knit sweaters) is that there was always one gap on each side where my picking up wraps or what have you just plain didn't work becuase the stitches are oriented differently, due to knitting in the round. I'm hoping to find some info here to solve that problem.

I like the idea of bust darts but my question is this: will this still make a shorter garment in the front than the back, due to the extra real estate the boobies take up?

re: Where The Darts Go

Emma — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 17:03:00 GMT

It is such a joy to read your daily knitting blog. Finally, a knitter (newby) I can identify with. I made the bag, Amanda's Squatty Sidekick, and it is drying as I write. LOVE it already. Thanks for sharing your hits and misses. It's so encouraging to us who are trying to learn. Emma