Originally, we were going to wait until Friday to post photos of Lisa Shroyer's finished Big Girl version of the Central Park Hoodie,
but after all your requests, we just couldn't resist any longer...so:
Voila! And yes, that is Lisa modelling her hoodie for us all. Toooo
cute! But how to make sure your own hoodie, and every sweater you knit,
is just as cute on you as Lisa's is on her?

Ta-DA! Lisa's CPH "Plus"!
The
first question, for any knitter of any size or shape, is: what size
should I make? Too big, and the best parts of any figure can get
swallowed up. Too small, and well. Certain features of one's landscape
can be over-emphasized, shall we say.
So how does a professional pattern designer go about determining what size to make for herself? Funny you should ask...
Sizing the CPH+
by Lisa Shroyer
When I sat down to reconfigure Heather Lodinsky's Central Park
Hoodie pattern in a size that works for my body, I had to ask myself a
few questions:
What size am I?
How much ease do I want in this project?
What alterations besides width do I need to make in the pattern for plus sizes?
So I know my bust measurement—a solid 45". I also know my hips
measure 49", and the space between bust and hip is an A-line slope (I
am a total pear). So, to fit everywhere comfortably and to have enough
ease to make this garment outerwear (to be worn over other garments), I
decided 7" of ease in the bust and 3" of ease in the hips (as there is
no shaping from hem to underarm in this project) would be best. And
that makes for a 52" finished hoodie. I've seen other knitters make the
CPH very fitted, which is super-cute, but honestly, on my body, a
super-fitted cardigan is not flattering. Instead of looking chic and
tailored, such a garment just shows rolls and bumps and causes
discomfort at underarm and shoulder, as the underlayers bunch up. A
fitted CPH on me would look like an inadequately knit and improperly
sized garment. So my CPH is loose and comfy. (Sidenote: I'm not saying
plus-size knitters should make all their sweaters oversized and
shapeless; rather, you should understand which types of garments are
suited to different amounts of ease on your body.)

The modified buttonband on Lisa's CPH
And
besides width, how else does this pattern need to be altered to work on
my body? I added a quarter inch to the body ribbing (does make a
visible difference!), overall length to the body, and a wider
buttonband. The extra length may seem obvious, but why a wider
buttonband? Well, bold framing elements work well on my body type.
Since I'm larger, I can wear plunging V-necks, huge cowl necks, wide
kimono sleeves, large buttons—all those dynamic elements that can
overpower the smaller of frame, but help break up and "frame" larger
women. And with the deep body ribbing, a wimpy buttonband would have
looked silly. Because the buttonband is so wide, it negates the need
for front neck shaping on the cardigan. The buttonband takes up the
space in the center front where the front neck would be dropped and
shaped on a pullover. You could add front neck shaping if you plan to
button your CPH up higher to the throat—making the shoulders narrower
and the back neck wider (which would also affect the stitch count in
the hood).
Next time: More FO pics of my CPH, and we'll talk about what I would have done differently.
This is the second in a series from Lisa Shroyer on her
adventures in Big Girl Land with the Central Park Hoodie. Lisa is
editor of Knitscene, and senior editor of Interweave Knits.
Our online store is now open!
Our brand-new online pattern store is now open! You can buy patterns (including the revised, enhanced version of the Central Park Hoodie)
from many of our sold-out magazines. We're pleased to offer these
out-of-print patterns, and even more pleased to be able to help support
our wonderful designers by sharing a portion of each pattern sale with
them! We'll be loading up new patterns as fast as we can in the days
ahead. As with any newly-opened shop, the paint might be a bit wet
still, but we just couldn't wait to open our doors and let you have a
peek around. Enjoy!

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.
What's on Sandi's needles? Seven inches of the Gathered
Pullover; a pair of socks on two circulars with partial heel flaps, and
eight inches of the hood of my husband's cabled hoodie.