Size Inclusive Design and What it Means to Me

Hi friends,

I want to just take the time to go over something that’s been really weighing on me lately.

Since 2019, all of my knit and crochet patterns have included sizing from XS through 5XL. The first pattern I ever released with a full size range was my Rosebud Raglan. It took about 2 months to figure out sizing (I even had a grader help me out with this very first full size-range) because I just wanted it to fit every body type perfectly. I was so excited to do my first-ever tester call for 9 different sizes including XS, S, M, L, XL, 2X, 3X, 4X and 5X and to finally have a range of sizes that I’m proud of. Working with 2 or 3 testers per size, I got a lot of feedback; most of which included thanking me for designing something that fits their bodies. Each message made me tear up a little bit because I know there are a lot of women out there who must feel under-represented and I really want to do my part to help change that. Even in this tiny corner of the internet that is knitwear, I think we have an impact on the fashion industry. A small ripple can create waves. Body positivity and size inclusivity is something I’ve been paying more and more attention to and become aware of some issues in the knitwear community (and the fashion industry in general) and this post is my promise to you that I will continue to design size-inclusive patterns that make you feel seen; patterns that feel as if they were designed just for you.

Sometimes I just want to shut out the noise. You’re not thin enough. You’re too thin. Your nose is too big. Your skin isn’t clear enough. You’re too fat. You’re too skinny. Your boobs are too small. Your lips need to be more full. Your teeth aren’t white enough. Your legs have cellulite. Your hair is too thin. Your butt is too flat. Your butt is too big. Your hips are too wide. Your hips aren’t wide enough. You’re not womanly enough. Your body isn’t toned enough. Your belly isn’t flat. You don’t look like her.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve thought almost all of these things at some point in my life. Most of these thoughts were from when I was a teenager in middle school and high school. It’s sad to think of the amount of time I wasted as a young person feeling like I can’t measure up. I remember most of my childhood, there were boys who would call me thunder thighs, make fun of my teeth, and I would overhear them commenting on girls’ bodies all the time. All of this led me to be really self conscious of my body (even as a slim person), and become hyper aware of what I did and didn’t have going for me.

Being a woman can be hard. It seems like there are societal standards for every aspect of womanhood and, for some reason, people feel entitled to tell you how you should look and how you should live your life. There is subliminal messaging about everything from sexuality to motherhood to what your body should look like. Magazines, movies, music, porn, Instagram, clothing stores, everywhere.. and I’m so over it.

No matter where you are in life, no matter who you are or what your struggles are, no matter what journey-to-self-improvement you’re on, you are still ENOUGH, just as you are now, and you deserve to be celebrated just a you are now, in this season of life.

I don’t want to contribute to this noise.

The last thing I want to do is make somebody feel any of these awful things by finding a design they like and realizing I haven’t written the pattern for their size. I think the rest of society does enough damage to body image, I want no part in it.

You know what, I might not have the greatest power of influence, and I’m just a regular girl who likes to design crochet clothes..  but if the ONE thing I have the power to do as a designer is to write my patterns for as many bodies as possible, and represent as many sizes as possible, then that’s what I’m going to do. It’s the least I can do. Each pattern I release going forward will be sized up to at last 5X, or a 62″ [157 cm] bust.

The weight distribution is different for all sizes, and I recognize that. For fitted clothing, It’s not just a matter of adding the same number of stitches to each measurement for each size to make it 4″ larger than the previous size. For example, the “center back, neck-to-wrist” and “cross-back” measurements are similar throughout varying sizes, however the bust measurement differs greatly for each size. I am thoughtful about grading each size to ensure that the fabric will flatter the body of the person that will be wearing it, as best possible.

Of course, not every 2X sweater will fit a 2X person the exact same way; Bodies vary. Some people have larger hips and smaller busts, or larger busts and smaller hips, altering the way the sweater fits.

But, this is the way it is for every size in the Craft Yarn Council: Not everybody fits into these specific sizing boxes. For example, my bust measurement falls under one size under the CYC, but my hips fall under another size. It’s up to me which size I will make if I’m following somebody else’s pattern because my body doesn’t fit perfectly into these standards. However, these standards are just an easy way for sizes to be consistent across designers. My patterns follow these CYC standards, and hopefully I’ve given you enough of a size range that you can find a size that is as close as possible to your unique body measurements. If you happen to fall outside of this range, I am always available to help you alter the pattern to fit your unique measurements.

It sucks that it can be so much harder to find clothes with a wide range of sizes. It sucks that sometimes the plus section is in another part of the stores, if it’s even in the store at all. It sucks that most of the popular clothing stores don’t even sell plus-size clothing. It sucks that more sizes aren’t represented in popular culture. So much about it sucks, but the one thing I can do to help change this is to continue designing for all bodies, as best I can.

It’s something that is really important to me. There are no rules for what you can sell on the internet – it’s unfortunate that you can sell a pattern with 1 size if you want, or you can sell a PDF file with absolutely anything in it and nobody is stopping you. However, I have standards for myself, standards for how I want to make other women feel, standards for how I want my business to be portrayed, and standards for what I feel is right and what is best for everybody. In my perfect world, all clothing companies and all designers would offer this size range, so I should be the change I want to see in this fashion world, which can be so cruel to larger bodies.

Some other size-inclusive (up to 5X – 60-62″ bust) designers include:

Crochet: Joy of Motion Crochet, I Love Tinderbox, White Owl Crochet, Meghan Ballmer, Hailey Bailey, All About Ami, Life and Yarn.

Knit: Jessie Maed Designs, White Owl Crochet, Andrea Mowry, Tincanknits, Jacqueline Cieslak, All About Ami, Knitatude

All of these designers are size-inclusive in their most recent patterns. If you’re looking for more size-inclusive designers, this list might be a good place to start!

Some other patterns of mine that are also size-inclusive up to 5XL include: Wanderer Ruana, Chasing Summer Tank, Desert Stroll Tank, Granite Yoke Tee, Grand Arches Cardi, Aloha Cardigan, Rosebud Poncho, Beginner Bralette, Goldstone Bralette, Inglewood Cardi. Chainette Turtleneck, Teulon Tank.

Having a wide range of sizes available is important to me and I hope to do your size justice. I want you to be able to make something that fits you properly and makes you feel confident. I want your body to be represented and I want to be an advocate for size-inclusivity.

Basically..

There are a million nasty voices out there in this world whispering that we’re not enough, and I don’t want my patterns to amplify that voice by not representing diverse bodies, which are all beautiful, unique, and worth celebrating.

x

Janine