A shirt takes planning, but the basic steps are the same as any other garment
Knitting a shirt means choosing a pattern, measuring yourself, selecting yarn, casting on, and working through the body and sleeves in order. Most hand-knit shirts take between 40 and 100 hours depending on the pattern, yarn weight, and your speed. You will need needles in the size the pattern calls for, yarn in the yardage specified, and a way to measure your gauge — the number of stitches and rows per inch your needles and yarn produce together. If your gauge does not match the pattern's gauge, your finished shirt will be the wrong size.
The hardest part is not the knitting itself but the planning before you cast on. A shirt that fits depends on three things: choosing a pattern designed for your skill level, measuring your body correctly, and understanding how much ease — extra room — you want in the finished garment. A shirt with too little ease will be tight and uncomfortable. A shirt with too much ease will hang like a sack. Most patterns tell you the finished measurements and the recommended ease, so you can decide whether it will fit you before you start.
Key Takeaways
- Your gauge — the number of stitches and rows per inch — must match the pattern's gauge, or the shirt will be the wrong size.
- Measure your chest, shoulder width, and desired sleeve length before choosing a pattern, and compare those measurements to the pattern's finished dimensions plus ease.
- Most patterns work the body flat in pieces (front, back, sleeves) or in the round as one tube, and the method you choose affects how you seam or join the pieces.
- Blocking — wetting and pinning the finished pieces to shape — makes the shirt look polished and helps the pieces fit together correctly when you seam them.
Measure yourself and choose a pattern that fits those measurements
Before you look at patterns, measure your chest at the fullest point, your shoulder width from bone to bone across the back, and the length you want from your shoulder to your hip or waist. Write these numbers down. Then look at the schematic — the diagram showing finished measurements — in the pattern you are considering. The schematic will show the finished chest width, shoulder width, and length. Subtract your body measurement from the finished measurement to find the ease. For a fitted shirt, aim for 2 to 4 inches of ease. For a relaxed fit, aim for 4 to 6 inches.
If the pattern does not include a schematic, do not use it. A schematic is the only way to know whether the shirt will fit. Patterns written for different body shapes and sizes will have different schematics, so a "medium" in one pattern may be very different from a "medium" in another. Ignore the size label and use the schematic instead.
Choose a pattern that matches your knitting level. Beginner patterns use stockinette stitch (knit on the right side, purl on the wrong side) and straightforward shaping. Intermediate patterns may include cables, colorwork, or more complex shaping. Advanced patterns may combine multiple techniques or require you to pick up stitches and work in directions you have not done before. Starting with a pattern above your level will result in a shirt you do not finish or one that does not fit.
Swatch and measure your gauge before casting on
Gauge is the number of stitches and rows per inch your needles and yarn produce together. Every pattern lists the gauge it was designed for — usually something like "20 stitches and 28 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch on size 6 needles." If your gauge is different, your shirt will be the wrong size. A difference of even one stitch per inch can add or subtract several inches across the finished chest.
To check your gauge, cast on at least 20 stitches using the yarn and needles the pattern calls for. Work in the stitch pattern (usually stockinette) for at least 4 inches. Bind off loosely. Lay the swatch flat on a table without stretching it. Place a ruler across the stitches and count how many stitches fit in 4 inches. Do the same for rows. If your stitch count matches the pattern's stitch count and your row count matches the pattern's row count, you are ready to cast on the shirt. If not, change needle size — go up one size if you have too few stitches per inch, down one size if you have too many — and swatch again.
Keep your swatch. You will need it later to block the finished shirt pieces, because blocking your swatch first shows you how the yarn and stitch pattern behave when wet.
Cast on and work the body in pieces or in the round
Most shirt patterns work the body in one of two ways: flat in separate pieces (front, back, and sleeves) that you seam together later, or in the round as one tube that you divide for the armholes. Patterns that work flat are easier for beginners because you can see your work clearly and fix mistakes. Patterns that work in the round are faster because you do not have to seam, but they require you to work with circular needles or double-pointed needles and to increase and decrease stitches to shape the armholes and neckline.
Follow the pattern's cast-on number for your size. The pattern will tell you how many stitches to cast on and which stitch to use (usually long-tail cast-on for a stretchy edge). Cast on loosely so the edge is not tight. Work the ribbing or edge pattern the pattern calls for — usually 1 to 2 inches of knit-one-purl-one or knit-two-purl-two ribbing to keep the edge from curling. Then work the body in stockinette or the stitch pattern until you reach the armhole depth the pattern specifies.
At the armhole, you will bind off a few stitches on each side to create the opening for the sleeve. Then you will decrease stitches on each side every few rows to shape the armhole. The pattern will tell you exactly how many stitches to bind off and how often to decrease. Follow the numbers in the pattern for your size.
Shape the neckline and bind off the body pieces
Once you reach the shoulder, you will shape the neckline by binding off stitches at the center front or back. The pattern will tell you how many stitches to bind off in the first row and how many to decrease on following rows. Bind off stitches at the neckline edge only — do not decrease at the armhole anymore once you start the neckline shaping.
When the armhole and neckline are the correct depth, bind off all remaining stitches. Bind off loosely so the shoulder seam is not tight. If you are working flat, you now have a front piece, a back piece, and two sleeve pieces. If you are working in the round, you have one tube with two sleeves attached.
Before you seam or join the pieces, block them. Wet each piece in cool water with a small amount of wool wash, squeeze out the water gently, and pin the piece to the measurements on the schematic. Let it dry completely — usually 24 hours. Blocking opens up the stitches, evens out the edges, and makes seaming much easier.
Seam the pieces together or join in the round
If you worked flat, you now seam the pieces. Use a yarn needle and the same yarn you knit with. Seam the sleeves to the armholes using mattress stitch, which creates an invisible seam. Mattress stitch works by picking up the horizontal bars between stitches on each side and pulling them together. Seam the side seams and sleeve seams the same way. If you worked in the round, you may have already joined the sleeves to the body, so you only need to seam the underarm seams.
After seaming, try on the shirt. Check that the shoulders sit at the right point, the sleeves are the right length, and the body is not too tight or too loose. If the sleeves are too long, you can unravel the bind-off edge, pick up the stitches, and knit a few more rows before binding off again. If the sleeves are too short, you cannot easily add length without unraveling the whole sleeve.
Finish the neckline and weave in the ends
Most patterns call for a neckband — a band of ribbing around the neckline that keeps the neck opening from stretching. To add a neckband, pick up stitches around the neckline opening using a circular needle one or two sizes smaller than the body needles. The pattern will tell you how many stitches to pick up. Work in ribbing for 1 to 2 inches, then bind off loosely. Block the neckband the same way you blocked the body pieces.
Once the neckband is dry, weave in all the loose ends using a yarn needle. Thread the needle with each loose end and weave it through the stitches on the wrong side of the fabric for about an inch, then trim the excess yarn close to the fabric. Weave in ends on the wrong side so they do not show on the right side.
Try on the finished shirt. If the fit is right and the seams are even, you are done. If you want to add buttons, buttonholes, or other details, follow the pattern's instructions for placement and spacing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What yarn weight should I use for a shirt?
Use the yarn weight the pattern calls for. Most shirts use fingering weight (thin yarn that knits to about 28 stitches per 4 inches), sport weight (about 24 stitches per 4 inches), or worsted weight (about 18 stitches per 4 inches). Thinner yarn makes a lighter, more drape-y shirt. Thicker yarn makes a warmer, more structured shirt. Do not substitute a different weight without checking the yardage and gauge.
How much yarn do I need?
The pattern will specify the yardage for each size. Buy the yardage for your size plus 10 percent extra in case you need to rip back and reknit a section. If you are substituting yarn, make sure the yardage is the same as the original yarn, not just the weight. Two yarns of the same weight can have very different yardages.
Can I knit a shirt in the round on straight needles?
No. Knitting in the round requires circular needles or double-pointed needles so you can work continuously without turning the work. Straight needles are for flat knitting. If you want to avoid seaming, choose a pattern that is designed to be knit in the round.
What do I do if I make a mistake in the middle of the shirt?
If the mistake is a few rows back, you can unravel the stitches back to the mistake, pick up the stitches with a needle, and reknit from that point. If the mistake is many rows back or if you cannot fix it by reknitting, you may need to rip back the entire piece and start over. This is why swatching and checking your gauge before casting on is important — it saves time if you have to start over.
Do I have to block my shirt?
Blocking is not required, but it makes a big difference in how the finished shirt looks and fits. Blocking evens out uneven stitches, opens up lacy patterns, and helps the pieces fit together correctly when you seam them. Even a light blocking — spraying the pieces with water and letting them dry — improves the finished look.