Knitting Calculator for Increase and Decrease
BOOKMARK THIS PAGE. Here, you can calculate side increases and side decreases between hips, waist and bust including any ease in the knitted garment. After you’ve entered your numbers below, the calculator will show you the number of increases and decreases based on 4 stitches change per round (ie. 2 stitches on each side marker) or 2 stitches change per row (knitted back and forth with 1 stitch inc/dec on each side edge). It will also show you the interval of rounds or rows between the increases and decreases. (Example – 3 increases made every 6 rounds/rows.) PLEASE NOTE – If this knitting calculator is not quite what you need, check the links at the bottom of the page for the other calculators I have made.
Feel free to Contact me if you have other calculators you’d like me to add. I enjoy making them!
Equipment you need
- Flexible tape measure in either cm or inches
- Knitted swatch of the yarn and stitch pattern for the garment 10x10cm or 4×4″
- The body you are knitting for
- Notepad and pen to measure the six measurements shown here (right).
Measure
- (A) Circumference of hips or the lower edge of garment at the widest point.
- (B) Circumference of waist which is usually around 5-6cm above your belly button.
- (C) Circumference of bust at the widest point.
- (D) Shoulder to bust height – measure down the side of your bust, not over the top.
- (E) Shoulder to waist – measure down the side of you bust. NB – To add space for a bust look at the short rows calculator.
- (F) Shoulder to hips or to the lower edge of the garment (hem).
There are 2 Calculators here. This top one is set for Centimeters.
Calculator for Inches – scroll down.
Tips and Variations on Calculating the Increases and Decreases
- If you are knitting an A-Line or Baby Doll shape which increases from bust to hem with no waistline, leave (B) Waist width and Shoulder to Waist Height blank.
- Watching your waist? When your waist is bigger than your hips, you will find the number of increases shows as a negative number. These are increases instead decreases towards the waist. If you don’t plan to draw the circumference of the hem in underneath the tummy, put the larger measurement in the (C) Hips as well as (B) Waist. To flare the bottom edge below the tummy, add more ease to (C) Hips.
- To calculate a longer top, dress or tunic, you can add the bottom hem measurement to (A) Hips or Hem Width and the full height of the garment into “Shoulder to hem”.
- When working back and forth, the calculations may give you an interval that is an odd number. Say for example the interval is 5 rows. I would recommend alternating so the rate of change evens out. eg – The first increase is 4 rows above, the next increase is 6 rows above, then 4, then 6 again etc.
More Calculators for Knitting
Knitting Stitch Gauge Calculator