One of the biggest advantages of knitting your own clothes is that you can tailor the fit exactly to your body. But here’s the part many knitters skip — or remember too late: You should try on your garment as you go.
Not once at the end. Not only at bind-off. You should try it on at key checkpoints throughout the project so you can catch sizing issues early, adjust before it’s too late, and end up with a sweater you actually want to wear.
Let’s walk through when, how, and why to try on your knits (and yes, I learned this lesson the hard way…).
Why Trying On Matters
Knitting patterns are drafted for one “standard” body shape, but real bodies are not standard. Even if you get perfect gauge, your sweater may still need:
- A shorter or longer yoke
- More room in the sleeves
- Additional body length
- Adjustments for shoulders, bust, or upper arms
- A slightly different neckline depth
Trying on as you go helps you see what your sweater needs — not what the pattern assumes you need.
It also saves you hours of frustration. Because nothing is worse than finishing a garment and realizing the fit is off, especially when the issue could have been caught ten inches earlier.
The Tools You Need to Try On Your Project
Rubber Cords (or “Barber Cords” or “Try-It-On Tubing”)
These are silicone cords that attach to your needle tips and let you easily transfer live stitches onto a flexible cord long enough to slip the sweater over your head. They’re inexpensive, easy to store, and wildly helpful.
You can also use:
- Scrap yarn
- Spare circular needles
- A long interchangeable cable
But trust me: cords are worth the $10. Plus buying the spool means that you can cut it to the size you need.
Or shop the original Knitting Barber Cords, which come pre-cut with a metal storage tin.
When to Try On Your Sweater
1. After Finishing the Yoke (for top-down sweaters)
This is the most important checkpoint.
Slip the stitches onto your cords and put the yoke on:
- Does the neckline sit where you want?
- Is the yoke depth correct, or is it choking you / slipping off your shoulders?
- Does the underarm fit feel right?
- Are the sleeves placed comfortably?
This is the moment to fix yoke depth.
Too shallow? Add a bit more length before splitting for sleeves.
Too deep? Rip back a few rows now — not after knitting the entire body.
A caveat: the fit will be slightly different after the sweater has sleeves. I recommend trying it on again after splitting for sleeves to be extra safe.
2. After Finishing One Sleeve
Once you’ve completed one sleeve, try the sweater on again:
- Is the sleeve length right?
- Do you like the cuff placement?
- Is the sleeve too tight, too roomy, or just right?
Adjust now so you can match the second sleeve perfectly. Knitters don’t love being on sleeve island – we definitely don’t want to knit 4 sleeves for 1 sweater (ask me how I know…).
- Bonus: Sleeves subtly change the yoke fit, this is a good final check for the yoke, too.
3. Before Starting Ribbing or Hem Details
Trying on before finishing the bottom ribbing helps you decide:
- Do you want the sweater cropped or longer?
- Should the ribbing be deeper or more subtle?
- Does the garment sit evenly or need shaping adjustments?
(If you don’t mind shorter or longer ribbing, you could choose to do this try on before binding off the ribbing, and then adjust accordingly.)
4. Final Try-On Before Blocking
If something needs ripping, it’s easier now than after the wash when the yarn becomes ramen noodle-y.
What If You’re Knitting Bottom-Up?
Bottom-up garments are more difficult to try on as you go, but they also benefit from try-ons:
- Try the sleeves to make sure you like the length from your underarm.
- Try before joining the sleeves to make sure you like the body length from your underarm.
- Try after starting the yoke but before finishing the neck.
Even though it’s slightly trickier, bottom-up sweaters still offer fit checkpoints.
How to Read the Fit While Trying On
When you try on a sweater in progress, ignore the unblocked appearance, but do account for expected growth during blocking – this is why it’s best to measure swatches before and after blocking.
Also, focus on:
- Fit and comfort: Does anything feel tight or pull?
- Shoulder alignment: Does the yoke sit correctly?
- Body length: Comfortable or too short/long?
- Ease: Is it closer-fitting or boxier than you wanted?
- Sleeve proportions: Does the sleeve hit the right spot?
Take notes — your “future sweater self” will thank you. Keep a note on your phone of your preferred sleeve length, body length, yoke depth, and ease for different sweater constructions (top down, bottom up, circular yoke, raglan, drop shoulder, etc.)
A Quick Troubleshooting Guide
Yoke feels too deep:
Take note of the difference between your preferred yoke depth and the yoke depth of this sweater. Rip back (frog, tink) to before sleeve split and then continue ripping back the additional length you noted.
Sleeves feel tight:
Sleeves often need to be knit on a needle one size larger than the body because we naturally tighten up our gauge when working small circumferences. You could also add a few extra increases (bottom up) or remove a few decreases (top down).
Body is too short:
Either add length before the ribbing or make the ribbing longer.
Neckline sits too high:
Rip back the neckline and add a few short rows to the back before the yoke increases. This raises the back of the neck and allows the front of the neck to sit lower, kind of like a store-bought sweater or tee. Or block aggressively.
Sweater feels too big overall:
Double-check gauge — you may need to go down a needle size.
Why This One Habit Makes a Huge Difference
- Trying on as you go eliminates guesswork.
- It reduces rip back (aka frogging, because ‘ribbit ribbit’).
- It increases the likelihood that you’ll finish and actually love the sweater you made. If you’re going to spend 40+ hours on this, it’s worth loving it.
The joy of knitting garments is that every stitch is customizable, so take advantage of that! A few minutes of trying-on can save you hours later and transform your projects from good to “I can’t believe I made this.”
