Altering sweaters

There’s been some talk at ThisFits about altering sweaters, so I thought I’d throw in my two cents in on the topic.

Knits are their own beasts, but generally, much of the logic in altering a jacket or shirt will apply to knits.

Taking in the sides is the same for taking in a shirt - they just cut the sides open, take it in, and the sew it up again. Like shirts, this often comes with slimming down the sleeves. The knit tailor I go to charges $14 for this, and it comes out very, very well. It’s not a complicated alteration at all.

A more complicated job would be taking in the shoulders or shortening the sleeves, but this can also be done on most knits. An even more complicated job would be making the armholes higher. This kind of job is done in the way it’s executed on a jacket - you take out the collar, take off the sleeve, cut the shoulder open, trim off the top of the shoulder, resew the shoulder together, and then reattach the sleeves and collar. Depending on how your knit is constructed, however, this might not be possible. Note that doing this will also shorten the length of the knit.

Relatedly, if you only want to shorten the length of the knit, this will depend on how the ribbing at your hem is attached. Your tailor will be able to tell you if this is possible or even advisable.

Like jackets, if you make sure a knit fits you in your chest and shoulders, altering the piece (usually) isn’t terribly difficult or expensive, presuming you’ve found a good knit tailor.

I’ve gone through some rounds to find good tailors in my area. Some have been recommended to me through StyleForum, some through high end shops such as Saks. Remember these stores often have a specific shop they send all their stuff to, and they’ll be able to tell you who they rely on. I’ve found that it’s best to send in some “testers” first before handing over my nicer pieces. You need to be able to examine how good their work is. Obviously, training your eye for tailoring can take some time. Wear the thing for a month or two and pay specially close attention to how clean the details are or whether things start to fall apart. Be extremely critical.

Lastly, if you can’t find anyone in your city to alter your knits, try these guys. I’ve never used their services, and they seem much more expensive than the people I go to, but they’re an option if you live out in the boonies.