We know some of you may be wondering about adjusting the length of the piece, before you get too far into the piece. One of the questions we get asked most about all of our patterns is “Can I make this longer/shorter?” And the answer is always yes! We wholeheartedly believe in knitting and crochet patterns to fit your body and your style preferences. Now, the how to add or remove length varies greatly on the pattern in question. For the Happy Harvest poncho, it’s pretty straightforward, but Elizabeth has some great tips for figuring out exactly how to adjust the length to keep that Acorn Lace and high-low hem action.
The Happy Harvest poncho was designed to be a bit oversized, but not everyone wants or needs to exact same length (depending on your preferred fit or your body height). In the below picture, I am modeling my Happy Harvest sample – as a frame of reference, I am around 5’7″…
On my body, the back of the piece just about covers my behind. However, if you are a bit shorter, or if you just prefer a shorter or longer length, altering the length is easy peasy. Please note: the beginning is written to discuss the back piece, as it’s a little easier to visualize with the plain stockinette section, but step 3 addresses the front piece.
Step 1: Figure out your desired back length (“x”)
• As written, the back of the poncho from the back of your neck down to the hem is 26.75 (27.5, 28.25)”/68 (70, 72) cm (depending on which size you are doing). Take a measuring tape and measure yourself from the back of your neck down and see where this measurement falls on you (it may help to have someone help you with this!), and then you can decide where you would prefer it to fall – write down this number (we will call this desired back length measurement “x”).
• Alternatively, if you have a sweater/vest/poncho that you love the length of, take it out and measure it to get your “x” amount.
Step 2: Figure out the difference (“y”):
• Subtract “x” from 26.75 (27.5, 28.25)”/68 (70, 72) cm (depending on your size). This number will be referred to as “y” (the amount of inches/cm you want to remove).
• Note: To keep the original shape of the garment (the Front shorter than the Back), you will be removing “y” length from both the Front and the Back.
Step 3: How to work the Front:
When working the Front piece, in the “Body” section, work “y” inches/cm less than the 12”/30 cm length listed – so 12”/30cm – “y” = actual length you will work.
Step 4: How to Work the Back:
• When working the Back piece, in the “Body + Yoke” section, work “y” inches/cm less than the 20 (20.75, 21.5)”/51 (53, 55) cm length listed – so 20 (20.75, 21.5)”/51 (53, 55) cm – “x” = actual length you will work.
Let us know if you have questions in the comments below! And join us by getting the pattern (either from Ravelry or Elizabeth’s website) and chatting in our Ravelry group or Facebook group!