Sprout in simple words

If you look at almost any sweater, you will see that the neckline line at the front is lower than at the back (even in turtleneck garments), which is not surprising, considering the peculiarities of our bodies. This difference in height between the back and the front in knitting is called a "growth." Although in sewing, a "growth" refers to the neckline line at the back. But let's not delve into the depths of terminology. Our goal is to knit a garment that can be worn later, and it doesn’t matter what it is called. When knitting a top-down raglan, beginner knitters somehow think that the cone they have knitted will fit perfectly due to the elasticity and seamlessness of the fabric. However, it will not fit, even with exact compliance to the measurements of the garment. This can be easily checked experimentally by knitting a raglan without a growth and during fitting realizing that it "pulls at the back" and "chokes at the front." And even a poorly calculated growth is better than no growth at all. We will give recommendations on how to calculate the growth — what the extension of the back should be in relation to the front. Growth Calculation Height For children under three years old, who still speak poorly and cannot complain about the lack of growth; for very thin models, which do not wear those things they demonstrate — 0-1.5 cm. Teenagers — 3 cm. Size from 42 to 50 — 5 cm. Size from 50 and above — 7 cm. For stooped individuals, the growth can be longer by a few centimeters. The method of determining the height of the growth from sewing considers individual characteristics. First, you need to measure the length of the back from the base of the neck, and then measure the length of the back from the seventh cervical vertebra. The difference between these values will be the growth. Although this is not quite the value we need in knitting, it can serve as a guideline for how much the figure deviates from standard values. The height of the growth can be determined using the formula Height of growth = neck circumference divided by 6 minus 1 cm. Formula from Martynenko's book "Knitting Technique" Height of growth = 0.14 * half neck circumference Example. Let the neck circumference be 36 cm, knitting density 24 rows = 10 cm. Height of growth = (36/6-1)*24/10 = 12 rows. Width of growth = width of the back + stitches of the two sleeves and raglan lines + 2 stitches. For example, let’s take the width of the growth as 72 stitches. You need to knit on the back 12 rows more than on the sleeves and front. But after this, the pattern on the front will not match the pattern on the back (unless, of course, the pattern repeat just happened to be a multiple of the height of the growth, in our example 12 rows)? Correct, it won’t. Perhaps, this should be accepted, after all, no one looks at the back and front at the same time, either adjust the height of the growth to fit the chosen pattern or vice versa, choose another pattern that fits the height of the growth. Note that in the descriptions of models in magazines, the growth is most often not mentioned, apparently to simplify the lives of the authors and complicate the lives of knitters. The size of the growth does not depend on how deep a neckline you plan to make in the front. The growth should be knitted even with a lot of ease, because the growth is mainly due to the forward tilt of the neck, which does not depend on the aforementioned factors. Knitting the Growth Now, how to knit the growth. Top-down raglan knitting. If you simply elongate the back in the neckline area, I fear this will not please many. Although on the "Country of Moms" forum, I have seen such rectangular growths. Bottom-up raglan knitting. Here you can afford to elongate the back by a few centimeters. Of course, you also need to elongate the raglan lines of the sleeves that will be attached to the back by the same amount. As a result, the upper line of the sleeve will become slanted. You can elongate the back inconspicuously, for example, using short rows or elongated rows. So, we have 12 rows and 72 stitches. Let’s distribute these stitches into 11 groups as follows: 72 = 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 12 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6. We perform the elongated rows: knit the central 12 stitches, turn the work. Knit 12 + 6 stitches, turn the work. Knit 6 + 12 + 6 stitches, turn the work. Knit 6 + 12 + 6 + 6 stitches, turn the work. Knit 6 + 6 + 12 + 6 + 6 stitches, turn the work, and so on, in each row involving an additional 6 stitches until all 72 stitches have been knitted, after which we return to regular circular knitting.

Where to knit the growth? Immediately after the neckline at the back or a few rows lower, or after the yoke up to the armpits. Method of changing needles. When knitting in the round, if the pattern is complex and there is no desire to do the calculations, you can use 4 pairs of circular needles, for example, two pairs of size 3 mm and two pairs of size 3.5 mm. The front and sleeves are knitted on smaller needles, the back and the back of the sleeves — on larger needles. Due to the greater density, the back will be longer (and wider, which is not in our plans). Top-down raglan is especially convenient because the garment can be tried on at an early stage and shortcomings can be seen before the initial enthusiasm ends and there is the strength to unravel and re-knit. For beginner knitters, the method of fitting to the figure can yield excellent results (experienced knitters do not need my advice, they already know everything). For crochet items, the growth is also not canceled.