Tin Can Knits

Confession: When Alexa suggested we size our patterns from baby all the way up through adult sizes, I wasn’t sure it was a great idea. At the time, I didn’t have kids, grand-kids, nieces or nephews, or even any friends with kids. I had never knit for little ones, and to be honest, it seemed a grand and flagrant waste of yarn and time that would be better spent knitting for me! Alexa was expecting Hunter at the time, and she was pretty insistent that it would be awesome. She already had adorable matchy sweater pictures in mind I’m sure!

So I was uncertain, but I trusted Alexa! A few short years later, I found there was an endless supply of little ones around and I felt the JOY of tiny knits. Honestly, the best part of my job is seeing beautiful things I made on the people I love, for me it’s even better than wearing my own sweaters!

the #matchymatchy cuteness factor

We started taking cheesy #matchymatchy photos back in 2011, and you’d think by now it would have gotten old, but nope, for us it just keeps getting better and better!

It’s not always easy to get the toddlers to cooperate. OK, to restate that a bit more accurately: it’s always nearly impossible to get toddlers to cooperate! But they are so cute in the photos that we often forget the suffering it took to get the shot.

The people that we love, the people that we knit for, and knitters themselves come in all shapes and sizes, right? We decided our patterns should be sized accordingly.

making high value patterns

From the beginning, our goal has been to make trusted patterns that are high quality and high value, while offering excellent learning resources and responsive customer service, so knitters can really enjoy our designs. Our baby-to-big size range has been one of the ways we sought to deliver a lot of value. Publishing free patterns is another way we seek to offer value, so you can try our work, and buy with confidence. The Simple Collection, our free learn-to-knit series with 12 free patterns and in-depth tutorials, is perfect for learners, teachers, and knitters who just love simple satisfying projects.

Not all knitters can afford to pay for patterns, there were times in my knitting journey that I thought paying $7 for a pattern was ludicrous. We like to do our part to add to the gigantic resource of free patterns available online. We treat our free patterns just as we do our pay ones. They go through the same rigorous process, and we put all the same love in too.

when in doubt, take baby steps

Clothes are worn differently by adults and kids. Part of the joy about knitting for little ones is not worrying too much about sizing. If the knit is bigger than the kid, you can be confident it will fit one day. If it’s a bit small, there’s likely a littler child coming down the pipe; your beautiful creation will be enjoyed one way or another. If you’re more serious about ensuring fit, we suggest you measure the kid rather than guessing based upon their age; the sizes and shapes of little ones vary widely, just like grown-ups do.

One convenient thing about having the full size range in a single design is the ability to try out a new technique, project type or yarn quickly. We often suggest that knitters new to sweater or sock knitting begin with a kid size if practical. In half (or less!) the yardage and time you will practice all of the new techniques, think of it like a GIANT swatch. Plus, it’s bound to fit SOME kid at SOME point, even if it comes out vastly larger or smaller than intended! We all know how gauge can be a fickle friend!

how does baby-to-big sizing make our designs different?

We generally need to design multiple versions of a motif or stitch pattern, in order for the size range to work, but again, we see this as an upside, because more practice is better when it comes to creative work, right?!

The design challenge of making a concept ‘read’ over our extensive size range generally results in more simple designs. We consider from the beginning how an idea might adapt to a 20″ chest, a 44″ chest, and a 60″ chest. But the truth is, Alexa and I were fans of simplicity to begin with, so this works for us.

More samples, in more sizes, also means more opportunities for us to inspire you with beautiful examples. If we make a baby size, a child size, and an adult size, we can show you three different ways to do a knit!

working to be more inclusive

Our intent is high value, inclusive patterns, and we recognize that despite this intent, our work is not currently as size inclusive as it could be. Our baby-to-big size range was established in 2011, following Craft Yarn Council sizing standards, which at the time described women’s sizes up to a 60″ chest measurement. Nearly a decade later, we realize we’ve not been as inclusive as we could be, and will be adding grading for a women’s 64″ and 68″ chest/bust size + ease to future patterns. Alexa and I would like to apologize for excluding you.

There are a range of other changes we are working on with the goal of making our patterns more accessible to those with differing visual and cognitive abilities; to begin we are including written chart instructions for new designs, and are researching best practices for low vision patterns, requirements for users of screen readers. We are committed to doing better and hope you will join us on this journey.

do you love or hate #matchymatchy knits?

Do you buy our patterns for the grown up sizing, or are you a dedicated baby knitter?