How to Measure the Back of the Neck for Knitting

The back of the neck is used to measure a knitted sweater's neck opening.

Your knitting pattern will likely include sizing information for the piece of clothing, such as the bust, sleeve and neck sizes. However, patterns don't always tell you how to measure these sizes on a person. While it may seem straightforward, taking these measurements is more complex than if may first appear. For example, to measure the back of the neck for a knitted sweater, you don't measure the entire neck, but use a proportion of a different body length measurement.

Things You'll Need

• Cloth tape measure

Instructions

1. Ask the person to stand up straight, look forward and place her arms at her sides.

2. Find the pointed bone at the back of one of her shoulders.

3. Measure from the middle of the nape of the neck to the pointed bone.

4. Divide the measurement by two to determine the length of the back of the neck hole for the knitted sweater.

References

• Mask Instrik: Knitting to Measure
• The Knitting Fiend: How to Measure Yourself