How to Grade Knitting Patterns into Several Sizes Using a Spreadsheet

Grading is one of the things that stops a lot of knitters from ever publishing their designs.

The idea of doing all that maths, especially over a lot of sizes, feels overwhelming. And if you're not confident with numbers, it can seem completely out of reach.

But grading doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with a spreadsheet and a structured workflow, it becomes a lot more straightforward.

In this post, I’ll show you how to grade a knitting pattern using a spreadsheet, step by step. We’ll go over how to set up your sizing, apply your stitch and row gauge, and calculate your shaping in a way that keeps everything neat and logical.

👉 If you’d like a free video that walks you through the bigger picture of knitting pattern design (including how to design a pattern that stands out and fits beautifully), you can watch it here.

Let’s get started.

Grading Knitting Patterns into Different Sizes Using a Spreadsheet

When I first started grading, I came from a creative background and had barely touched spreadsheets. I wasn’t confident with them at all, but over time, I figured out a system that made grading so much simpler.

To avoid overwhelming you, I’ve split this tutorial into two parts:

Setting up your garment/accessory sizing (this one!)
Calculating the stitch and row counts to use in each size's instructions

In this post, I’ll walk you through how I set up my knitting pattern spreadsheets to grade the specific garment/accessory measurements across multiple sizes.

FREE, ON-DEMAND VIDEO WORKSHOP

How to Confidently Design Multi-Size Sweater Patterns

Without Worrying About Whether Your Ideas Are Unique Enough to Stand Out Amongst Other Designers

What You’ll Need Before You Start:

A swatch in your design's yarn and stitch pattern
A sketch of your design
Google Sheets - this spreadsheet tool is free and brilliant!
- This method will also work in Excel or Numbers if you prefer those tools.
A size chart
- I share a couple of options in my blog post about the standard sizes we should use for knitting patterns.

Throughout this tutorial, I’ll include screenshots of my grading spreadsheet. You can click any image to enlarge it and get a closer look.

Setting Up Your Grading Spreadsheet

Before you start entering numbers, it’s worth taking a bit of time to get your spreadsheet layout as clear and usable as possible.

Start by adding every piece of information you think you’ll need. This might include things like your stitch and row gauge, body sizes, intended ease, and anything else that might be helpful. It’s okay if the layout evolves as you go — getting something down initially is what matters.

Once you’ve graded a few knitting patterns, you’ll be able to duplicate your spreadsheet to create a template. That way, you can skip the setup phase and jump straight into the numbers next time.

In this example, I have decided to work with sizes from XS - 5XL. More sizes means that more knitters can use your pattern!

Step 1: Decide Which Sizes to Include

The first thing to do is decide what sizes your pattern will be available in.

When I first started designing knitting patterns, I thought offering more sizes would mean more work. But actually, once your spreadsheet is set up, adding extra sizes doesn’t take that much more time, plus it makes your pattern way more inclusive and accessible to more knitters.

Since expanding my sizing, it has felt really good to know that more people can make and wear my designs.

How to Format Sizes in Your Spreadsheet

Once you’ve decided on your size range, add the sizing information at the top of your spreadsheet.

You can label your sizes however you like, but here are two common ways:

By measurement (e.g. 76 - 76 cm, 28 - 30 in…)
By label (e.g. XS, S, M…)

I like to include two columns per size:

one with the measurement in centimetres
and one with the measurement in inches

📏 Why both? While many countries use centimetres, the US still works in inches — so it’s helpful to include both for accessibility.
Choosing a Range vs. a Specific Measurement
When designing garments, I list a bust circumference range for each size (e.g. 36–38 inches) rather than a single number. This helps cover more bodies without needing to grade 18 individual sizes.
But you can absolutely just pick a single measurement per size. It’s totally up to you!

I always fill out the cm column first and then convert the centimetres to inches afterwards.

Step 2: Add Your Measurement Data

Start with centimetres

List all the body measurements you’ll need to grade your pattern — these will vary depending on your design, but consider things like:

Bust circumference
Shoulder to shoulder
Underarm to wrist
Upper arm
Armhole depth
Hips

Using your chosen size chart, fill in these measurements for each size in centimetres.

Convert to inches

Next, add a column to convert those centimetre values into inches using a simple formula in Google Sheets:

=CONVERT(*cell reference*,"cm","in")

Replace *cell reference* with the cell that holds your cm measurement.

By default, Google Sheets might display a lot of decimal places, and that’s totally normal.

To make your spreadsheet easier to read, use the “Decrease decimal places” button in the toolbar. It’s the one that displays “.0” with a left-pointing arrow beneath it. This just changes how the numbers look in your spreadsheet (not the actual data), so your calculations stay accurate.

Tip: Fill the formula down

Once you’ve used the formula to convert centimetres to inches in one cell:

Click that cell (e.g. C6)
Hover over the blue square in the bottom-right corner
When your cursor turns into a cross, click and drag down the column
It’ll automatically apply the formula to the other rows, converting the centimetres to inches

You can then copy and paste that completed column into the inch columns of your spreadsheet for the remaining sizes.

Step 3: Add Your Intended Ease

Ease is a crucial part of pattern grading — it defines how your garment will fit.

It’s the extra room (or snugness) built into the garment beyond the actual body measurement, and it has a big impact on both comfort and style.

How much ease should you add?

When we talk about ease, we’re usually referring to ease applied at the bust circumference.

Here’s a general guide to ease at the bust:

Very fitted: up to 5 cm (2 in) of negative ease
Classic fit: around 5 cm (2 in) of positive ease
Relaxed fit: around 10 cm (4 in) of positive ease
Oversized fit: at least 15 cm (6 in) of positive ease

My personal sweet spot is 15–20 cm (6–8 in) of positive ease for a slightly oversized, comfy look.

It’s also worth considering the yarn. Cotton, linen, or silk blends don’t handle negative ease well, as they can look strained or lose shape.

What about ease elsewhere in the garment?

While most sizing charts focus on bust ease, you can (and often should) apply ease to other parts of the garment too.

For example:

Add ease at the upper arm for freedom of movement
Add ease at the hip for longer garments that go past the waist

Why I always include ease in my spreadsheet

Instead of manually adding ease into formulas when calculating my garment measurements, I list it as a separate row in my spreadsheet, right alongside the body measurements.

This makes it easy to:

See the intended fit at a glance
Make changes quickly if I want to adjust the silhouette
Reuse the same spreadsheet structure for future patterns

Why I use centimetres (and recommend you do too)

I always fill it out using one unit only, and for me, that’s centimetres.

Centimetres are a smaller unit of measurement, which makes them more precise and easier to work with, especially when it comes to calculating shaping and stitch/row counts later on.

And while inches can be displayed as decimals in a spreadsheet, they’re often understood as fractions, which makes them harder to visualise and interpret at a glance.

Since I do all my calculations for garment measurements and later for stitch and row counts in centimetres, there’s no need to convert the ease or other measurements into inches. That would just double the work and make the spreadsheet harder to maintain.

That said, if you prefer to work in inches, that’s totally fine. Just stick with one unit throughout your spreadsheet to keep everything clean and consistent.

Step 4: Calculate Your Preliminary Garment Measurements

This is where you define the actual measurements of the garment itself, not the body it’s designed to fit.

Grab your sketch and think about what you need to calculate in order to create the garment or accessory:

Bust circumference
Shoulder width
Armhole depth
Sleeve length
Garment length
Front neck depth
...and anything else that’s relevant to your design.

For each of these, start by filling out the centimetre value for the first size. Use your body measurements as a reference and, where appropriate, factor in the ease you decided on earlier.

Example: Bust Circumference

Let’s say you’re designing a sweater worked in the round.

To calculate the preliminary finished bust circumference for the first size:

The body’s bust measurement is in cell B6
The ease is in cell B14

You’d use this formula in your spreadsheet:

=B6+B14

This gives you the desired finished measurement for that size, in centimetres, before you calculate stitch or row counts.

If your results have a lot of decimal places, that’s okay. You can make it look tidier using the “Decrease decimal places” button in Google Sheets. This just changes how they display in the spreadsheet, not how they behave in formulas.

To apply the formula across all sizes:

Click the cell you just entered
Hover over the blue square in the bottom-right corner
Click and drag across to autofill the rest of the row

The spreadsheet will automatically pull in the correct body measurement and ease for each size.

Optional: If you’re not used to working in cm and it helps you visualise the fit, you can add an extra column and convert these measurements into inches. This is purely for context - not for use in later formulas.

Example: Bust Width

In a classic sweater, the front and back are the same width. That means the total bust circumference is evenly split between the two sides.

To calculate the bust width for the first size, simply divide your preliminary finished bust circumference by 2.

For example, if your bust circumference is in cell B17, you’d enter:

=B17 / 2

This gives you the bust width in centimetres, which is especially useful when calculating stitch counts for front or back panels, or when working with flat garment shaping.

You can then drag the formula across the other sizes as needed.

By typing =B7 into the Shoulder to Shoulder cell in the garment measurements, it will display the number in cell B7, which is the Shoulder to Shoulder measurement in the body measurements.

Example: Shoulder to Shoulder Width

Sometimes, you don’t need to calculate anything — you can simply reference a body measurement directly.

For example, if you’re designing a set-in sleeve sweater, you can typically use the Shoulder to Shoulder measurement from your size chart without any adjustments.

In your garment measurements row, you’d reference that value by typing:

=*cell reference*

This tells the spreadsheet to use the measurement from the cell containing the Shoulder to Shoulder width for the first size, then you can drag across the remaining sizes.

Shoulder width in Drop-Shoulder Designs

For drop-shoulder garments, you won’t match the body's shoulder width because the garment is designed with extended shoulder width that drops beyond the natural shoulder.

In these cases, your shoulder-to-shoulder measurement becomes a design decision, not something pulled directly from the body.

Some designers use the Bust Width (half of the finished bust circumference), but it’s not a rule. The shoulder width can be wider or narrower than the bust width, depending on the size and intended silhouette.

Example: Neck Width

Your neck width needs to strike a balance: wide enough for the head to pass through comfortably, but narrow enough that it doesn’t slip off the shoulders.

The right neck width depends on your neckline shape:

Shallower necklines (like a high crew) often need a wider opening
Deeper necklines (like a scoop or V-neck) can work with a narrower neck width

A quick formula to get started

As a general rule of thumb, I often make crew necks between 40–50% of the body’s Shoulder to Shoulder measurement. This gives a practical starting point that can be tweaked later based on style and fit.

For example, to set the neck width at 50% of the Shoulder to Shoulder measurement in cell B7, you’d enter:

=B7*0.5

This gives you the preliminary neck width in centimetres for the first size.

If that looks too wide or too narrow for your design, you can adjust the percentage or refine the measurement later when writing the actual pattern.

You can then copy the formula across to the other sizes to give each one a proportionate neck width based on its individual shoulder measurement.

Figuring Out Other Garment Measurements

Once you’ve calculated bust, shoulder, and neck width, you can continue filling out the rest of your preliminary garment measurements in the same way.

Use a formula in the column for the first size, then drag it across to the other sizes. These measurements might include:

Hem circumference
Sleeve length
Upper arm circumference
Armhole depth
Total garment length
...and any others that apply to your design

Some of these can be calculated based on body measurements and ease. Others come down to design preference rather than a specific measurement from the size chart.

If you’ve decided that your sweater should have 10 cm long cuffs for all sizes, that’s completely valid — you can simply type that value into the cells manually.

Using the spreadsheet like a calculator

Here are a few tips for using basic spreadsheet formulas:

Always start with an equals sign: =
Use + for addition, - for subtraction, * for multiplication, and / for division
Use brackets just like you would on a calculator, e.g. =(B6+B14)/2

You don’t need advanced formulas at this stage. Keep it simple, and make decisions based on the size chart and style you want for your design.

Step 5: Add Your Gauge

Since this spreadsheet is built using centimetres, I always calculate my gauge in cm, not in inches.

How to fill it in

Based on your swatch, enter the number of stitches and rows per centimetre for the first size. Then copy those values across the row so the gauge is repeated for every size.

The gauge doesn’t change across sizes, but having it in each column makes it quicker to reference when dragging formulas for stitch and row counts later on.

What’s next?

Now that your preliminary finished measurements and gauge are set, you're ready to move on to the next step: using your spreadsheet to calculate stitch counts, row counts, and shaping across all sizes.

That’s what I cover in the next post in this series: How to Grade Knitting Patterns: Calculating Stitch & Row Counts for All Sizes

And if you’d like to see how this all fits into the bigger picture of designing your own sweater patterns, I also have a free video that gives you an overview of that: Watch the free video here.