Is doubling a pattern possible?

[fc3857]

I don't know if this makes sense or not but I have an amigurumi pattern that I want to do, and I want to make it twice the size. So I was wondering if it was possible to somehow 'double' the stitch pattern? Thank you for any help that you can give.

[nancybanta]

I asked on another board I belong to and they said the best way to make it larger would just be to use thicker yarn and a bigger hook.

 

Someone else wrote this which I am cutting and pasting - it sounds like it's a lot of work and you're really going to have to pay attention to what you're doing and where you are in teh pattern.

 

 

It is not that easy unfortunately, since you also have to take into account increases and decreases and you have to handle these properly. For example, let’s say the original pattern says:

• row 1: 4 sts (4)
• row 2: [1 st, 2 sts in 1 sts] 2x (6)

so two rows, start with 4 stitches, end with 6 stitches.

If you repeat every stitch twice end every row twice

• row 1a: 8 st (8)
• row 1b: 1 st in each st (8)
• row 2a: [1 st, 2 sts in 1 sts] 4x (12)
• row 2b: [1 st, 2 sts in 1 sts] 4x (?)

Now you have 4 rows (so 2x2, OK) and start with 8 sts (2x4 still OK). But you’ll run into trouble on row 2b. Row 2a has 12 stitches, and row 2b assumes 8 stitches, so if you do [1 st, 2st in 1 st] 4 times you still have 4 stitches left. You can then think, let’s do the [1st, 2sts in 1 st] repeat 2 more times, but then you end up with 14 stitches and you want to end up with 12 (2x6). So in this case, to double the size, you would need to just do 1 st into each stitch in row 2b:

• row 1a: 8 st (8)
• row 1b: 1 st in each st (8)
• row 2a: [1 st, 2 sts in 1 sts] 4x (12)
• row 2b: 1 st in each st (12)

So, it can be done but it is not that simple, especially since amigurumi has a lot of increases and decreases. You would have to remember not to do too many increases or decreases. Also upscaling in this way might mess with the shaping, which can be really important in amigurumi.

It would be a lot easier to find a thicker yarn and larger needle and end up with a gauge about twice as large as the original pattern. I don’t think yarn and needle sizes scale linearly, so if you use a yarn twice as thick it does not necessarily mean 2x the needle size. But maybe someone who has more experience with upsizing will be able to tell you more about that.

[ReniC]

Another way is to use 2 strands of your yarn and a larger hook.

[Bailey4]

Much of it depends on how complicated the pattern is with color changes, additional features, etc.  If you understand how increases/decreases work in ami patterns you can increase the size.  I've made larger versions of certain toys by understanding how to make the portions of the body larger.  You can also make smaller versions.  In some cases you aren't just doubling the pattern.  For instance once I've reached the desired width of the body I've lengthened the body by adding rows with the same stitch count to make the body longer.  That was never a part of the original pattern, so it wouldn't technically be doubling it.  Sometimes using the standard increases I increase to get to the width I want and then add some length using that style.

 

It's kind of like backwards engineering a  pattern.  So if the original pattern ended up with a total of 24 stitches as the formation for the body for instance and the pattern gives you the stitches to get to 24.  Instead of doubling it, what you need to do is figure the stitch pattern of increases that gets you 48 stitches.  I've done this by looking up other patterns that have similiar smaller or larger patterns than the one I'm looking at and following the math to get the size I want for the shape I want.  Now the more complicated the shape the more challenging the math.  Simple circles are easier than more complicated shapes and pieces.   

 

Where it gets tricky is where you have specific features that have to be increased.  Sometimes on the face, legs, etc.  This can take more work to figure out how to balance that idea.  Color changes can also create some challenges as you work through changing the pattern and still keeping the "look" of the original.

Edited May 23, 2014 by Bailey4

[darski]

One quirk of math is that if you double a pattern you actually need four of the pattern.

 

|_|  needs 

 

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to be doubled. i.e. 2 X2 instead of 1X1.

 

Math was never my strong suit so my work here is finished.

[Rebecca Porterfield]

say if a pattern calls to ch.103, to double , i would 103+103. is that correct?

[Rebecca Porterfield]

Yes

 

[Granny Square]

I know this is a very old thread, but responding to the recent prior post "say if a pattern calls to ch.103, to double , I would (chain)103+103. is that correct?" question - the answer is "no, but close, but it's OK to do that if you want and will ensure you have enough chains".

A foundation chain includes a turning chain.  If your first row is SC, the the original pattern's 103 foundation chains would be followed with "sc in the 2nd chain from the hook, and each following chain across--total for the row is 102 SC.   If you wanted to make a thing 102x2 stitches (204) across, you'd chain 205, not 206.  But that is not a problem, because you can pick out the extra chain later, it will not unravel from the knot end.

But, let's say that is a blanket that was square, 102x102 stitches.  You are wanting something that's 204x204 stitches.  Be aware that this is actually 4x the size, and will take 4x the yarn that the original 102x102 stitch blanket.  Here is what the first blanket looks like: ■

Here is what the 204x204 stitch blanket looks like:  (pretend those 4 squares don't have gaps between, only so much I can do with a keyboard)

■■

■■   

 

 

Edited October 26, 2020 by Granny Square