As a follow-up from Saturday, the bra shopping went well. I was fitted, and we found one (count it ONE!) that fits me. However, I learned something very interesting about myself that I think may help me in my knits. My body is wack. I am continually learning why it was that I had a messed up body image as a kid and teenager. I couldn’t find any female clothes that fit me, so I would buy from the young men’s department. I thought it was because I was fat. At the time, I wasn’t. But I’m getting distracted…

Apparently, I am significantly long across my shoulders, front to back, and significantly short from my armpits to my, well, let’s stop at the belly button. This makes for a difficult fit. While we were in the dressing room, the cute old lady with the pink measuring tape around her neck stood back, looked me up and down, and said, “I’m not exactly sure what to do with you.”

Time out. Does that sound familiar to anyone else? I seem to remember my PT telling me that last summer, and I blogged about it.

I guess I need a bra that is high in the front and cut out on the sides. I’ve never been normal. So I got two in the same style, and I scored on a great sports bra. I can actually JOG in this thing and it doesn’t hurt. I’m thrilled.

Ok, what I’ve learned is that I have tall shoulders. This is interesting to me. When I started on the Vogue Cable Cardi, I was getting good stitch gauge, but my row gauge was a bit long. I wouldn’t mind having the whole cardigan a bit longer, but I was worried about the armholes being too big and baggy. Based on what I learned from the cute old lady on Saturday, I’m assuming it would have worked out alright had I continued with those needles.

Now I need to think about how I feel having shoulders that are too tall for most bra straps, legs that are too short for tall pants, but too long for regular ones, and a trunk too short for everything else. I am inclined at this point to make some wise-crack about someone being drunk when they assembled me, but I am a religious woman, and that seems a bit harsh to throw heavenward.

Oh, and because I have no shame, I’ll tell you about the conversation happening in the fitting right next to me. The woman had spent her life wearing size 38 DD. The fitter said that her ribcage measured 31 inches, and that she’s most likely never been a 38 in her life. She was fitted into a 34 G. Most of us are wearing the wrong size, simply because most stores don’t carry bras that will fit us busty girls.

The moral of this story? If you’re having trouble knitting clothes that fit, go and get fitted for a bra. Maybe you’ll learn something useful.