Do 1:12th scale knitting patterns adapt to human size?

We are often asked if 1:12th scale patterns can just be knitted on larger needles and with thicker yarn to make an item human sized.

Unfortunately although the miniature items are scaled to fit human proportions, there is a limit to the number of stitches which can be used to make the miniature item. This means it would not always adapt well to being made in ‘human’ size.

1:12th scale patterns for some Christmas decorations can be made larger and do work very well in human size, as the photo below shows. However as the number of stitches required in 1:12th scale are not a true representation of the number of stitches required to make a human item of the same scaled up size.

Christmas stockings
© F H Powell 2015

The large stocking in the photo above measures about 7-inches/19 cm high by 2-inches/5 cm wide and was worked on size 4.00 mm needles using DK/8 ply (11 wpi) yarn. The coin shown in the photo is ¾-inch/2 cm diameter. If the original 1:12th scale stocking was scaled up to human size it would have been about 2-feet/60 cm tall. To work the stocking in this size for a human, using the 1:12th scale pattern, would require 25.00 mm needles and rope! This is why 1:12th scale clothes patterns wouldn’t adapt to being made in human sizes.

Other 1:12th scale square cushions or the Christmas patchwork squares design (shown below) do adapt well to being made on larger needles and thicker yarn as human sized Christmas tree decorations:

Pattern for knitted ornaments
© F H Powell 2014

Patterns for 1:12th scale toys can also be made in human size and can be adapted to make very good small toys (being about 4-inches/10 cm instead of 1¼-inch/3 cm tall)

A bedspread made from squares, such as our 1:12th scale Apricot Leaf bedspread, can be adapted to work in human size quite easily, although many more squares would need to be worked, than if the bedspread was made in miniature:

pattern for bedspread
© F H Powell 2011