Start from a sweater you already own
Pull the sweater you reach for most and look at its label. The US size printed there is your first anchor. KIRUNDO size notes read S as US 4 to 6, M as 8 to 10 and L as 12 to 14, so a sweater labeled US 8 points you to M before you look at anything else.
Then put it on and notice what works. Where does the shoulder seam land? Do the sleeves reach your wrist, or stop short? Is the body close, or does it hang? A size choice is really a choice about those three places, and a sweater you already know tells you which of them you care about.
Oversized or fitted
KIRUNDO Chunky Oversized Sweater
Pullover sweater · 24% acrylic, 72% polyester, 4% elastane · 10 colors
From $29.99An oversized sweater is not a regular sweater in a bigger size. It is usually cut with a dropped shoulder, so the seam sits partway down your upper arm on purpose, and the body is wider through the chest. The KIRUNDO chunky oversized crewnecks are cut loose through the body in this way. Order your usual size to get the look in the photos.
If you want an oversized style to sit closer, one size down is the usual move. Check what you give up: the sleeves get shorter as well as narrower, and a sweater that was meant to cover a waistband may stop above it.
Fitted knits work the other way. The lightweight square neck and boat neck sweaters are meant to follow your shape, so there is little room to spare. If you sit between two sizes in a fitted knit, go up.
Reading the fiber line
Every KIRUNDO page lists the fabric from the label, and US labeling rules shape how that line reads. The Federal Trade Commission requires each fiber to appear under its generic name with its share by weight, largest first. Viscose and rayon are two accepted names for the same fiber, and so are elastane and spandex.
A fiber under 5 percent is usually folded into "other fiber," but a maker can name it when it has a clear job. That is why a small share of elastane appears on so many knits: it adds stretch. A sweater with 4 percent elastane will give a little across the chest and at the elbows. A 100 percent acrylic chunky knit has no such give, so its size has to be right from the start.
Chunky or lightweight
Decide what the sweater will sit under. A chunky turtleneck or a cable knit is a top layer: it goes over a thin tee and under nothing, except perhaps a roomy coat. Put it under a fitted wool coat and the sleeves will bunch at the elbow.
A fine knit is the opposite. It slides under a blazer or a coat and adds almost no bulk at the arm. If you are buying one sweater to wear under outerwear all winter, choose the lighter weight, and choose your usual size rather than going up.
Cardigans are a different fit
An open front cardigan hangs from the shoulders and never closes, so the chest measurement matters much less. A long, fuzzy or chunky open front style wears like a light coat over a dress or jeans. Take your usual size, and size up only if you want to wear it over a thick sweater.
A button-down cardigan closes, which puts the chest back in charge. The cropped button-down styles can be worn closed as a top, and for that the buttons need to lie flat without pulling. If you are between sizes and plan to button it, go up.
Check the care line before you choose
Most KIRUNDO sweaters and cardigans say hand wash only, and the care line on each page repeats the label. Be honest about whether you will do it. A hand wash takes ten minutes and a flat place to dry for a day. If you know the sweater will end up in the machine anyway, a knit labeled machine wash is the better buy, whatever the size.
Our fabric care guide explains what the symbols on the label mean, and how to hand wash a sweater takes you through the steps.
Unsure about a size, a fabric or a wash? Write to fittingroom@kirundo.org and the people behind KIRUNDO will answer.