Knitter Monkey

To get off the yarn for a bit, I have a serious question. Why is it that every pattern for a knitted top (of any kind) is always ridiculously short? It's hard to pull off a sweater or a tank top that only comes down to maybe your belly button, unless you are a size 2 which sadly? I'm not. Which means that every pattern I use, I have to add at least six inches to, usually more, and it's easy enough to do but requires me to constantly be measuring it up against myself to see if it's long enough yet, and inevitably it's not. Both my tank top and my sweater were knit about eight inches longer than the pattern called for, and they're still too short much to my chagrin. It turns out I am really crappy and measuring on myself. With Dan's sweater, the pattern said to add armholes at 16 or 17 inches - I know Dan is a lankster, but I think there are more like 30 inches before the armholes even start, because this one actually fits.

Now I've got a pattern for a top I want to make, and it's knit from the bottom up, but you change stitches once you get to the bust area, and I am totally convinced that I am going to screw up and make it WAY too short again because that is even more vague than the point at which armholes ought to start.

Can't someone make a pattern for girls who like to dress normally?