stockinette beginner raglan — Knitting a
Raglan

A top-down knit

If you’ve been following me for the last couple of years, you’ll know that I am in love with top-down sweaters. there’s something just so great about being able to continuously knit in the round, while also trying the pullover on to give it a fit check.

There are two different types of top-down sweaters, one of them is the yoke sweater (check out my blog post about those here), and then there’s the raglan. essentially the difference is how the increases are made.

HOW DO YOU KNIT A TOP DOWN SWEATER?

Top-down sweaters are knit by casting on the collar and increasing as you knit until the sweater fits over your neck, shoulders and bust (kind of like a caplet). Once you have achieved the circumference to comfortably fit around your shoulders and bust, your arms are then transferred to scrap yarn to be worked later, and you continue working the body in the round until your desired length. Once finished the body, you pick up the stitches on the arms (which is quite a bit easier than picking up sleeve stitches on a regular sweater since they are already live and waiting for you!) and you knit the arms from the shoulder down to the wrist, and repeat on the second arm.

Though top-down sweaters may seem intimidating, I promise they aren’t. Just take the plunge, and if you’re still a bit nervous, check out these awesome Youtube Video(s) that “Very Pink Knits” has. I use them all the time.

THE RAGLAN

The raglan is essentially where the increases are divided into four quadrants. The front and the back, and then the two sleeves. They essentially look like a baseball tee, where the body is one colour, and then the sleeves are different. The other big tell is that there is a diagonal line going from the neck to both armpits. What creates that in a knit or crochet pattern is the increases - unlike a “top-down yoke sweater” where the increases all happen over a limited amount of rows, but increase rapidly in those increase rows - the raglan only increases around these lines, and the rest of the sweater is knit in pattern.

For most knit raglans, there is a two-row repeat. The increase row, where a stitch is added on either side of the line (or stitch marker), and then one round of just plain knitting. In crochet, it can either be like this or sometimes they will only increase 4 times, 1 per quadrant. With each increase row in the knit version, you are adding 2 stitches to each quadrant, and therefore growing your “cape” until it fits the bust and arms, and you’re ready to separate to work just the body. Essentially in a raglan, you are working increases gradually and throughout the whole yoke. For a top-down yoke sweater, you are knitting increases only in about 4 rows of the total sweater, but doing a lot of rows without increases.

DETAILS OF THE STOCKINETTE BEGINNER RAGLAN LITE

CHECK OUT MORE OF MY KNITTING PATTERNS HERE.

PIN THIS PATTERN TO YOUR PINTEREST BOARDS FOR LATER HERE.
ADD THIS PATTERN TO YOUR RAVELRY QUEUE HERE.
BUY THE KIT ON LION BRAND HERE.

Raglan increases can be done in many ways, and in my latest “ Stockinette Beginner Raglan LITE”, those increases are M1L and M1Rs. I wanted to create a really beginner-friendly top-down knit that would be a perfect knit for someone wanting to knit their first sweater, and if you’ve been wanting to venture into making your first garment, I really suggest this pattern!

This is actually a sister of a few other designs I’ve made, and if you really like the looks of a garter version or a super bulky version that works up quickly, take a look into these ones too:

The Original My Beginner Raglan (uses size 6 super bulky yarn)

The Stockinette Beginner Raglan (uses size 6 super bulky yarn)

The My Beginner Raglan LITE (uses size 4 worsted yarn)

DESCRIPTION

Ready for your first top-down raglan? Top-down sweaters are perfect for any knitter wanting to make their first garment, and I am certain you will crush this pattern! With classic stockinette and the cutest increase details, the Stockinette Beginner Raglan LITE is sure to become a staple in your wardrobe. Knit like the original super bulky Stockinette Beginner Raglan version, this pattern has now been adapted for a worsted weight yarn, making it perfect for a lighter weight sweater with the same gorgeous style and skill level.

Note: This pattern is written for sizes XS (S, M, L, XL) (2XL, 3XL, 4XL, 5XL) and has 0.5-2.5” of negative ease. This pattern does have instructions on how to add more sizes (up or down)

How to choose your size:

Find your bust measurements below. Negative ease is built into the pattern, meaning final measurements are 0.5-2.5” more than that number.

Knit in the round, seamless.

SIZES

XS – 28-30” bust
S – 32-34” bust
M – 36-38” bust
L – 40-42” bust
XL – 44-46” bust
2XL – 48-50” bust
3XL – 52-54” bust
4XL – 56-58” bust
5XL – 60-62” bust

Pattern has been tested in all sizes.

DIFFICULTY

Advanced Beginner/Intermediate You will need to know how to cast on, knit stitch, purl stitch, increase, decrease, knit in the round, bind off.

Materials needed:

4 (XS, S), 5 (M, L, XL), 6 (2XL, 3XL), 7 (4XL), 8 (5XL) skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease or 650 yards/594 meters to 1450 yards/1325 meters of size 4 worsted weight yarn
Size US 9/5.5 mm knitting needles 16”/40cm circular needles Size US 9/5.5mm knitting needles 24”/60cm circular needles
Size US 7/4.5 mm knitting needles 16”/40cm circular needles
4 stitch markers (1 different color for BOR marker)
Scissors
Darning needle

Shop here for the yarn I used: https://shrsl.com/2j4hy