Bitchin’ Raglan Cardigan: A Knitting Tutorial
Sharing knowledge is one of the best parts of learning a craft! That’s my goal here with this “Bitchin’” series of tutorials. I asked y’all over on Instagram stories what you would like a tutorial for next and a raglan-sleeve cardigan won the poll! So today I will walk you through my process for free-handing a raglan sweater. Of course, I can’t talk about raglan/top-down sweater tutorials without mentioning “Improv: Basic pattern for a top-down seamless sweater” by Karen Templer. Karen has created an amazing resource for understanding this construction method and I highly recommend a read-through to anyone interested in self-drafting patterns.
Why are raglans such a great jumping-off point for self-drafted sweaters? Top-down construction is easy to try on as you go. This way you’ll know how you feel about the fit much sooner than you might for other constructions. I’ve also had people tell me that grading for raglan sweaters tends to fit more body types more easily regardless of fit (fitted or oversized). Your chances of “success” are generally higher with this construction of sweater!
Construction
So how does a raglan come together? Raglans are created by starting at the neckline and increasing along 4 points in the circumference of the sweater, creating a front/back and arms. This is called the sweater yoke. To complete the sweater yoke, you continue increasing along these points until it reaches a length that comfortably fits under your arms.
At this point, we separate the stitches for different parts of the sweater. Typically done by casting on stitches under the arms to connect the front to the back and placing the sleeve stitches on hold. Then the body is knitted to the desired length and finished (we’ll do ribbing!), followed by picking up the arm stitches and doing the same. Finally, we’ll pick up stitches for the button bands/neckline and sew on our buttons of choice!
That’s it, just 5 steps!
If you’re feeling a little intimidated, let me share with you my go-to mantra for approaching new things. “It’s not hard, it’s just new”. Once you practice this a few times, you’ll be knitting sweaters without thinking twice!
Getting Started
MATERIALS
Yarn and needles of your choice - I’ll show you how to use your gauge swatch to do this with any combo!
Stitch markers - at least 4!
Measuring tape
Buttons or other types of closures (quantity will depend on how you want your spacing/how long your cardigan is)
Patience and self-confidence, you can do this!
GAUGE: 20st x 28 rows = 4”x4” on 4.0mm needles
Yours doesn’t have to match, but you do need to swatch!
YARN: I’m using Cascade 220 Sport (nonsuperwash). This yarn is one of my favorite affordable natural wool options!
MEASUREMENTS
I’m including mine as an example :) I suggest you use a sweater you love the fit of to help determine your desired final sweater measurements.
Body Measurements
Back of neck
Side of shoulder
Final Garment Measurements
Yoke Depth - I like around 10”
Final garment length (body and sleeves)
Body Circumference - I like anywhere between 40-46”
SKILLS
These skills are pretty straightforward! If you can knit and purl, you can make this sweater.
ABBREVIATIONS
K - knit
P= purl
St - stitch
M1R/M1L - make one right/left
PM - Place marker
M - Marker
BORM - beginning of row marker
SSK - slip slip knit
K2TOG - knit 2 together
Cast On
Alright let’s break out those needles (I like to use circulars) and get to it! We’ll be casting on the back neckline (not the collar/ribbing) and to do that we’ll need to know how many stitches to cast on. Grab your measuring tape and measure the distance along the back of your neck (~5.5” for me) and then measure the distance between your shoulder muscle and collarbone ( ~4.0” for me). Take these measurements lower than where you want the final collar to sit.
Now let’s convert those measurements to stitch counts using the following formula
[(Measurement)/4(your gauge size)] x (# of stitches in gauge) = Round to nearest whole number
ex. (5.5/4) x 20 st = 27.5 = 28 stitches (I prefer working with even numbers)
(4/4) x 20st = 20 stitches
For a tighter fit, subtract 0.5-1” from each measurement. If you are looking for an oversized fit, you don’t need to add to your measurement unless you are looking for a SUPER oversized fit. If you do add to this measurement, keep it to no greater than 0.5”, or it will start to look poorly fitted.
Let’s start by overviewing the process for creating and shaping the top of the yoke.
By working increases in this manner, we create neckline shaping for a better fit. I like this shaping to sit at around 1-2” in length from the back cast on, which works out to about 12 rows in this case. Once we’re done shaping the neckline, we’ll cast on some stitches on either side of the front so we match the width of the back of the sweater.
1. Cast on
Using the long tail technique, cast on 3 st, PM (M1), cast on shoulder st, PM (M2), cast on back st, PM (M3), cast on shoulder st, PM (M4), cast on 3 st. P across.
2. Increase Rows
Repeat the next 2 rows until the fabric reaches 1-2” measured from the back neckline. I did this for 12 rows.
R1: k1, M1R, *k until 1 st before M, M1L, k1, slip M, k1, M1R*, repeat from * to * until 1 st remains, M1L, k1
R2: Purl across
3. Front Cast on
It’s time to cast on some stitches along the front! To find out how many stitches to cast on…
[(# of back stitches/2) - (#of front stitches)] - (2 or 3 stitches) = (40/2) - (15) - (2) = 3 st
I like to subtract a couple of extra st to leave some space for the button band. If you want to skip the button band or do a very narrow button band (like less than 0.5”), then don’t subtract the couple extra st and have the st count of the front panels match the back (in this case you would cast on 5 sts for 20 sts on each side).
Cast them on in the following manner…
At the end of the final purl row, cast on those st using the backward loop technique.
Knit across, continuing those increases along the stitch markers, no need to increase along the neckline.
At the end of the knit row, cast on the same number of st using the backward loop technique
COMPLETING THE YOKE
Continue increasing in the following matter until the yoke reaches your desired length
R1: *k until 1 st before M, M1L, k1, slip M, k1, M1R*, repeat from * to * to end of row. Increasing 8 stitches each row
R2: Purl across
As you continue to increase, you may need to increase the length of your cord to comfortably fit all the stitches.
How long do I make my yoke?
Great question! If you have a raglan sweater you love the fit of, pull it out of your closet and measure the length of the yoke. I like to do this along the diagonal that the increases create. For me, anywhere between the 10-12” range works great. If you’re looking for an oversized fit, increase that length, or vice versa for something more fitted.
The nice thing about top-down knitting is that it’s easy to try on as you go! If you’re unsure, try it on. You can also give your knitting a quick steam block or fully wet block for an even better idea of how it will fit.
This is also where you’ll want to check your stitch counts and get a rough idea of the body circumference measurement. Count the stitches you have for the back and front panels (skip the sleeve stitches!) and estimate a measurement using this formula…
(# of stitches on needles)/(# of stitches in gauge) x 4 = number of inches for body circumference
If this number is feeling a bit smaller than what you were hoping for, then don’t worry too much about it, we’re going to cast on sleeves under the arms and you can easily add 2-4” or more to the circumference with these extra stitches. If you are wanting it to be significantly larger, you’re going to need to continue working on that yoke for a bit.
Ok, now that the yoke is the length you want, we’ll move on to the next part of the sweater. Separating the sleeves from the body.
Separating the Sleeves and Finishing the Body
Grab some scrap yarn and a tapestry needle and have them ready. We’ll now separate the sleeve st from the body st in the following manner…
Knit until you reach M1
Place the stitches between M1 and M2 onto a piece of scrap yarn. Set these SMs aside, you no longer need them.
Cast on st under the arm using the backward loop technique. Cast on enough st for about 2 inches (AKA your gauge divided by 2). I cast on 8 stitches because I wanted a slightly tighter fit. Cast on more st for an oversized fit.
Knit across until you reach M3
Place the stitches between M3 and M4 onto a piece of scrap yarn. Set these SMs aside, you no longer need them.
Cast on st in the same way as you did earlier
K until end of row
That’s it! Now just work back and forth in stockinette stitch until you reach the desired length for the body-desired ribbing length. If you want to do 1x1 ribbing, make sure your st count is an even number. For 2x2 ribbing, your st count should be a multiple of 4. If you need to make a few decreases to reach that number, just throw in a could of k2tog at some random points in the final row, no one will notice :)
To work the ribbing, drop your needles down 1-2 sizes, I went from 4.0mm for the body to 3.5mm for the ribbing.
My preferred finishing technique is a tubular/Italian bind-off (sewn bind-off). It has a seamless and professional look, plus it’s stretchy!
Sleeves
Now it’s time to go back to those sts we put on hold and start working on those sleeves. Break out your 16” circulars and place those stitches onto your needles, removing the scrap yarn. Find the center point of the stitches you cast on under the arm. Pick up half the stitches you cast on (in my case 4 sts), knit across the sts on the needles, pick up the other half of the sts you cast on under the arm, place BORM. Begin knitting in the round.
Working decreases along the arm is optional, if you like more of a balloon sleeve, definitely skip them! However, if you do want a tapered fit, you can start working decreases along the BORM for the sleeve. To figure out how often you should work these decreases you can do it the mathy way… or just wing it. Typically I wing it, I have enough experience to comfortably eyeball it. But here’s a formula you can use!
(Desired length of sleeve/4) * (number of rows in gauge) = Number of sleeve rows
(Desired final cuff circumference/4) * (number of sts in gauge) = Final number of stitches
(Starting number of sts - Final number of sts)/2 = Number of decrease rows
(Number of sleeve rows) / (Number of decrease rows) => round to whole number = Number of rows per “decrease set”
I worked 6-row decrease sets. Which looks like 1 decrease row followed by 5 normal rows. I did this until my sleeve measured 15 inches.
Switch back to your ribbing needle size to work the ribbing and bind off as you did for the body.
Repeat for the second sleeve.
Button Band
Using your ribbing needle size, with the right side facing you, we’ll pick up sts along the center front for the button bands. I like to pick up stitches at a rate of 3 sts for every 4 rows. Make sure you’re picking up the correct multiple of sts for the kind of ribbing you’re doing!
I like to slip the first st of the row for a smoother edge, worked in the following manner
(wrong side of fabric) slip st, *p1, k1* repeat from * to * until 2 sts remain, p2
(right side of fabric) slip st, *k1, p1* repeat from * to * until 2 sts remain, k2
I made my button band about 1.5” wide (about 11 rows). Bind off in the same manner you’ve done previously. I like to bind off with the right side facing me.
Pick up the same amount of stitches for the other side. This time we’re gonna work some button holes! Choose how many buttons you’re going to use and subtract one. This will be the number of buttonholes you’ll make on this band. The final buttonhole will be worked on the collar.
Work your button band until you reach about halfway through (row 5 for me). Lay your tape measure across and place SM evenly across the band to mark where you’ll make the holes. Remember, you don’t need to go all the way to the top! You’ll have one more button on the collar.
Create buttonholes in the following manner
R1: Work in pattern until you reach the first M, work one more st in pattern, bind off. Work 1 more st in pattern, bind off. You have bound off 2 st to create the buttonhole
Repeat this for each buttonhole until the end of the row
R2: Work in pattern until you reach first set of bound of sts. cast on 2 sts using backward loop technique. Repeat to end of row.
Continue working rows as usual until you match the number of rows of the other button band. Bind off.
Collar
Using your ribbing needle size, with the right side facing you, pick up stitches along the collar. Pick up one st for each of the slipped stitches along the button band, 2 sts for every 3 rows of the neckline increases, and one st for each cast on st. You can play with this a bit for a better fit/to get the right multiple of sts.
Work the collar the same way you worked the button bands, don’t forget the buttonhole on the side of the collar that matches the rest of the buttonholes! Bind off.
Finishing
Block your sweater in the same way you blocked your swatch. Make sure to use pins to get it in just the right shape! Sew your buttons on using SEWING THREAD. Sewing thread is designed to be strong enough for something that gets as much wear as a button, yarn isn’t! If you like the look of yarn on a button, sew them in place with thread first and then go over it with yarn for the aesthetic.
That’s it! You knitted a cardigan! Go enjoy it and be sure to tag me so I can enjoy it with you :)
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Terms and Conditions
Thank you so much for all the love on this design, your support means the world to me and helps my small business so much. I can’t wait to see what you create!
This pattern is made strictly for personal use only. The copying, distributing, or commercial use of any part of this pattern is strictly prohibited. Please always give credit to me (Dani Ruiz @theyarnbitch) as the pattern designer. I am more than happy to share the beautiful work you create and hope you respect mine as well.
I ask that you please do not sell products created from this pattern to the public. Small commissions between friends and family are ok :), but please refrain from selling products created from this pattern at markets, or on a larger commission basis.
I hope that you use the techniques and skills you learn from this pattern to create your own original designs.
Thank you and much love!
xx Dani
