Hey there! Welcome back! Today we’re working on the body of our raglan sweater. Last time, we made the neck and yoke(top of the chest). If you missed part 1, please start there, and come back to this one when you’re ready.
How to Knit a Raglan Sweater for Beginners – Part 1
Today, we’re going to separate the chest and back from the sleeves, then knit the body and finish the lower hem of our sweater. This style of sweater is knit all in one piece so we are going to take off sections of stitches to knit later and just work on the main body of the sweater now. We will need to add some stitches to fill out under the arms, and then we’ll work for awhile knitting down the body.
This pattern is customizable, and designed to be more ‘fundamentals of raglan sweaters,’ a starting point for you and you can make adjustments as needed. For example, you have someone with larger shoulders, or a big chest, and a small waist.
To make a fitted sweater you will want to taper along the sides, under the arms. Alternatively, a child, that is rounder in the middle, may need some stitches added to fit well. You can make adjustments as needed depending on how you’d like your sweater to fit. I’ve also seen sweaters designed for kids, have intentionally long sleeves and bodies so they fit longer.
Separating for Sleeves
We have 2 options this time. You can transfer your sleeve to a piece of yarn and tie a knot in it to keep all your stitches on, or transfer them to 2 smaller round needles. In the image below, you can see I transferred to a smaller needle.
How do we know what stitches to transfer? We use the stitches between 2 of the markers, so between the one marking the end of the row, and the next one, and then between the second and third ones. The sections not included will become the body. See image at right.
When you’re working around the row and transferring stitches, knit across the chest, so you’re ready to transfer the second sleeve. After transferring the second sleeve, knit across the back. On the next row, we’ll add the stitches under the arms to fill out that area.
Add between 5 and 15 stitches to close the section between the 2 stitch markers. Use more if your sweater is for an adult, and less if for a child. Then keep knitting across the chest/back to the second sleeve and do the same adding stitches for the second underarm.
Knit in your desired pattern, around and around until your sweater is almost full length.
Lower Hem Options
If you knit to full length and cast off, your sweater will roll up a little bit. Definitely a cute option, for maybe a kids try this baby sweater from Etsy.
Ribbing along the bottom keeps it flat, and works on all types of sweaters, like this one from Etsy. I’ve not been able to release a sweater pattern yet, so this will have to work for now.
In the video tutorial, I am including how to separate and make more of a high-low version.
When I get to the bottom of the sweater, I placed 2 markers on either side. At this point, knit the front, in pattern, cast off, then you can knit the back separately. I’m sure there are a dozen more options out there for various patterns, but these are simple and beginner or first sweater friendly.
Next time, we’ll finish off the arms of our raglan sweater. We will need to pick up(create) some stitches under the arms so we have enough stitches to fill out the arms, then work the arms.
I hope you are working along on your sweater and that it’s going well. Comment below if you have any questions.
Watch the video for even more info:
When you’re ready, part 3 is here for you. I hope you are enjoying our Raglan Sweater series. I always want to see your projects, so tag us when you post to Facebook or Instagram!
Much Love,
