26-11-2024

My Recipe for a Top-Down Raglan Sweater
The great thing about the top-down method is that you can continuously adjust the stitch and row counts!

Collar:
Cast on stitches for the collar (e.g., 112 stitches for this sweater).
Work 1x1 ribbing for 6 cm.
Divide Stitches:
Allocate stitches as follows:
A little less than 1/6 for each sleeve.
A bit more than 1/3 each for the front and back.
Reserve 2 stitches for each raglan rib.
Example: For 112 stitches, divide as 2x17 (sleeves) + 2x35 (front and back) + 4x2 (raglan ribs).
Raglan Increases:
Make 1 (M1R) just before each raglan rib.
Make 1 (M1L) right after each raglan rib.
Shaping the Front Neckline:
Use German short rows to lower the front neckline.
Work short rows as follows: 3x3 stitches and 1x5 stitches on each side.
Raglan Increases Count:
Work a total of about 45 raglan increases for a size M-L sweater.
Splitting the Body and Sleeves:
Place sleeve stitches on waste yarn.
Cast on 10 stitches under each arm to connect the front and back.
Body:
Knit the body to the desired length.
Finish with 6 cm of 1x1 ribbing.
Sleeves:
Pick up sleeve stitches from the waste yarn.
Decrease 2 stitches every 6 rows to shape the sleeve.
Finish with 6 cm of 1x1 ribbing.

To achieve elastic edges, use the ‘ribbed cable cast-on’ for the beginning and ‘Jeny’s stretchy bind-off’ for the end.