Knitting Instructions for a Woman's Sweater

Create a woman's custom fitted raglan sweater.

Knitting a sweater is a milestone in any knitter's repertoire. This woman's sweater pattern is worked in the round from the top down to create a custom fit raglan-style sweater using worsted weight wool. The finished sweater has a roughly 38-inch chest and is worked on a size 8 needle at a gauge of 22 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches. This pattern uses a basic raglan pattern worked from a raglan pattern generator and assumes basic knitting knowledge.

Things You'll Need

• 1300 Yards of worsted weight yarn
• 1 Size 8 circular needle
• 1 Size 6 circular needle
• 1 Set of size 8 double pointed needles
• 1 Set of size 6 double pointed needles
• 5 Stitch markers
• 2 Pieces of scrap yarn or stitch holders
• Yarn needle
• Scissors
• Measuring tape

Instructions

Creating your Woman's Raglan Sweater

1. Cast on 92 stitches with your size 6 circular needle.

2. Place a marker at your first stitch and join to work in the round, being careful that your stitches are not twisted around the needle.

3. Work around the needle in a purl 2 stitches, knit 2 stitches pattern, ending round at stitch marker.

4. Continue this pattern until your piece measures 1 inch from the cast on edge. End round at stitch marker.

5. Change to size 8 needles.

6. Knit 14 stitches and place stitch marker (sleeve), knit 32 stitches and place marker (sweater back), knit 14 stitches and place marker (sleeve), knit 32 stitches and place marker (sweater front). End round at stitch marker.

7. Knit around, increasing one stitch by knitting into the front and back on each side of each stitch marker. For each increase round, you will add eight stitches.

8. Knit around to the stitch marker.

9. Repeat Steps 7 and 8 until you have 116 stitches on the back and front sections of your sweater, and 97 stitches for each sleeve. End round at stitch marker.

10. Knit around, placing the 97 sleeve stitches for each sleeve on waste yarn or a stitch holder as you come to them. After this is done, you should be back at the beginning of the round, with both sleeves on waste yarn or a stitch holder. End round at stitch marker.

11. Knit around, working the front and back of the sweater but not the sleeves (which have been moved to waste yarn). End round at stitch marker.

12. Continue knitting each round until the torso of the sweater measures 13.8 inches from the armpits (the point where the arms were added to waste yarn). Use your measuring tape to get an accurate measurement.

13. Change to the size 6 circular needle at the start of the next round and work in a purl 2, knit 2 stitch pattern. Continue working this pattern until the purl 2, knit 2 stitch pattern measures 2 inches in length. End round at stitch marker.

14. Bind off your sweater body. Cut yarn, and weave in ends using a yarn needle.

Adding Sleeves

1. Pick up 97 sleeve stitches from the waste yarn using size 8 double pointed needles and starting at the bottom of the armhole. Place marker to indicate the beginning of the round.

2. Join to work in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches around the needle.

3. Work knit stitch around for four rows. On the next round, decrease one stitch by knitting two stitches together on each side of the stitch marker. End rounds at stitch marker.

4. Work the preceding rows until 42 stitches remain on the needles and the sleeve measures 19 inches. End round at stitch marker.

5. Switch to size 6 double pointed needles.

6. Knit in a purl 2, knit 2 pattern. Continue working in this pattern until the purl 2, knit 2 edge reaches 2 inches in length. End at stitch marker.

7. Bind off sleeve. Cut yarn, and use a yarn needle to weave in ends.

8. Repeat Steps 1 to 6 for second sleeve.

Tips & Warnings

• This woman's raglan sweater pattern can be easily adjusted for different weight yarns, different size needles, and different sizes using the pattern generator found at "The Knitting Fool" (See Resources).

• This pattern assumes you know how to knit and purl, increase by knitting into the front and back of a stitch and decrease by knitting two stitches together. If you do not know how to do one or more of these stitches, check out a free online knitting reference (See Resources).

References

• Kitting Fool: Simple Worked-From-The-Top Raglan Pullover Pattern Calculated by the Percentage Method
• Knitting Fool: Ragaln Pattern Generator

Resources

• Knitting Help: Learn How to Knit with Free Videos
• Knitting Fool: Ragaln Pattern Generator