Baby/Toddler/Child Raglan Cardigan

Baby/Toddler/Child Raglan Cardigan

This pattern is not intended for new knitters. You have to have some basic knowledge of how a raglan sweater is worked and sewn together. Detailed instructions are not given.

Instructions for USA knitting worsted weight yarn – sizes 1, 2, 3, 4

USA needles 7&9 or 5&8 (Depending on the density of the fabric you want. )
I use 7&9

Back: with small needles: cast on 52 (54, 56, 62) sts.

K1p1 for 1 to 3 ins. for rib. Or use any border rib you like. Be consistent with all pieces.

Change to larger needles and work including border for 7 (7-1/2, 8, 10) inches.

Armhole: bind off 2 sts at begin of next 2 rows. Then decrease (for raglan) 1st each end of knit row 15x, (15x, 16x, 19x).

Bind off or put on holder remaining 18 (20, 20, 20) sts. [I prefer putting sts on holder]

Front left: cast on with small needles – keeping 6 sts in  k1,p1 [or garter; seed or whatever border you want] for border front 30 (32, 34, 36).

Work k1p1 for 1 to 3 ins., same as back. Or use any border rib you like. Be consistent with all pieces.

Change to larger needles, work same as back till armhole. Bind off at armhole edge 2 sts. Then dec. 1 st. At armhole edge same as back 15x, (15x, 16x, 19x) after 7 dec. (7, 8, 9 there are 21 sts (23,  24, 25). Then….

At neck edge, bind off or put on holder 7 sts (8, 8, 8). At neck edge, dec. 1st every knit row 6x (7, 8, 7) until no sts. are left. Make sure you continue to decrease on the armhole side as well.

Work other front to correspond to left front, reversing decreases….

Sleeves: with small needles, cast on 32st. (34, 36, 36) k1p1 for 1 to 3 ins. Or use any border rib you like. Be consistent with all pieces.

Change to larger needles. Inc. 1 st. Each end every inch 5x (5, 5, 7) there will be 42sts. (44, 46, 50). Work till 7-1/2 (8-1/2, 9-1/2, 11) ins. Bind off 2 sts at begin of next 2 rows.

Dec. 1st each end every knit row 15x (15x, 16x, 19x). Bind off or put on holder 8 st. (10, 10, 10 sts).

Sew sleeves to back and front pieces. Sew sleeve seams and side seams.

Neckline: With smaller needles pick up and rib st. for 1 inch on 60sts. (70, 72, 74sts). Bind off loosely.

Sew on snaps and sew on decorative buttons.

Note from CA 🙂

I always put my stitches on a holder instead of binding off.

On decreases you can k3 then decrease and it will make a pretty pattern.

Use large snaps for closure. Snaps are easier to handle than buttonholes for young children, or you can make buttonholes in the appropriate places.

You can also add cables or stripes to make this different. It’s a great basic sweater with lots of possibilities. I love the idea of knitting each piece in a different color. A great way to use up stash. You can choose primary or pastel colorways, or mix and match them to make a unique sweater.

For the sweater shown in the picture, I used [K1, Slip 1 knitwise, K1, psso] decrease and then for the other side I used the [K2tog, K1] decrease. I think it produced a pretty raglan.

Pictured cardigan uses 6-1/2 ounces of knitting worsted yarn, it measures a 22″ chest.

I duplicate stitched the sun and the sailboat onto the sweater. I’m sorry but there are no charts available as I just made them up as I went along. You can use my design as a guide to make your own charts.

I recently knitted a size 4…here’s the stats for that size:

Gauge: 17 sts. +  24 rows = 4   inches over SS using #9 needles

Finished Chest size for size 4 = 30 inches

Finished Length = 15 inches

Size 4 used approximately 10 ounces of yarn
NOTES…

Back: Ribbed 9 rows with smaller needles for 1-1/2 inch cuff. Change to larger needle and knit in stockinette stitch for a total of 61 rows total for 10″ body on the back. Then started raglan armhole decreases.

Sleeves: Ribbed 9 rows with smaller needles for cuffs. Larger needle, Stockinette stitch for a total of 65 rows including ribbing for 11″. I made the 7 increases in the first 7 knit rows after ribbing.

Fronts: Work until 61 total as back to get 10″ to armhole. Then work until row 80 making decrease on armhole side. Start neck decreases while still doing armhole decreases. On row 80 put the neck sts on holder.
Neck Edge: With #7 needles pick up 74 sts and work 4 rows of K1,P1- change to #9 needles, rib for 2 more rows. Bind off loosely.