If youd like to see this in action, check out Soft Structure. The pattern is written as if the pattern stitch is stockinette stitch. Anyway, I can deal with it pretty easily, but it does make it a little more tricky for Welcome back to the Sweater Construction series! Lisa Shroyer, from Knitting Plus On small-busted women, especially those with large upper arms or lower bodies, these same lines can serve to emphasize that disproportion. This size allows you to get a good measurement The style of these "lines" can be different depending on the design, but here are some examples of what it looks like this: Arlo & Alice baby/child cardigan When I made my first sweater from Jennifers book, Id never heard of compound raglans before. The compound raglan allows for a more flattering fit because the rate of increase varies to more accurately follow the shape of the body. You also have a stitch count in the shoulder and neck. Cant thank you enough for this detailed explanation and worksheet. By increasing evenly in all four sections of the sweater, you're creating raglans at a 45 angle to the neck . Every round neck starts with a flat bottom. To help you apply this to your own project, I've created a downloadable PDF worksheet - you can get that here: I have noticed that neckline shaping is most often omitted when theres colorwork, and knitting (and designing) a colorwork sweater is easiest when worked from the bottom up. PS - many thanks to Anne Marie Hart for technical editing support on this post! For each raglan seam I do one increase before and a different one after it. Download Knitting Plus or Easy Seamless Sweaters to Knit! Tell us, in the comments! If youve been reading this series, all of this information should sound familiar. Simple Worked-From-The-Top Raglan Pullover Pattern Calculated by the Percentage Method. Thank you for the information it is very helpful. We dont reach our widest measurement until several inches below the underarm (and the larger you are, the truer that tends to be!). The arm follows the same pattern, although to a less extreme degree. In this series we take a deeper look into the different methods for constructing sweaters and the pros and cons of each method. Contains spam, fake content or potential malware, How to Sew Crochet Motifs to Your Clothes, 5 Things That Made Our Yarn-y Hearts Happy at Yarn Fest Loveland 2023, Floral Beaded Jewelry Patterns for Mothers Day, Unique Ways to Have Quality Yarn-Time with Mom. The shaping of the sweater is based on raglan styling from the top down. Important: Make a test square in the pattern stitch in Lisas List: 10 Reasons Knitting Is Better Than Dating, Spurned Gifts: When Knit & Crochet Gifts Went Wrong. Lisas designs from Knitting Plus are lovely. Yoke-shaping is governed by measurement; let us take as an example the sweater given below. It is used to suggest a smaller needle size for the ribbing. Since I didn't shape out the last three stitches, and there's a final row to resolve the double stitches, the top one appears to have a gentle curve. Sign up here! Thank you! I am also happy to see Dusty Road, which I managed to miss last summer-gorgeous both in color and construction. This file is awesome. Either print and draw right on, or highlight cells to illustrate your dream shaping. Or you can choose one of our designs, and get the pattern custom generated for your gauge and measurements. If you do a few calculations, you can adjust for yourself, in the same way, to fit a pattern exactly to your body shape. Double-point needles or circular needles in the sizes As pointed out by April K., this percentage method works best for adult proportions. Raglan. Posted on 30 Mar 10:25, The Rebirth KAL and Pullover Posted on 21 Mar 22:34, Top down and a little lacy Posted on 26 Feb 09:32, A staple pullover - colorblocked! Feel free to ask! The test square should be made by That area - the underarm to the neck - is called the yoke. of that measurement. Lisas List: 10 Reasons Knitting Is Better Than Dating, Spurned Gifts: When Knit & Crochet Gifts Went Wrong. the example covers shaping a sleeve, but the formula can be applied to any shaping you want. In contrast to yoke depth, which is the total depth of the top part of the sweater, raglan depth is simply the rows you work from the cast-on to the underarm. If the pattern already has them distributed in compound shaping, add your new decreases evenly. Its very rare that a raglan wont need front neck shaping - the shoulder width needs to be about six inches wide for that to work. If the pattern has you decrease evenly between the bicep and the neck, add your new decreases at the top and bottom. Then I admitted to making several top-down raglans as I explained how Id adapt a knitting pattern for yet another one. The best feature of this method is that you don't need to change your needle size or yarn to Half of our bottom neck stitches come before the marker. These steps assume you create a crew neck a shallow, round neckline. Thank you so much for this tutorial! The shaping of the sweater is based on raglan styling from the top down. A raglan has a true yoke, often worked in one piece, and is particularly suited to working in the round. Simple Worked-From-The-Top Raglan Pullover Pattern Calculated by the Percentage Method. Since I'm not acquainted with the formula you use yet, I'm not sure if the You can add an inch or two here easily, and the whole sweater will be wider in the front only. I've made one sweater so far, and have nearly finished the planning stage of my second. If there are just a few stitches at the shoulder, consider adding shaping for the back neck in addition to the shaping for the front neck. I wanted to make sure it was perfect for you, and I'm grateful for her sharp eye and clear voice. stitch for your test piece, you will have to mentally substitute the name of your pattern stitch The Cable Pattern For Body: If youve got pattern work near the neck, you can even put those short rows lower down the back as well. When the raglan increases end early and there are many rows of straight knitting before getting to the point where the stitches are added for the underarm join, I have found that the finished sweater doesnt always lay flat just in the upper chest and back. I have been using Excel for years to ensure I understand the pattern and to create a clear, clean pattern customized just for me! This gives each section a triangular shape. (This strand is marked in photo #1 with a red line.) My reason for contacting you is just to let you know that the percentages for the The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. For many women, these are unfortunate places for excess fabric. Because all the stitches stay on the needle, there would be a large gap between stitches. I am so tired of looking for a pattern that I have in my head with yarn that doesnt seem to match any of their gauges! There's a Pullover or a Hat for the Rebirth KAL! However when I think about looking at the sweater as a whole it seems like on one side you would want stitches to lean left and on one side you would want stitches to lean right to make it symmetrical. You will also have a clearer sense right away if you are going to run out of yarn or not, as you will be able to see the full progress of the entire garment as you knit it. In this video we learn how to use a formula to easily calculate shaping in knitting. Yarn overs may be used on a womens garment, or a cable or another decorative feature may be worked along the raglan line to bring more emphasis to the shaping. Knitting is an art, but the engineering-part of my brain is constantly questioning why so many designs can't just be explained as formulas. A garment with raglan shaping has seam lines (or shaping lines) separating the sleeves, front, and back parts of the garment through the yoke. I just ordered Your first book. Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete. Sara Dudek similarly acknowledged her appreciation of such sweaters when she dove deeply into design considerations for knitters and crocheters. To do this neatly, you cast-on the underarm stitches and then join up the back of your body and work on to the other side. And before you go any further, obssessed in the quest of a free pattern, Cant wait to get going! You do this by knitting to the sleeve, using a tapestry needle threaded with waste yarn and slipping all of the sleeve stitches onto the thread (tie it together, so you dont lose the stitches!!). The chest measurement is treated as the 100%; all other measurements are some portion of that measurement., This is a pattern for working the body of the sweater as one piece starting from the top. However it can also be worked in pieces and seamed together. The sleeve cap extends all the way to the neck edge. Check the illustration below. As an extra special bonus from baa ram ewe, youll also get a discount code for 10% off their Dovestone DK yarn for the same time period. In August 2015 I released the book, Dovestone Hills, which coincided with the release of baa ram ewes Dovestone DK yarn. If the front neckline is deep (like a scoop or v-neck), the whole sweater may slide down the back. These short rows work the exact same way that binding off in the middle and decreasing on either side works. Subtract starting front neck depth from desired front neck depth to get neck shaping depth. Great job and thank you for sharing! sweater neck do not work on children with large heads! the example covers shaping a sleeve, but the formula can be applied to any shaping you want. You probably then want to add a few more underarm increases to bring the bust size up to what you need. are cast on to give ease to the shape of the torso. Im familiar with the general concenpt, but unsure of how Ill know where to start the raglan increases. Here are five of the most common raglan adjustments that modern pattern designers use to create a better-fitting top-down seamless sweater. Compound raglans literally bend the curve, adding small arcs along the raglan line that help sweater fabric lay more smoothly on the upper bodys curves. All Rights Reserved. For a bit more refinement you could have a mirrored M1R and M1L, and if you were working on a lace cardigan, you might opt to use a yo (yarnover) increase as it would fit with the lace. In a traditional raglan, you start with the neck size you want, increase the body and sleeves every second row or round until you get close to the body stitches you want. This is because you can keep working in the same direction as that type of cast-on. Ex: If your trim will be 1 of ribbing, add 1 to this depth. The sleeve cap is a triangle that mirrors the shape of the armhole, with the top of the sleeve (the neck edge) measuring 0 to 4 (0 to 10 cm); plus sizes fit best with at least 1 (2.5 cm) remaining at the top of the sleeve. Today we are going to look into the pros and cons of knitting a sweater with raglan shoulder shaping and give you some pattern ideas to try out this method. Measure the distance straight down from the shoulder seam to the level where you want the neckline to be, in a line parallel to the button placket. Divide the number of shoulder stitches by the stitches per inch from your gauge. Knit the lifted stitch and slide it off of the left needle (see photo #3). With Raglan top down you would need to start with the neck size you want. the top. Lets dive in and check out why you might want to try knitting a raglan style sweater! Increases are made around four fixed points. Ideally the test A child's proportions The content is awesome. So if youre a designer, youve got a stitch count at the sleeve and a stitch count in the front and back. Those stitches sit right across the top of the neck, and contribute to front and back neck depth. If you are accustomed to Even when you adjust armhole depth on a sweater pattern and recalculate the raglan increases or decreases, youre going to see a smooth(ish) diagonal line between body and sleeves. Now we see why the sweater might poof out just above the breasts or right at the armpit. All Rights Reserved. Everything after that is finessing. Overall the lack of structure particularly at the shoulders can make for a less durable sweater. Any ideas for a neat front neck increase? I decided not to make modifications to this extremely well written pattern and I havent finished knitting it yet. I just love this sort of historical stuff. Use spreadsheet software to create custom grid paper that matches your gauge by adjusting the number of pixels in the rows and columns, and then applying a light gray outline to each cell. NOTE: The photos and methodology described in this post were both updated in August 2016. If you are knitting from the top down the raglan seams are all increases, but if you were knitting bottom-up, they would be decreases. If you have an odd number of neck stitches, Bottom neck stitches should also be odd, and if you have an even number of neck stitches, bottom neck stitches should be even. This is the shoulder width, and from the top of the shoulder, half the width will fall the front and half to the back. Bottoms Up Raglan is presented in one size only for now. In a raglan, stitches from the sleeve contribute to neck depth (see illustration below). Best wishes and keep going with this unique, understandable and helpful content. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. Count out and highlight a number of cells that corresponds to the number of neck shaping rows and the number of neck stitches, and draw the neckline you want to make. So what can you do with all this info? One of the disadvantages of sweaters constructed seamlessly is the lack of structure provided by seams. Typically patterns suggest a Backwards Loop Cast-On. lol Weve already covered many fitting tips and techniques in this series, and heres our final suggestion: compound raglan shaping can also refine fit. Posted on 27 Sep 10:33. I just finished a raglan sweater, and Im really enjoying wearing it. If rows used in shaping is FEWER rows than you calculated, youll need to eliminate stitches more slowly. Hello, thanks for your interesting explanation. Posted on 28 Jan 15:32, The Ripening of the Raspberry Cheesecake Capelet Posted on 27 Oct 18:04, New & Improved - Stormy Top Posted on 13 Oct 23:59, It's time for Autumn Field Socks! Divide shoulder width by 2 for starting neck depth. Because were using short rows, the total rows used must equal neck shaping rows. Might be easiest starting with a pattern? The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Add in my Rules 3 and 4 from above, and the problem grows. I just purchased Caelius to knit for my teen daughterit will be my first A-line sweater and I think the Dovestone DK is the perfect yarn. Overall, consider how much neck depth the shoulder shaping is contributing, and evaluate how much additional depth neckline shaping adds. Im going to walk you through adding a shallow short-row neckline to a raglan thats knit in the round from the bottom up. For a raglan to fit correctly, you would typically increase/decrease on each side of the body (and at the front and back) and on each side of the sleeve on every right-side row or every other round if working in the round. sts - stitches. Tilda by Kazekobo () The sleeves are worked from the top down starting with stitches picked up from around the armhole.. I wanted to make sure it was perfect for you, and I'm grateful for her sharp eye and clear voice. Put a safety pin where you want the neckline to land. As Jennifer Wood explains in Refined Knits (and further explicated in a helpful emailthanks, Jennifer! Pattern + overview / Part 1: Casting on and marking raglans / Part 2: Raglans and neck shaping / Part 3: Finishing the neck and yoke / Part 4: Separating the sleeves and body / Part 5: The art of sweater shaping / Epilogue: The possibilities are endless. Yes, since you're measuring your body, but that won't have anything to do with the raglan length. maybe using some of the increments from the other sweater calculator that goes in sizes Love the changes. of the gauge without the interference of the selvage. A raglan is a shoulder construction where the sleeves come all the way up to the neck. Thank you so much for these instructions. For the hips an a-line shape should work well. I was just wondering if you have any thoughts on this matter. If youre used to knitting a shaping row every other row from the neck to the body, it can be a surprise to learn thats not always going to work. This takes care of the extra fabric in the armhole area that can arise from the traditional raglan. If youd like your raglan to be more body-shaped, make some of those body increases in the front only, and AFTER youve joined for the underarm. I do have a question that Im wondering if you could help with. The body and sleeves can be worked separately in pieces that are seamed together or the body and sleeves can be worked in the round to the armholes, then joined and worked in a single piece to the neck. The final stitches are then cast-on across the underarm. As weve already seen, raglan sweaters too employ geometry ruleswhether theyre constructed from the top down or the bottom up, the neck opening is essentially a rectangle that grows at its 4 corners into trapezoids or cones. Yoke depth is determined by the body's dimensions, Raglan shaping needs to mirror the body's shape, "Raising the back neck too quickly," and other short row shaping myths, Myth 1: Short rows in raglans can be worked across the back neck only, Myth 2: Short rows in the neckline can raise the back neck too fast, Modifying a raglan sweater to fit you perfectly. This pattern includes photo tutorial to make it easy to follow. I am so grateful that you give examples and this excel file.Now I can start to design my own sweaters and I really happy and thankful. Lily Chin said it first, and since her expert advice inspired and enhanced the series, she must be right! Yet not all crocheters and knitters embrace the raglan as we have done. It increases more rapidly between the neck and shoulders and at the end to curve around the underarm, [with] more gradual [increasing] in the section in between. Yours is a major contribution and I would like to applaud you. But you can also use this information to modify a pattern you're working from. March 8, 2012 - Lauren. One last thing - about that short row shaping rate. In contrast, the raglan line on Lily Chins Floret Crochet Crop Top, with traditional shaping, forms a straight line. To allow for a better fitting neckline on crew neck raglan pullovers, designers will add short row shaping along the back of the neck to raise the back above the front . The sleeves are worked from the top down starting with stitches picked The compound raglan allows for a more flattering fit because the rate of increase varies to more accurately follow the shape of the body. Thank you so much. Id like to repeat my basic rules of fit from an earlier post: 1) The fashion industry assumes that all human bodies follow all of the same geometrical principles at all times. that which is calculated by this method. Sometimes, then, well see necklines that work well in the middle and larger sizes, but because the shoulder gets more narrow as sizes get smaller, the smallest sizes dont have adequate depth. If all of this is still sounding a bit much to take on by yourself, Im always adding patterns to my Teachable Workshops. Looking forward to meeting you in September. You can definitely think critically about the instructions you encounter in patterns you follow or you could use it to write your own knitting pattern. So cute for a summer tee, dont you think? 5. These diagonal seams are created by regular decreases that gradually taper the yoke from the underarm width to the neck width. 40% will create a rounder neckline, 55% will be more shallow. Add a few rows to the yoke to make it deeper, or decrease fewer times in the sleeve to make the shoulders wider. The Slopes Pullover and Azure Lake Sweater feature circular-yoke shaping, decorated with seamless patterning. Right after the bust, we decrease dramatically in circumference, then we dont change very much in the mid chest, and then our circumference narrows rapidly from the shoulder to the chest. Divide the number of shoulder stitches by the stitches per inch from your gauge. When working a raglan sweater pattern, each piece can be worked bottom-up or top-down. You must enter a numeric value in all text boxes. up from around the armhole. We arent shaped like that! The raglan sweater style is fun to knit, and I love how the shaping becomes a design element. If your pattern has a stitch between the front and the shoulders for the raglan increase itself, assign that stitch to the sleeve. Hello Carol, This is so helpful. Increases are made around four fixed points. You save me so much overwhelming hours. Knitting In the Round 3 Ways: DPNs, Two Circulars, or Magic Loop? You may prefer (or need) the body or arms of the sweater to be longer than having a pattern that spells everything out to the letter In a word, geometry. This means that for larger bust sizes using traditional construction, the sleeves will be too large. Bonus tip: Our bust line isnt at the underarm. About the needle size. You can work those short rows right up against each other the same way you can work one decrease every row when you bind off. You'll want to add no more than about 5/8" right beneath the collar, and if you need to make up extra length you can work some short rows in the middle of the back too. Crafty Confessions: Do You Make a Gauge Swatch? In the final analysis, you may never come to love raglans, and thats okay. From the website: The percentage method of creating a sweater pattern uses the chest measurement plus an allowance for ease of fit as a basis for all other measurements. It can be US or mm sizes. Browse designs or Try DIY These workshops are designed to be there every step of the way as you work on your chosen project. Am enjoying your Craftsy class on short rows. Round to an even number. and markers. wherever the pattern say stockinette stitch. How would I increase these areas to get about a 2inch increase? Custom Raglan Cardi Knit-Along, Week 3: Adjusting Body Length & Adding Waist Shaping. So, the basic structure of the raglan shaping begins at the neck with increases on the body and sleeves on every round, then it changes to alternating between 1 round of body and sleeve increases and 1 round of shaping on either body OR sleeves (depending on the size), then it changes to working increases on the body and sleeves every other For a crew neck, were looking at a shallow neckline, just enough to create room for your neck. I debated changing the Raglan increases because I generally prefer to have the increase line extend all the way down below the armpit. The Audubon Shrug is truly special. One wonderful thing about raglan sweaters is that due to the method of increasing it is fairly simple to integrate patterns into the yoke and body of the sweater. for kids and adults. Any input would be greatly appreciated. *Membership cannot be purchased with Gift Cards. Knitting on an Airplane and Other Travel Tips for Makers, Why You Shouldn't Buy a Knitter Yarn as a Gift. You can find more info about Anne Marie and the. and styles, the information on this site is presented without warranty regarding Personally Ive never seen a sweater design that suits everybody and that every crocheter or knitter adores wholeheartedly, without reservations. This is awesome! If you still have rows leftover, you can re-evaluate your neck depth or consider working bind-offs instead. If this is your first sweater I recommend starting with the Tilda pattern. You will need to mentally reckon with yourself that you will at some point have almost an entire sweater in your lap while you are still knitting with it, this will put more weight onto your hands and wrists. 4607 Library Road Ste 220-206 Knowing your gauge is One question shows up again and again: What formula do you use to shape a raglan? The raglan sweater can be knit either top down or bottom up. The short rows may be worked all around the neckline, or just back and forth so that stitches are unworked in the front neck only. I am still wondering about when I am knitting a cardigan with raglan sleeves and Im using an increase like a make one which leans right or left, which one would I do first, the M1R or M1L? Pattern Highlight - Cinders Posted on 25 Aug 07:02, The Top-Down Cordage Pullover Posted on 30 May 10:50, A Unique Spring Top - Homa Posted on 29 Apr 07:10, There's a Pullover or a Hat for the Rebirth KAL! The shaping for your raglan will fit best if you mirror this S shape - also called compound shaping. Work decreases more closely at the top and bottom, and less frequently in the middle of the raglan line. While it looks like Caelius uses yarnovers as the increases, its actually got a centred decrease with a yarnover, and then the increases are outside this. However it can also be worked in pieces and seamed together. calculator can accommodate another increment or two for fine tuning. Im about to start knitting a top-down raglan sweater in the round with short rows in the back. Those bust darts should extend part way into the sleeves. This decorative seam continues down into the a-line body and forms the focus of interest for the sweater. P.S. The chest measurement is treated as the 100%; all other measurements are some portion Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.Jean Ritchey. You're very welcome. UFO to WIP: Can This Crochet or Knitting Project Be Saved? You can space your turns as far apart or as close together as you like in the same row, but if you want to create a scoop neck, youll need to bind off instead of working short rows. The line you measure should be perpendicular to the floor, not at an angle to the middle of the neck (see illustration above). To counter them, add a few extra decreases in the yoke. raglans darts button hole placement skirt flares bias knitting gathered sleeves circular yokes If you need to increase (or decrease) a specific number of stitches within a specific number of rows there is a reliable way to calculate this. 3) Each human body follows or ignores a different set of geometrical principles: no two bodies are the same. Any questions? When I get to the other side of the sleeve do I do it in the same order or do I reverse the way they lean? This is Linda, wearing Soft Structure, which has a shallow V-neck, and more increases in the front than the back - worked beneath the underarm. or if you are a beginner this pattern may not meet all your needs. Being a word person, I got to wondering about the origin of the word raglan, so I did a little research. appropriate to the gauge you enter are needed. When you're knitting a top-down raglan sweater, you can make raglan increases in many dif. Any. I love the neckline, too. You can find themhere.Dusty Road and Santa Rosa Plum are both from last summer, and Im still in love with them both :-).
raglan shaping formula