Raglan Sweater Pattern Guide

This guide covers how to follow the raglan sweater pattern generated by the calculator, based on your personal measurements.

🧵 Knitting Terms and Abbreviations

CO: cast on
RS: right side of fabric
WS: wrong side of fabric
k / p (e.g. k2, p2): knit / purl
M1R / M1L: Make 1 Right (right-leaning increase) / Make 1 Left (left-leaning increase)

kfb: knit through front and back loop

k2tog: knit two together (right-leaning decrease)

ssk: slip slip knit (left-leaning decrease)

Plain rows: rows worked without increases or decreases

Join in the round: Begin circular knitting by working into the first stitch on your circular or double pointed needles and continuing in the round thereafter. You can also find a special little technique that works well for you to make the join look neater. Many examples are online, like here: https://nimble-needles.com/tutorials/how-to-join-knitting-in-the-round/

🧮 Using the Calculator

Knit a swatch large enough to measure at least 4 inches / 10 cm square — in the same stitch pattern you’ll use for the sweater.
Use it to determine your gauge (stitches and rows per 4″ / 10 cm).
Enter your desired final measurements for the sweater (including ease).
- Use the How to Measure page if you’re unsure.
Choose a neckline shaping style, if you’d like.
Hit Calculate — your customized pattern will appear below, and you’ll have the option to download a PDF version.

🧶 Cast-On Section

Use circular needles or double pointed needles (DPNs) to knit in the round. If you’re working neckline shaping, start with flat knitting on straight or circular needles — you’ll switch to working in the round later.
Choose your preferred cast-on method. A popular one is the long-tail cast-on. Here’s an example of a resource online showing this method:

➤ If you’re not doing neckline shaping (like a basic crew or scoop neck):

Cast on your stitches
Join in the round
Work the collar edging for your desired depth → Or leave the edging until later and pick up the cast-on edge when ready

Common collar edgings include ribbing:

k1, p1
k2, p2
Or a variation you prefer

➤ If you’re doing neckline shaping (like a crew neck or V-neck):

Do not join in the round at cast-on
Work flat rows (RS and WS) until neckline shaping is complete

🧵 Raglan Setup & Increases

Work the setup row or round. Use this time to divide stitches into raglan sections:
- Use 4 stitch markers to separate:
  - Sleeve
  - Back
  - Front (may be split if doing neckline shaping)
- Use the Cast-On Overview for exact stitch counts per section
Work the second setup row (or round). If shaping the neckline, this will be a WS row.

Note: Neckline shaping and raglan increases both start after the setup rows.

✨ Starting the Increases

Begin increases on each side of each stitch marker placed for the raglan sections
If working neckline shaping, you’ll also begin neckline increases, typically near the beginning and end of each row

Sometimes neckline and raglan increases won’t happen on the same rows — follow the pattern instructions for exact placement.

📐 Increase Frequency Tips

If your armhole depth is shallow, the pattern may call for increases on every row or round early on.

If wanting to avoid this increase frequency at the beginning, try:

Increasing the armhole depth measurement
Reducing bust or upper arm circumference measurement

🔧 Common Increase Methods

Most patterns use M1R/M1L for raglan lines:

Use M1R on the right side of the marker
Use M1L on the left side of the marker
Leave a few stitches between the two for crisp seam lines

Other increase styles you can use:

kfb (front & back)
Lifted increases
Yarn overs (for decorative effect)

Each raglan increase row/round will add 8 stitches total — two per raglan marker, on each side.

📄 Flat vs Round Increases

If working flat (neckline shaping), and the pattern says to increase every row:

Use M1R and M1L the same way on both RS and WS rows
No special adjustment needed for the wrong side increases — just mirror placement as normal (M1R on right side of marker, M1L on left side of marker)

There are other techniques for increasing on the WS rows that you can also try out, like ones described on this site: https://nimble-needles.com/stitches/knitting-increases/

🪡 Neckline shaping

As noted earlier, neckline shaping (crew or V-neck) begins after the setup rows.

➤ If skipping neckline shaping:

You’re already knitting in the round — proceed with the raglan increases

➤ If shaping a neckline:

Follow the instructions for forming your neckline (crew neck or V-neck. More guidance is found below in their respective sections.
Once shaping is complete, you can work the collar of the neckline. you can also leave this until the rest of the sweater is complete:
- Pick up stitches around the neckline
- Work your chosen edging
- You can:
  - Skip some stitches while picking up to create pull-in
  - Add a few decreases on the first couple rounds to shape snugness
  - Go down a few needle sizes so the collar edging circumference matches the neckline, or even narrows a bit
- Adjust picked-up stitch count to fit ribbing repeats like k2, p2

Here’s a great video on picking up stitches:

Work the collar edging until it reaches your desired depth. For V-neck shaping, check the dedicated section below for extra details.

🧶 Crew Neck Shaping

To shape the crew neck, stitches are cast on at each neckline edge (beginning and end of the row) on right-side rows only, as instructed.

Sometimes a “plain” right-side row is inserted between cast-on rows. For example:

RS: Cast on 1 stitch at each neck edge  
WS: Work normally  
RS: No shaping  
WS: Work normally  
RS: Cast on 2 stitches at each neck edge  
WS: Work normally  
RS: No shaping

This means you’re alternating between rows with cast-ons and working regular WS and RS rows to gradually shape the neckline.

A simple method for edge casting-on is the backwards loop technique, where you form twisted loops and place them on your left needle. You can find tutorials like this one:

🧵 V-Neck Shaping

V-neck shaping begins after the two setup rows. The pattern may instruct you to increase 1 or 2 stitches at each edge, meaning each RS increase row adds a total of 2 or 4 stitches.

These increases only happen on right-side rows — though “plain” RS rows may appear between them if the pattern uses a schedule like “every 4th row.”

One way to increase is to use M1R near the beginning and M1L near the end of each increase row. If you’re doing 2 increases per edge, place a stitch in between them for tidiness. Other techniques may work too — feel free to experiment.

If the pattern asks you to cast on stitches at the bottom of the V, use twisted loops again (see Crew Neck Shaping).

🪡 V-Neck Edging

After neckline shaping is complete:

Pick up stitches around the neckline
Begin your chosen edging in the round
Decrease 2 stitches at the V base on every round (or every other round)

You can place these decreases:

Side by side
With 1–2 center stitches between them
Use mirrored decreases (e.g. ssk, k2tog), or a mitered decrease as demonstrated in this video:

👕 Sleeve Split & Underarm Setup

At the sleeve split:

Place sleeve stitches on hold using stitch holders or waste yarn tied securely
When continuing in the round, cast on the specified number of underarm stitches where the sleeves were set aside. One simple method to cast on here is to put twisted loops (see Crew Neck Shaping above for more detail) onto your left needle as you reach each sleeve gap.

These stitches:

Complete the bust circumference
Complete the upper arm circumference when picked up later for sleeves

Casting on underarm stitches is a common practice for top-down sweaters to improve movement in the part of the sweater.

📏 Body Length

Continue working in rounds until the body reaches your desired length.

The length entered in the calculator doesn’t include edging, so plan your ribbing or border after that. You may need to adjust stitch counts before the start of the edging to fit ribbing repeats.

You may want to go down a few needle sizes so the edging circumference matches the bottom of the sweater, or even makes it more close fitting.

After the edging, bind off using your favourite method — here’s a common one:

🧷 Sleeve Shaping

Each sleeve is worked individually using the same shaping instructions.

Steps:

Place held sleeve stitches onto your needle.
Pick up the required number of underarm stitches (from the ones cast on earlier).
- There may be a difference of one stitch with what was cast on — skip or add a stitch if needed to match the count.
Begin working in the round, following the sleeve shaping instructions.

It’s common to do mirrored decreases along the underside of the arm, which keeps the shaping discreet:

Before centre marker: ssk
After centre marker: k2tog

Tip: Place a marker at the midpoint of your picked-up underarm stitches and carry it down as your sleeve grows. The decreases will be on each side of this marker.

You can space decreases further apart or leave a stitch between them for a softer shaping line.

🪡 Decrease Techniques

You can swatch to try out different mirrored decreases or centred double decreases — find out what you prefer, whatever feels tidy and simple for you!

As the sleeve narrows:

You may need to switch to double pointed needles or the magic loop method

Before the cuff:

Adjust stitch count to accommodate ribbing repeats (e.g. k2, p2)

You may want to go down a few needle sizes for the cuff so the edging circumference matches the bottom of the sleeve, or even makes it more close fitting.

Bind off after finishing your cuff edge.

🎉 Finishing Touches

Your sweater is nearly done! If you haven’t added the collar yet, now’s the time:

Pick up stitches around the neckline
Work your edging (see guidelines for the Neckline above)
Bind off

Then weave in your ends and block your garment:

Soak it gently in water with detergent suitable for your yarn
Rinse, then lay flat to dry completely

And now? It’s ready to wear — handmade by you, with skill and care 💛🧵