Child’s Raglan Cardigan
This is a very old pattern; I used it in my beginners’ knitting machine classes from 1979 onwards. It was uploaded to the earliest Clearwater Knits website, created in 1997 on GeoCities. It did not have any photos.
Sizes: 2-4-6-8-10-12
Finished Width, Buttoned: 24.5 – 25.75 – 26.75 – 28.75 – 30.75 – 32.75 Inches
Materials Required: 1 cone Nomis 3/15, or any yarn that will knit to required gauge
Gauge: 8 sts, 11 rows = 1 inch
Tension: approximately 7
Back
CO 28 (30-30-32-32-32) sts with WY and ravel cord, ending COR. Change to MC. RC 000. T 7. K 2 rows even. Inc 1 st on carriage side by bringing another needle out to WP. Repeat from * 55 (59-63-69-77-85) more times. RC 58 (62-66-72-80-88). CO 4 sts at the beg of the next 2 rows. 92 (98-102-110-118-126) sts. Raglan shaping is completed.
RC000. K even to RC 60 (72-82-94-102-110). Change to K1, P1 ribbing. T 5/5. K even 16 rows. T 9/9. RC 76 (88-98-110-118-126). K 1 row and clip yarn. BO by pulling 2nd st through 1st, 3rd through 2nd, 4th through 3rd, etc. Pull yarn tail through last st to fasten off.
Front
CO 14 (15-15-16-16-16) sts with WY and ravel cord, ending COR. Change to MC. RC 000. T 7. K 3 rows, COL. *Inc 1 st by bringing a needle into WP next to the carriage, K 2 rows. Repeat from * 27 (29-31-34-38-42) more times. COL. CO 4 sts at the beginning of the next row. 46 (49-51-55-59-63) sts. Raglan shaping is completed. K 1 row to R. RC 58 (62-66-72-80-88).
RC 000. K even to RC 60 (72-82-94-102-110). Change to K1, P1 ribbing. T 5/5. K even 16 rows. T 9/9. RC 76 (88-98-110-118-126). K 1 row and clip yarn. BO by pulling 2nd st through 1st, 3rd through 2nd, 4th through 3rd, etc. Pull yarn tail through last st to fasten off.
Alternate Front Neck Shaping
The instructions above make a high, square neck. This is the easiest style. For a round neck, follow the instructions below. Please note that all shaping at the raglan edge is exactly the same as for the Back; increase 1 st at the armhole edge by bringing a new needle to WP next to the carriage EOR. The directions below are for NECK SHAPING ONLY. CO 2 sts at shoulder. Inc at armhole, EOR, when carriage is on L side. AT THE SAME TIME, SHAPE FRONT NECK, AS FOLLOWS. Begin after RC 002, COR. Inc 1 st EOR 5 (5-5-6-6-6)x, 2 sts EOR 2x. CO 4 sts for base of neckline. This completes front neck shaping. Work even at R edge while completing rest of front same as instructions above.
Sleeves
CO 8 (8-8-10-10-10) sts with WY and ravel cord, ending COR. Change to MC. RC 000. T 7. K 2 rows. *Inc 1 st on carriage side by bringing another needle out to WP. Repeat from * 55 (59-63-69-77-85) more times. RC 58 (62-66-72-80-88). CO 4 sts at the beg of the next 2 rows. 72 (76-80-88-96-104) sts. Raglan shaping is completed.
RC 000. K 9 rows even. Dec 1 st both sides on this and every following 9th row a total of 9(10-12-14-15-16)x. 54 (56-56-60-66-72) sts remain. K even to RC 82 (100-116-132-138-148) and remove on WY. Rehang on 47 (49-49-51-53-55) needles, decreasing 7 (7-7-9-13-17) sts evenly by placing 2 sts on a needle for each dec. K 2 rows. Change to K1, P1 ribbing. RC 000. T 5/5. K even 16 rows. T 9/9. K 1 row and clip yarn. BO by pulling 2nd st through 1st, 3rd through 2nd, 4th through 3rd, etc. Pull yarn tail through last st to fasten off. Make other sleeve the same.
Join sleeve to back. Lay back and one sleeve side by side on a table, raglan edges adjoining. Thread tapestry needle with matching yarn. Overcast raglans together through the loops on the edges. I prefer to hold the back and sleeve, P sides together, and whip stitch together through the loops, but many people find it easier to work with the pieces flat on the table so the corresponding loops are easily visible. Use whichever method is more comfortable for you. Join Fronts to corresponding sleeve, using same method as for Back.
Neckband
K side toward machine, pick up 1 st in each MC loop, and 1 st in each raglan seam, around neck edge. Set up for K1, P1 ribbing. RC 000. T 4/4. K even 10 rows. T 8/8. K 1 row and clip yarn. BO by pulling 2nd st through 1st, 3rd through 2nd, 4th through 3rd, etc. Pull yarn tail through last st to fasten off.
Front Bands
Bands knitted vertically roll under less than bands picked up and knitted sideways, so I usually knit mine this way, even though they are a little more work. Bring 23 needles to WP. Take the 11th and 13th needles back to pos a and leave them in NWP throughout. CO remaining 21 sts. RC 000 . T 6. K even to RC 128 (144-158-176-192-208) for square neck version. This is determined by adding the number of rows in the armhole, number of rows in the lower body, and 10 rows for the neckband. You may also knit more rows than necessary, complete band as below, then before finishing off the top edge ravel back until band is the same length as center front. It is best to work buttonband first, make a note of actual number of rows used, then knit the buttonhole band. Remove all band sts on WY.
Ravel the center st all the way back to the CO edge. Insert latch tool into this “run”, two bars up from the bottom; twist down and around to form a loop on the latch tool. Slide this loop back behind the latch. *Catch next two bars, pull them through the loop already on the latch tool, then slide this new loop down behind the latch. Repeat from * to top.
Latching the center in this manner causes the fabric to fold on itself, and makes a permanent crease. Fold the WY down over to the outside of the band, exposing the little bumps of MC along top edge. Using matching yarn in a tapestry needle, whip stitch top edge closed through the bumps. Make other band the same, evenly spacing 6 (6-6-7-7-7) 3-st buttonholes in both sides of the band. If you are not comfortable making buttonholes, try long prong snaps, or use the sew on kind with a real button sewn at the corresponding points on the outside.
Finishing
Sew bands to front, placing buttonholes on R for girls, L for boys. I prefer to mattress stitch the garment to the outside of the band, turn band to the inside, and whip stitch the inner edge of the band to the front seam. Sew on buttons. Sew side and sleeve seams. Work in all yarn ends. Wash and dry completed garment. Do any touchup blocking necessary, especially along seams.
This garment is very attractive when bands of Fairisle are placed just above the bottom bands and sleeve cuffs. Less than an ounce of each color will usually be plenty, so this is a good place to use up odds and ends you have left over.
Original pattern was uploaded to Clearwater Knits website and copyrighted in 1997