Knitting a Top-Down Raglan: Seamless Pattern for Beginners

Knitting a raglan top-down means you start at the neckline and knit the sweater downward in one piece – with no seams at all. The typical diagonal raglan lines form all by themselves through the increases, and because the sweater is worked in the round from the very start, you can try it on as you go. In this pattern you’ll knit a simple raglan sweater in sizes S to XL, step by step. You’ll also learn how to divide the stitches, which yarn works well and how much you need.

What is a top-down raglan?

On a raglan, the sleeve seam runs diagonally from the neckline to the underarm. When you knit it top-down, you cast on the stitches for the neckline and divide them into four sections: back, front and two sleeves. Between the sections sits one raglan stitch each. You increase on either side of it every other round, so the yoke keeps growing downward. Once it’s deep enough, you put the sleeve stitches on hold and knit the body first, then the sleeves, in the round.

• No seams: After binding off, all that’s left is weaving in the ends.
• Try it on as you go: You can see early on whether the width and length are right.
• Flexible length: Simply knit the body and sleeves as long as you like – or as long as your yarn lasts.

You should be able to knit in the round and know how to knit, increase and decrease. You can practice knitting in the round with our pattern Knitting a Hat for Beginners, for example.

What you need

• Yarn: 5–6 / 6–7 / 7–8 / 8–9 balls of Virgin Wool Ronan, 160 m / 100 g for sizes S / M / L / XL
• Circular needles in 4.5 mm (40 cm) for the neckband and in 5.5 mm (40 cm and 80 cm) for the yoke and body, plus an 80 cm circular needle in 4.5 mm for the hem ribbing
• Double-pointed needles in 4.5 and 5.5 mm for the sleeves – or knit them on a long circular needle using magic loop
• 5 stitch markers, one of them in a different color
• Scrap yarn for holding the sleeve stitches, yarn needle, scissors and tape measure

Which yarn is best for a raglan?

For your first top-down raglan, smooth medium-weight yarns with 150–180 m per 100 g and a needle size of 5–6 mm work well. With some wool content, the sweater stays elastic and the ribbing fits snugly. Because you knit stockinette in the round, any yarn in a calm, even color looks especially good.

Our yarns for raglan sweaters

Virgin Wool Ronan, 160 m / 100 g – 78% virgin wool, 22% polyamide, needle size 5–6 mm, 18 colors. Elastic and holds its shape. This pattern is written for this yarn.

Chunky Yarn Crush with Alpaca, 180 m / 100 g – 15% alpaca, 15% wool, 70% acrylic, needle size 5–6 mm, 5 colors. Light and evenly solid-colored, so the raglan lines really stand out.

Chunky Yarn Elora with Alpaca, 150 m / 100 g – 15% alpaca, 20% wool, 10% viscose, 55% acrylic, needle size 5–6 mm, in gray and light brown. Soft, with a subtle sheen.

Tweed Wool Carin, 160 m / 100 g – 50% wool, 46% acrylic, 4% viscose, needle size 4.5–5.5 mm, in light green, pink and white. With colorful tweed flecks in the yarn.

The filter needle size 5–6 mm shows you more suitable yarns. You’ll find more about choosing the right yarn weight in our guide Yarn for Needle Sizes 5, 6 and 8.

Sizes and yarn amounts

The sweater has a regular fit, not oversized: the finished bust is about 5–10 cm larger than your body measurement.

Gauge swatch in the round

The pattern calls for 16 sts and 22 rows in stockinette on 5.5 mm needles = 10 × 10 cm. Since you knit the sweater in the round, it’s best to knit your swatch in the round too – many knitters work a little tighter or looser in the round than in rows. Wash the swatch and let it dry flat before you measure. If you have more stitches over 10 cm, use a larger needle; if you have fewer, a smaller one. We explain how to measure correctly in our guide How to Knit a Gauge Swatch.

Calculating a raglan: how to divide the stitches

If you later want to use a different yarn or knit your own size, this rule of thumb will help:

1. Neckline: a neck circumference of about 48–55 cm × the stitches per cm from your gauge swatch.
2. Dividing: Subtract 4 stitches for the raglan lines. Of the rest, the front and back each get about one third, and the two sleeves share the last third.
3. Increasing: Increase 8 stitches every other round until the sleeves are as wide as your upper arm plus 3–5 cm.
4. Adjusting the body: If the body still needs more width after that, increase every other round on the front and back only.
5. Underarm: When you divide, cast on 4–8 new stitches under each arm.

Pattern: knitting a top-down raglan step by step

Sizes: S / M / L / XL; a single number applies to all sizes
Gauge: 16 sts and 22 rows in stockinette on 5.5 mm needles = 10 × 10 cm
Abbreviations: st(s) = stitch(es), rnd(s) = round(s), k = knit, p = purl, tog = together
Increase: make 1 – pick up the horizontal bar between stitches and knit it through the back loop

1. Neckband

Using the 4.5 mm circular needle, loosely cast on 76 / 80 / 84 / 88 sts. So that your head fits through easily later, it’s best to cast on over a 5.5 mm needle. Join in the round without twisting the stitches and place the contrasting marker to mark the beginning of the round. Work 3 cm in *k2, p2* ribbing in the round.

2. Dividing the stitches

Switch to the 5.5 mm circular needle and knit one round. As you go, place a marker before each raglan stitch:

Back 24 / 26 / 28 / 28 sts, marker, 1 raglan stitch, sleeve 12 / 12 / 12 / 14 sts, marker, 1 raglan stitch, front 24 / 26 / 28 / 28 sts, marker, 1 raglan stitch, sleeve 12 / 12 / 12 / 14 sts, marker, 1 raglan stitch. This brings you back to the beginning of the round.

Because the neckline is the same height at the front and back, you can wear the sweater either way round. In this pattern, we call the side with the beginning of the round the back.

3. Raglan increases

• Increase round: *Knit to the marker, increase 1 st, slip the marker, k1 (raglan stitch), increase 1 st*, 4 times in total, then knit to the end of the round. This adds 8 sts in every increase round.
• Plain round: Knit all sts.

Repeat these two rounds 17 / 20 / 21 / 22 times. You’ll see the raglan lines after just a few rounds. Keep a tally so you don’t lose track.

4. Increases on the body only

The sleeves are now wide enough, but the body still needs a little more width. So in the next increase rounds, increase only on the back and front, i.e. on the body side of each raglan stitch: at the beginning of the round, before the 1st marker, after the 2nd raglan stitch and before the 3rd marker. That makes 4 increases per round.

Work this increase round, with a plain round in between, 4 / 3 / 3 / 5 times. You now have 228 / 252 / 264 / 284 sts on the needle.

Try it on: Slip the stitches onto a long piece of scrap yarn and try on the yoke. At the front, the raglan lines should reach to just below your underarm. If the yoke is too short, knit two more plain rounds.

5. Putting the sleeves on hold and separating the body

1. Knit the back and the 1st raglan stitch. From now on, this raglan stitch belongs to the back.
2. Place the following sleeve stitches, up to the 2nd raglan stitch, on a piece of scrap yarn.
3. Cast on 6 / 6 / 8 / 8 new sts under the arm: wrap the yarn around your thumb to form a loop and slip it onto the right needle; repeat as often as needed (backward-loop cast-on).
4. Knit the 2nd raglan stitch, the front and the 3rd raglan stitch.
5. Put the second sleeve on hold, cast on 6 / 6 / 8 / 8 sts again and knit the 4th raglan stitch.

Remove the raglan markers. You now have the 148 / 160 / 172 / 184 body stitches on the needle.

6. Body

Work stockinette in the round, i.e. knit every stitch, until the body measures 32 / 33 / 34 / 35 cm from the underarm. Try it on now and then – for a longer sweater, just keep going. Switch to the 4.5 mm circular needle, work 6 cm of *k2, p2* ribbing and bind off loosely in pattern.

7. Sleeves

Place the held sleeve stitches on the 5.5 mm double-pointed needles. Pick up 6 / 6 / 8 / 8 sts from the stitches cast on at the underarm and place the beginning of the round at the center of the underarm. You now have 52 / 58 / 62 / 66 sts. To avoid small holes at the corners, pick up 1 extra st at each corner and knit it together with the neighboring stitch in the next round.

Knit 3 cm in stockinette. Then decrease 2 sts on every 8th round 8 / 9 / 9 / 9 times: k1, skp (slip 1 st knitwise, k1, pass the slipped st over), knit to the last 3 sts of the round, k2tog, k1. After all decreases, 36 / 40 / 44 / 48 sts remain.

Continue straight until the sleeve measures 38 / 39 / 40 / 40 cm from the underarm, or until it is 6 cm short of your desired length. Switch to 4.5 mm needles, work 6 cm of *k2, p2* ribbing and bind off loosely. Knit the second sleeve the same way.

8. Finishing

Weave in all ends, closing any small holes at the underarms as you go. Hand wash the sweater at no more than 30 °C, press out the water without wringing and let it dry flat. More on this in our guide How to Wash Wool.

Common mistakes with a top-down raglan

• Your head won’t fit through: The cast-on was too tight. Cast on over a larger needle and don’t work the neckband too tightly either.
• Stitches twisted when joining: Before the first round, check that all cast-on stitches face the same way. A twisted round can’t be fixed later.
• Missed increases: The raglan lines will be uneven. Count the stitches of one section after every increase round.
• Sleeves too tight: The yoke was too short. Unravel back to before the dividing round and knit two more increase rounds.
• Holes at the underarm: Pick up one or two extra stitches there for the sleeve and knit them together in the next round.

Variations

• Stripes: With Virgin Wool Ronan in two colors, you could switch color every 6 rounds, for example. For an almost invisible color change, knit the first stitch in the second round of a new color together with the stitch below it.
• Turtleneck: Knit the neckband 16–18 cm tall and bind off very loosely.
• Shorter or longer: Simply knit the body to whatever length you like. For 5 cm of extra length, you’ll need about half a ball more.
• Raised back neck: With a few short rows across the back, the neckline sits slightly higher at the back than at the front. You can skip this for your first raglan.

Prefer a button band? A cardigan is easiest to knit from the bottom up – step by step in our pattern Knitting a Cardigan. And if you’d rather go sleeveless, you’ll find our pattern for a sweater vest.

Examples for inspiration

Here’s what a raglan sweater made from this pattern could look like – in colors you’ll also find among our yarns.

Note: The images in this section are AI-generated examples for inspiration.

Frequently asked questions about top-down raglans

What does raglan mean?
It’s the name for a sleeve whose seam runs diagonally from the neckline to the underarm. The name goes back to the British field marshal Lord Raglan.

Is a top-down raglan a good project for beginners?
Yes, if you can knit in the round. You only need knit stitches, increases and decreases, and there are no seams at all.

How many stitches do I cast on for a top-down raglan?
That depends on your gauge. At 16 sts per 10 cm, it’s about 76–88 sts for women’s sizes, which gives a neck circumference of roughly 48–55 cm.

How can I tell the yoke is long enough?
Try it on: at the front, the raglan lines should reach to just below your underarm, and the sleeves should fit loosely around your upper arm.

How much yarn do I need for a raglan sweater?
For size M, about 900–1,100 m, i.e. 6–7 balls of Virgin Wool Ronan with 160 m per ball.

We ship all our yarns from Görlitz, with free shipping within Germany. Enjoy knitting your first raglan!