How to crochet raglan: recommendations, options, patterns

2025 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2025-01-22 22:09

One of several popular tricks that make life easier for knitters is the raglan sleeve. Crochet it can be done in two ways: from above and below. Any of them can either be connected with a single piece of fabric with front and back details, or be sewn from separate elements.

General principles of knitting raglan sleeves

Crochet raglan is easiest to knit on top. In this way, you can avoid the need to sew parts and match pattern elements. In addition, this technique is very convenient with a limited amount of yarn. You can knit the sleeves first, and then use the remaining yarn for the entire length of the product.

Raglan crochet is knitted in the same way as with knitting needles: the details of the sleeves, front and back are successively reduced to form bevels of the same length. The bevel angle is typically 45 degrees, but there are many exceptions.

If the raglan jacket is crocheted from above, then the loops are added along the raglan line, otherwise, cuts are made when knitting from below.

Proper formation of raglan when knitting from bottom to top

When planning this way of designing a product, you can go in two ways: work in circular rows or make all the parts separately, followed by stitching.

In this case, it is undesirable to start the bevel from the very edge, it is better to make a small indent (2-3 cm). After stitching, these indents will allow you to move your arms more freely. Otherwise, a crocheted raglan may pull a little under the arm.

Cuts are made in accordance with the pattern. This is a must when working with raglan, as incorrect bevels, errors or asymmetries will be very noticeable.

Abbreviations should match the pattern. For knitting raglan, it is better to choose patterns with small longitudinal rapports. The following patterns are excellent examples.

Making the right raglan means taking into account that the back part should be slightly longer than the front, otherwise the front neck will cut into the neck, and the product itself can pull back. The difference in height between the front and back parts is called the sprout. When knitting a sewn raglan, it is easier to solve this issue by extending one of the raglan lines of the sleeve, and leaving the other a little shorter. The short one will be sewn to the front, and the long one to the back. This is perfectly illustrated by the following picture.

Raglan,knitted round top

The execution of the circular raglan, connected from below, begins when the necessary details are prepared. Before, back and sleeves should be tied to the armhole line. Unfinished parts can be reshooted on other knitting needles or on a thick thread.

Then they need to be transferred in the correct sequence to circular knitting needles and continue to work. Loop cuts are made along the raglan lines. As a rule, in every second row, one loop is reduced on both sides of the parts. Thus, every two rows, the canvas is reduced by eight loops. But this rule is relevant only for solid patterns, but if openwork is knitted, then the reductions are compared with the pattern of rapports. To tie the sprout, the back piece is tied in short rows.

Knitting raglan from above

Knitting begins with a set of chains of air loops. Its length should be equal to the neck circumference.

With this method of raglan design, it is almost impossible to make a sprout. The neck often looks the same for the front and back details, like this knitted blouse.

The expansion of canvases starts from the very first row. As a rule, the entire circle is divided into four equal parts. Sometimes they adhere to a different proportion: one sixth of the loops are allocated for each sleeve, the rest are distributed between the front and back.

The addition of loops is performed in the same way as the reductions described in the previous paragraph. It is advisable to observe an angle of 45 degrees and focus on the aesthetic appearance of the pattern whenadding new rapports.

The formation of new loops occurs along the raglan lines. They may include a different number of loops or columns: from one to ten or more. Crocheted raglan with a pattern along the addition line looks good.

The following scheme illustrates the formation of raglan very well.

Here you can clearly see how the formation of new rapports of the pattern takes place. After the extensions are completed, you should continue to work with partial knitting. The details of the front and back close in a circular row and continue to knit down. Then proceed to the manufacture of sleeves. They can be knitted in a flat fabric and then sewn, or also worked in the round.

Shutting down

At the end of the work, you need to take care of tying the neckline, bottom line and sleeves of the product. A ready-made blouse or raglan pullover crochet, the pattern and pattern do not matter, should be washed in warm water or steamed with an iron. When choosing the latter method, you should not put the iron on the product, as the fabric will immediately become too soft and may stretch (if there is acrylic in the yarn).