To knit a beautiful blouse for a girl, you only need a few skeins of yarn and a couple of free evenings. If you choose the raglan knitting technique from the top, you will have the opportunity to try the product on the child right in the process of work.
Advantages and disadvantages of knitting a raglan from the top
The main advantage of children's clothing knitted with a raglan is the absence of seams. The inner surface of the sweater is smooth, and nothing presses on the baby.
However, there are other advantages:
- since the product is knitted from the top, it is easy to try on (it is immediately clear how the cardigan will fit);
- fewer parts, which means there is no need to cut the thread again and then hide the ends;
- easy to adjust the length of the product;
- It is very convenient if you have a shortage of yarn (you can knit the yoke and sleeves, and then just knit the rest of the yarn in length).
The disadvantages include a limited selection of models that can be used in a raglan garment. In addition, it is quite difficult to fit complex patterns with large rapports into a raglan. Therefore, such clothes are usually knitted from the bottom up. Not all needlewomen like to knit long rows with a large number of loops.
Rules for calculating loops
Knitting children's clothes will be successful only if the finished products are the right size. First of all, you should take the measurements correctly. Children's clothes have a simpler cut than adult clothes, so fewer measurements are needed.
Required data:
- Neck circumference (NC);
- chest, waist or hip circumference (select the largest number) (OK G, OK T, OK B);
- arm length (AL);
- arm circumference at the wrist and shoulder, that is, at the narrowest and widest points (Ob Z, Ob P).
It is also worth measuring the length of the future product on the child. It is important to remember that when taking measurements, the child should be asked to stand up straight so that the data is as reliable as possible. You should definitely add a few centimeters to the figures you get to allow for some freedom of fit. Depending on the planned model, this can be 4-7 cm.
A raglan top with the simplest cut (not for growth) requires about 5 cm for ease of fit. Additional centimeters should not be added to all measurements, but only to the Ok G and Ob P. If you need to make the neck looser, then 3-5 cm are added to Ob W.
Tables with standard children's measurements are widely popular. They are convenient if you need to make a product for a child who is far away. In extreme cases, you can measure a ready-made cardigan that the baby wears and that corresponds to the required sizes. Then you do not need to add any additional centimeters to the resulting figures.
When there are reference points in the form of measurements, it is necessary to draw a technical drawing of the future product. A schematic image is enough, it is needed so that the dimensions of the cardigan are clearly visible. It will be more convenient to knit if you put the dimensions in centimeters on the drawing, and then in loops (L) and rows (R).
Converting measurements from centimeters to P and R is one of the most important stages of the work:
- To find out the knitting density of a specific yarn, it is necessary to knit a control sample. Its optimal size is 15 x 15 cm. The sample can only be measured after washing and drying in the same conditions in which the WTO (wet heat treatment) of the finished product will take place.
- Knitting density is indicated by the ratio of P and R to 10 cm in width and height.
- Using a simple formula, all dimensions indicated on the technical drawing should be converted into P and R.
In fact, the algorithm for recalculating sizes in loops and rows is a proportion: the length or height of the fabric in centimeters, multiplied by the number of loops or rows in 10 cm, is proportional to the length of the fabric in loops or the height in rows, multiplied by 10 cm. If you designate the desired value with the letter X and make a formula, it will look like this:
For example, when measuring the control sample, the following data were obtained: 22 P x 28 R make up a square of 10 x 10 cm. If you need to know how many P to cast on to knit a piece of fabric 27 cm long, the calculations will look like this:
As a result, X = 60P.
When rounding, you should always use the general mathematical rounding rules, but exceptions are possible. For example, 60 P will be more convenient to enter into the raglan calculation than 59 P. Calculations are performed similarly for all other parameters.
Knitting tools
The selection of tools and materials should also be given close attention, since the quality and appearance of the entire product directly depends on the characteristics of the yarn.
The blouse (raglan on top or another model with a fastener) is put on over other clothes, so it should be elastic and soft enough. Rough and too dense products will restrict the baby's movements, and may even rub and cause discomfort. Softness can be achieved by using certain types of yarn and the best-suited knitting needles.
Materials with a high content of natural fibers are generally recognized as favorites. This is the wool of a wide variety of animals (sheep, alpaca, merino, cashmere, yak, vicuna, mink, rabbits, goats and others), as well as plant materials (cotton, flax, hemp, viscose, even nettle).
However, to ensure the strength and durability of the yarn, manufacturers add synthetic components to natural fibers.: acrylic, polyamide, polyacrylic, microfiber, nylon and other materials. As a result, yarn, which contains about 50% (no less) wool or plant fibers, and the rest is artificial additives, is more reliable and practical.
It does not deform as much when worn, and holds color better. The material becomes flexible and soft, but does not create the unpleasant "greenhouse effect" that is typical for fully synthetic types of yarn.
It is important to remember that the thinner the yarn, the smaller the diameter of the needles you will have to knit it with, and the longer the work will take. For children's cardigans, the optimal thread thickness is from 200 m/100 g to 400 m/100 g.
To select the right knitting needles, it is worth studying the label of the skein. Manufacturers place their recommendations on this issue there. However, in any case, the craftswoman should knit several samples with different tools and determine which density of fabric she likes the most.
A raglan top blouse for a child aged 1.5-2 years can be made from 150 g of yarn with an average yardage of 300 m/100 g. Theoretically, knitting needles No. 3.75-4 mm are suitable for such yarn.
Operating procedure
A simple knitted cardigan for a child under one year old can do without a sprout. But clothes for older children must necessarily contain this element. Due to the sprout, the back is 3-5 cm higher than the front parts. Thus, an anatomically correct fit of the cardigan is ensured. The sprout in the raglan from above is knitted with shortened rows.
To knit a basic blouse for a baby, you need to do the following:
- Knit the yoke with expansion along four raglan lines.
- Divide the canvas into 5 parts.
- Combine P of the first sleeve, add P for undercuts. Knit the first sleeve.
- Knit the second sleeve in the same way.
- Gather the P pieces of the front and back into one R and knit the cardigan down to the desired height.
- Finishing of the product (hem binding, button placket, collar).
At the final stage, you need to wash the finished cardigan and dry it in an unfolded form. If the fabric is not flat and even enough, you can steam it slightly. You can safely place the sole of the iron on cotton fabrics, but when working with fragile materials, it is better to simply bring the iron to the surface and press the steam button.
Raglan sweater for a child with a slit
For an average child aged 18-24 months, the Ok G is 56 cm, Ob W is 26 cm, and the sleeve length without the armhole is 23 cm. To get the dimensions of the finished cardigan, you need to add 5 cm to Ok G (61 cm), and increase the neck width by 1 cm (27 cm).
When using yarn with a footage of 180 m/50 g and a composition of 55% cotton, 45% acrylic, the density on knitting needles No. 4 will be 22 P x 28 R (square 10 x 10 cm). Depending on the specifics of the craftswoman's work, the same density can be obtained when working with knitting needles No. 3.5, and when using No. 4.5.
To knit the product, you need knitting needles of a smaller diameter than those on which the main fabric is made, for example, No. 3.75 (if the main ones are No. 4).
Top of the sweater, raglan
First, cast on 64 stitches using Judy's method on #4 needles. This way, the loops of the cast-on P will remain open. For a similar effect, you can use other methods: knit a couple of rows with a waste yarn, which you then unravel, or crochet a set of chain stitches. In odd Ps, knit the loops as faces.
To form neat raglan lines, you should mark the fabric: in 1m R knit 11 P, add 1 P (left shelf), then 10 P and again add 1 P (left sleeve), 22 P and add 1 P (back), 10 P and add 1 P (right sleeve), the last 11 P (right shelf). As a result, 68 P remain on the needles.
When knitting the 2nd row and all other even sts, you need to knit purlwise. In the process of knitting the 3rd row, you need to knit 11 sts, increase 1 st, then knit 1 st and hang a marker.
Next, add 1 st again, knit 10 sts, increase 1 st and knit 1 st, place the second marker on the needle. Add 1 st again, knit 22 sts and add 1 st, after knitting 1 st place the third marker on the needle.
Increase 1 st, work 10 sts and increase 1 st, work 1 st and place the last, fourth marker, increase 1 st and work the remaining 11 sts. With the added stitches, the row has increased to 76 sts.
In subsequent front rows, you need to make increases before and after each marker. Thus, when knitting each front row, the fabric will increase by 8 sts. When the fabric is 18 sts high, and there are 212 sts on the needles, you can finish knitting the yoke.
Sleeves
Next, you need to detach the sleeve parts from the back and front pieces:
- cast on 31 sts (left shelf) on an additional thread,
- transfer 44 sts of the left sleeve to circular needles No. 4,
- continue casting on 62 sts (back) using the auxiliary thread,
- transfer the loops of the right sleeve 44 P to a separate auxiliary thread,
- complete the cast-on on the first auxiliary thread 31 P (right shelf).
In total, 124 sts (front and back) will remain on the long auxiliary thread, 44 sts of the left sleeve will be transferred to knitting needles No. 4, and 44 sts of the right sleeve will be on a separate thread.
Now you need to knit the right sleeve. All the loops need to be closed in a circular row, adding an additional 4 sts between the first and last loops for the undercuts (48 sts in total). Sometimes such small sleeves are easier to knit on double-pointed needles rather than on circular ones.
Place a marker at the start/end point of the R. Then knit in a circle, decreasing the fabric in every 8th R by 2 P (1 P before the marker and 1 P after the marker).
Continue knitting until there are 44 sts left on the needles. Now you need to make reductions more often: in every 6 rows, until there are 34 sts left. At the last stage, the sleeve is knitted straight until the length of the fabric is 19-20 cm from the hem.
To complete the piece, you can knit 2-3 cm with a rib, garter stitch or make a decorative border. To make the binding, it is better to switch to knitting needles No. 3.75.
How to decorate the edge of the product:
- knit 4 rows of knit stitches from the front side and purl stitches from the back side (stockinette stitch),
- * knit 2 sts together,
- perform a yarn over *,
- repeat description from * to * until end of R.
Finish the border with 4 rows of stockinette stitch. Then close all the P, cut the thread longer and hem the border edge from the wrong side. As a result, the edge will become wavy. The second sleeve is made in the same way.
Front and back
Transfer the back and front loops from the auxiliary thread to knitting needles No. 4, knit all the loops in sequence, picking up 4 sts from each undercut. Thus, the fabric will be 132 sts wide. Knit the piece in straight and turning rows with the front surface to a height of 18 cm from the undercuts.
To finish, you can make an elastic band along the bottom, knit the strip with a garter stitch pattern or a edging with teeth.
It is better when the edge processing is the same on all parts, therefore if there is an elastic band on the sleeves, then an elastic band should be made here too. If the sleeves are decorated with a border, then it should be knitted along the bottom of the entire product. To prevent the bottom of the cardigan from stretching when worn, you can knit it with knitting needles No. 3.75.
Gate
The open P of the neck should be transferred to circular knitting needles No. 3.75. If at the very beginning of the work the set of loops was made on an additional thread or a chain of air loops, then they should be removed and the loops of the neck should be put on the working knitting needles.
For binding, use the same method that was used to bind the sleeves and the bottom of the product. (elastic band, several rows of garter stitch or serrated edge).
Assembly
At this stage, all the strips are sewn, if they were knitted on the sleeves, along the bottom of the product and along the collar. The raglan blouse on top for a girl will have a fastener on the right side, and for a boy - on the left.
To knit the bar, you need to cast on 68 sts along the right (or left) shelf using #3.75 knitting needles.
For girls, you can knit a bar in the form of teeth:
- 1 R purl
- 2 R. Knit 3 P, *close 2 P (knit 2 P together, then knit the resulting P and the next one together), make 13 P as knits*. Repeat the pattern section between * and * 3 more times. At the end of the R, close the last 2 P and make 3 P as knits.
- 3 P purl. Knit all P, but in place of closed P add 2 P.
- 4 Rows knit with front sts.
- 5 Rows purl.
- 6 R make teeth.
- 7 R is the same as 5 R.
- 8 R is the same as 4 R.
- 9 R is the same as 2 R.
- 10 R is the same as 3 R.
- 11 R is the same as 5 R.
- 12 R is the same as 4 R.
At the end of the work, close all the Ps loosely and hem the edge of the strip from the wrong side. Along the edge of the second shelf, you need to cast on loops and knit the strip exactly the same as on the first, only without holes for buttons.
If the dentil strip is not appropriate, you can knit the simplest garter stitch binding. To do this, knit only the front Ps along the edge of the shelf to a height of 3 R, then make a row with loops and finish the strip with 3 Rs. At the end of the work, close all the Ps. This binding is perfect for processing cardigans for boys.
A sweater with a through fastening and a crocheted placket
An excellent option for processing a finished product is to use crochet techniques. The fabric knitted with a crochet hook is more rigid than when knitted with needles.
As a result, the planks get the required density, they do not stretch or deform during use of the product. Crochet binding can be recommended in cases where a very soft thread (viscose, angora, kid mohair) is chosen for work.
The raglan blouse does not necessarily have to be crocheted on the sleeves, bottom and neck. It is quite acceptable to combine traditional types of edge processing with crocheted strips. To make such a strip, it is enough to have basic crochet skills: to be able to crochet single crochets and air loops.
For the buttonhole strip, tie the edge of the front with single crochets (68 sc), then work 1 chain stitch to lift onto the second row (this should be done at the beginning of each row) and work another 1 row with single crochets.
Next, you need to knit 3 sc, *2 VP, skip 2 base sts and knit 13 sc*. Repeat the part of the description from * to * to the end of the row, make 2 VP and 3 sc. Next, you need to knit 3 more rows. This completes the strip. The second one should be knitted similarly, but without holes for buttons.
If desired, the edge of the strip can be decorated with relief protrusions, “picot” of 3 P. To do this, you need to knit 3 sc, then make 3 VP, insert the hook into the base of the first VP and knit sc. This is how you knit "pico". The protrusions can be at a distance of 3, 4 or more columns from each other. But, in any case, the intervals should be the same.
To sew buttons onto the placket, you need to fold the cardigan on a flat horizontal surface the way it should look when buttoned. Then sew on the top and bottom buttons. After buttoning the sweater onto these buttons, you need to mark the attachment points for the remaining elements. Pins with colored heads or a contrasting thread are great for marking.
When sewing on buttons, you need to try to make all the stitches the same way in the same direction. (horizontal, vertical or diagonal). The fewest mistakes are with buttons with 4 holes, as they can be sewn on with cross stitches. It should be remembered that a cardigan with buttons should be ironed only from the inside out, so as not to damage the plastic elements themselves and the sole of the iron.
When all the buttons are sewn on, it is worth buttoning the product again and laying it out for a final check. If everything looks neat, there are no folds or pinches anywhere, then the work can be considered complete. Based on this basic blouse, knitted with a raglan from the top, you can make a lot of interesting products with different patterns and for any size.
Article formatting:Natalie Podolskaya
Video about knitting a sweater for a girl
Knitted blouse for a girl - diagram and description: