How to Divide for Body And Sleeves Raglan Sweater

Divide for body and sleeves – do you think it is difficult? Not at all! Real-time example in detail.

Contents hide

1 Separating for sleeves and body for a top-down raglan sweater

2 Picking up sleeve stitches without holes

Separating for sleeves and body for a top-down raglan sweater

You will need:

crochet hook;
scrap yarn (for provisional cast-on and setting stitches aside);
darning needle.

Step 1.

Finish knitting the yoke and get to the beginning of the row. In my case, schematically beginning of the row is in the picture below.

top down raglan sweater front back — Schematics of a top-down raglan sweater

Continue knitting the back of the sweater until you get to the sleeve. Don’t do increases at this point. I divided the raglan line equally between the back and front.

Step 2.

When I get to the sleeve part, I take darning needle and piece of scrap yarn to put all those stitches onto the scrap yarn.

Step 3.

Take a crochet hook and scrap yarn, cast on stitches for an underarm (in my case – 12 stitches) and a few more stitches for safety.

The back of the chain. Can you see these little bumps? Pick up these bumps for provisional cast-on

Try to tighten up first and last 2 underarm stitches to minimize gaps.

Step 4.

After you cast on enough stitches, join the front part and continue knitting until you get to the other sleeve.

After cast on underarm stitches join the front

Step 5.

Knit to the other sleeve and repeat steps 2-4.

After separating sleeves from the body, you are set for knitting the body in the round.

Picking up sleeve stitches without holes

Option 1.

Leave holes like they are and continue knitting sleeves and sew them after you finish. NOT my favorite option, though…

Option 2.

I will show my way of avoiding gaps. Always turned out neat and tidy. It is very easy because I use a simple trick – pick up a horizontal bar between stitches and knit them together!

Step 1.

Unravel provisional cast-on. Get the stitches back onto the needle.

Step 2.

Move all stitches from the scrap yarn onto needles.

Step 3.

After stitches are moved onto the needles, you get at the beginning of the row at underarms. This is where you will notice a gap already. Try to identify which stitch or horizontal bar to pick up and knit them together to close the gap.

Notice how stitches are placed on the needles. The left stitch is placed with the right leg in front of the needle. Right stitch with the right leg behind the needle.

Step 4.

When knitted through the back loop, the left stitch becomes twisted and goes UNDER the right stitch. That’s it! The gap is closed. Try to make a similar action on the other side of the underarm.