Knit Your First Sweater with Easy Raglan Patterns

I know a lot of people like to start knitting sweaters that are made flat in pieces, and that’s totally fine. That way you can focus on getting the stitches and the shaping right while you’re knitting, but the skills required to finish a sweater well when it’s been knit in pieces are not always things beginners have a good handle on. (It takes practice to make even mattress stitch seams, for example.)

My first sweater was worked in pieces so I didn’t know until it was done that it was alarmingly small. (My second sweater was worked from the top down in one piece, fit correctly and is still in my closet 20-some years later.)

Which is why I want to make an argument for learning to knit sweaters by working in the round. You don’t have to worry about finishing, and, in the case of top-down designs, you can even try it on as you go to make sure it fits.

If you’re looking for a good first sweater knitting pattern, or just want something easy you can modify with stripes, stitch patterns or other embellishments if you like (or leave plain if you don’t, I love a plain stockinette sweater!), try the Step by Step Sweater from Florence Miller.

This free pattern on Ravelry is sized for chest measurements of 90 to 150 centimeters, or 35.5 to 59 inches. It uses worsted weight yarn and you can work in a solid color, add stripes, make it a stash buster, whatever you like. There are two neckline options and the pattern includes videos to help you along, though none of the techniques are that tricky.

If you want to try a bottom up raglan instead, check out Nina Petrina’s children’s raglan sweater. It’s worked in one piece from the bottom up and shown with contrasting hem, cuffs and collar (one of my favorite stash-busting techniques), but here too you can add stripes or other colorwork or patterns as you like. It’s sized for kids 1-10 years (6 sizes in all) and is free on Nina’s website (scroll down for the English version).

The Key to Raglan Cardigans that Fit

A Sleeveless Raglan for Summer

A Great Raglan Pullover to Knit

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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