What If … Diamonds

On your next raglan which you don’t want to be a raglan, you could try this:

Yes, you could.

I’ve written a new pattern based on this idea called Kid’s Diamond Pullover where I moved the markers from the standard raglan set up to new positions. I still worked the same number of increases every other round. Moving the markers changes the shape of the neckline and this set up will give you a slight V in the front and back of the neckline with no trouble at all.

Here is the standard raglan set up with 4 markers for the raglan lines and increases worked on either side of these markers. The 4 markers are set between the sections of this sweater: Front, marker, sleeve, marker, Back, marker, sleeve, marker, second Front.

So what would happen if we just placed the 4 markers equidistant from each other in a pullover? There are still the same 4 markers where you will work a pair of increases every other round. The stitch numbers will work out the same. It’s actually not too much of a leap is it?

Count your cast on stitches and divide by 4 and you have the stitch count between the 4 markers. Work the increases every other round until you get to the stitch count for the bottom of the yoke. You’ve done it. A new yoke has been made.

You are in the designer seat making something new.

But where are the sleeves?

Good question. There are no raglan markers to tell you where they are. You have to read your pattern and place your sleeves in the correct place. If nowhere else, your pattern will tell you how many sleeve stitches there are in the Divide Round. You place these stitches centred over the side markers. Use replaceable markers to indicated where you are going to work the sleeves and work the Divide Round.

In the Kid’s Diamond Pullover, I cast off the sleeves.

How might you proceed down the body? You are left with a marker in the centre Front and a marker in the centre Back. To keep the shape going I continued to increase at these two markers every 4th round and then worked a corresponding decreases at the sides to keep the stitch count the same. Increase 2 sts on the Back, decrease 2 sts at the side, increase 2 sts on the Front, decrease 2 sts at the side. +2, -2, +2, -2 = 0 change to the stitch count.

To make the skirt flare a little bit at the bottom, I worked one round where I didn’t work the decreases at the sides so that I added 4 sts to the body. Those are the purled rounds you can see. It just added a little bit of fun to the pullover.

Could you chance it? Could you take a pattern and change it up to see what would happen?

Try knitting the Kid’s Diamond Pullover to see how it works.

Leave me a comment if you think you could give this a try.

Deb

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