Easy Crochet Raglan Sweater Pattern for Beginners

Foundation chain and neckline

Make a slip knot and chain the length you want around your neckline. The sample uses 84 chains measuring about 26 inches. A longer chain makes a wider, more boat-shaped neckline. Count your chain carefully, then join with a slip stitch into the first chain to make a loop. Check that the loop fits comfortably over your head before continuing.

Row 1: Establish the neckline

Ch 4. This turning chain counts as the first tr. Work 1 tr into each remaining chain around the loop. When you return to the beginning, sl st into the top of the ch 4 to join. Keep the seam at the center back as you work.

Sample stitch count: 84 tr, including the ch 4. For a custom neckline, the total is the number of chains you made, counted with the ch 4 as one tr.

Place the four raglan markers

Lay the joined row out with the seam at the center back. Use two bobby pins as shoulder reference points, one on each side. Place four increase markers symmetrically around the neckline, about 2 inches (roughly 6 stitches in the sample) inward from the shoulder reference points. Take your time dividing the spaces evenly. The markers set the boundaries between the front, back, and sleeve sections.

Row 2: Make the first increase row

Ch 4 and turn. Work 1 tr into each stitch until you reach the first marker. Remove it and work 1 tr into that marked stitch, ch 1, then work another tr into the same stitch. Continue in tr to each of the other three markers and repeat the same increase. Place a marker in each new ch-1 space so you can find the increase points on the next row. Finish with tr to the end, then sl st into the top of the ch 4 to join.

Sample stitch count: 88 tr, counting the four new tr and not the four ch-1 spaces. In general, this row adds 1 tr at each of the four markers, for a total increase of 4.

Row 3: Build the raglan V spaces

Ch 4 and turn. Work 1 tr into each stitch until you reach a marked ch-1 space. Work 1 tr into the right side of the V, then 2 tr into the marked chain space with ch 1 between them. Work 1 tr into the left side of the V. Move the marker to the new ch-1 space. Repeat at all four increase points, tr between them, then join to the top of the starting ch 4.

Sample stitch count: 96 tr. Each of the four increase points adds 2 tr on this row. The marker stays in the new center chain space.

Row 4 and later yoke rows: Repeat the V increase

For every following yoke row, repeat Row 3: ch 4, turn, work tr across to each marked V, work 1 tr into its right leg, 2 tr into its ch-1 space with ch 1 between them, and 1 tr into its left leg. Move the marker into the new ch-1 space each time. Work tr between markers, join to the top of the ch 4, and turn.

Stitch counts: Row 4 has 104 tr, Row 5 has 112, and Row 6 has 120 for the 84-chain sample. After Row 2, each repeat adds 2 tr at each of four markers, or 8 tr total. For a starting chain count of C, Row 1 has C tr, Row 2 has C + 4, and each row from Row 3 onward adds 8 tr. These totals exclude the ch-1 spaces.

Continue the yoke rows until the fabric reaches a little below your armpit. The demonstrated yoke measures about 9 inches from the center neckline to the last row. Try it on as you work, checking that the neckline still fits over your head and that the yoke reaches comfortably below the underarm. There is no fixed row number because row height and fit vary.

Underarm separation row

Start the row as usual and work in tr to the first marker. Work 1 tr into the right side of its V, then chain 8 to make the underarm bridge. At the matching marker on the other side of that sleeve section, line up the V and work 1 tr into its left side. The stitches between those markers are left unworked for the sleeve opening. Continue in tr to the next sleeve section and repeat, using the same number of chains for the second underarm. The sample uses 8 chains, but you can add more for a roomier opening.

Finish the row by working tr to the end and joining with a slip stitch into the top of the ch 4. The underarm chains bridge the body sections, so no separate panel sewing is needed.

Body rows

Ch 4 and turn. Work 1 tr into every stitch across the first body section, 1 tr into each chain of the first underarm bridge, tr across the second body section, then 1 tr into each chain of the second bridge. Continue in tr to the end and join to the ch 4. On each following row, ch 4, turn, and work 1 tr into every stitch without further increases.

Stitch count: The number depends on how many stitches you assigned to the front and back when you divided the yoke. Count the first complete body row, including the ch 4 and the stitches across both underarm chains, and use that same total for each later body row. With two 8-chain bridges, the bridges contribute 16 tr to that total. The sample body is about 18 to 19 inches wide at the fit check and about 20 to 21 inches long from the neckline to the hem. A cropped sample is about 16 inches long. Stop at the length you prefer.

Sleeve rows

With the sweater positioned so the underarm bridge sits at the bottom, join the yarn at the center of that bridge, on the underside of the sleeve. Work tr around the opening, spacing stitches into secure parts of the edge if the fuzzy fabric makes the loops hard to see. Join with a slip stitch to the ch 4, then ch 4 and turn. Work 1 tr into every stitch around and join each row the same way.

Sleeve stitch count: Count the tr around the first armhole, including the underarm chain stitches, and call that total S. Each plain sleeve row ends with S tr. Use the same count around the second sleeve so both sleeves match.

For a straight sleeve, keep working plain rows until the sleeve reaches your preferred length. The sample makes about 15 plain rows before deciding whether to flare. For a gentle flare, place a marker at the halfway point across the sleeve, opposite the underarm seam. On an increase row, work 2 tr into the first stitch at the seam, tr to the marker, work 2 tr into the marked stitch, then tr to the end and join. This adds 2 tr, so the count becomes S + 2. Mark the first stitch of each increase pair to find the seam again.

The sample first tried one plain row between increases, then changed to two plain rows between increase rows because the sleeve widened too quickly. That schedule added about an inch of width. Repeat an increase row followed by two plain rows if you want the same gradual flare. For sleeve row counts, plain rows keep the current total; each increase row adds 2 tr. Write down the first sleeve’s repeat so you can mirror it on the second.

Finish

Work the second sleeve to match the first. Fasten off and use a tapestry needle to weave in the loose ends. The sweater is constructed from the neckline down, so it has no separate body panels to sew together and nothing to stuff. The underarm chains create the joins, and both sleeves are crocheted directly into their openings.