Help a Reader: “Idiot’s Delight” Knitting Pattern

6 Comments for Help a Reader: “Idiot’s Delight” Knitting Pattern

• 1. phyllis ostrofsky  |  September 23rd, 2009 at 7:28 am

  Raglan Sleeve Sweater:
  Materials: This pattern takes about 24 ounces of yarn. Sweater is knit in one piece, starting at neck, and increasing for raglan sleeves. Any size yarn and needles will do. If you use real thin or real thick yarn you may need to adjust number of sts cast on to fit neck. For pullover start with 18″ round needles and change to larger size when piece becomes too big.

  Colored markers are placed to indicate starting position (red), start and finish of front and back (black) and sleeves (green.)

  Pattern:

  Pullover: Start at neck: with 18″ round or double pointed needles cast on 80 sts. Place red marker to mark beginning. Join being careful not to twist stitches. Work k1, p1 ribbing for 1 1/2 inches.

  Next row: Change to pattern st; K1, place black marker, increase by knitting and purling in next st, work 25, increase in next st, place black marker, k1, place green marker, increase, work 9, increase, place green marker, k1, place black marker, increase, work 25, increase, place black marker, k1, place green marker, increase, work 9, increase.

  Cardigan: Start at neck: Cast on 80 sts.

  As you work pattern do garter st or seed st on the first and last 6 sts of every row. (Work buttonholes evenly down front, left side for men, right side for women.) Work k1, p1 ribbing for 1 1/2 inches.

  Next row: Change to pattern st, and maintaining border sts, work 13 sts, increase in next st by knitting and purling in same st, place black marker, k1, place green marker, increase, work 9, increase, place green marker, k1, place black marker, increase, work 24, increase, place black marker, k1, place green marker, increase, work 9, increase, place green marker, k1, place black marker, increase, work 13 sts. Continue in pattern and/or border increasing each side of marker pairs every-other-row until yoke is correct size. Seam will be approx. 11″ for size 12, 12″ for size 14, 13″ for size 16-18. To insure correct fit sl a string through loops and remove needles. Try the sweater on. When the seams meet comfortably under the arms you are ready to break for body and sleeves.

  Body: K across body sts, * sl k seam st to CN, sl sleeve sts to holder keeping green marker *, sl st from holder and k both seam sts tog, k across back maintaining pattern, rep from * to *.

  Finish up front sts for Cardigan. For pullover keep red marker to mark beginning of front. Continue working body in pattern st until desired body length.

  For a tapered fit decrease at underarm each side every 2″.

  When desired length; change to smaller size needles and work k1, p1 ribbing for 2″ or to taste. Bind off.

  Sleeves: Take up sts from one sleeve and k in stockinet st for desired length. For tapered fit decrease at underarm every 2″. Measure wrist with ribbing at bottom of body to determine proper number of sts for ribbing. Decrease to desired number of by knitting 2 sts tog all around and/or adjusting to proper number.

  Finish off in 2 inch ribbing, or to taste.

• 2. Nicki  |  September 25th, 2009 at 9:37 am

  Try this website: http://www.woolworks.org/patterns/raglan.html

  Not only does it detail how to make a custom-sized sweater, but they also give references to the books from which they derived their pattern. Hope this helps!

• 3. Brenda  |  September 25th, 2009 at 4:15 pm

  I have a neckdown sweater pattern, from a wrapper of yarn. I have used it for many, many years. It is made with worsted yarn. It is very easy. The pattern calls for a fair isle design at the top. I have made it without. It has raglon sleeves as in the sweater you described. Knitted on circular needles, from the neck to the bottom. Sleeves are left open and worked seperately. The only seam is on the sleeves. I have worked the sleeves on short circular needles to illiminate the seams. Contact me and I will send you a copy of the pattern by mail or try to attach it to an email. I have a large library of patterns. If there is anything else you need, PLEASE let me know. I am thrilled to share my patterns

• 4. Brenda  |  September 25th, 2009 at 4:17 pm

  Sandy,
  Brenda here. I forgot to add my email so you can reach me iambgood1947@yahoo.com.

• 5. Lynne  |  September 25th, 2009 at 5:12 pm

  here are 2 patterns I found but I am not sure if they are the correct ones.The Incredible, Custom-fit Raglan Sweater
  A simple, fill-in-the-blanks method for making the incredible, custom-fit raglan–the sweater that is knit from the neck down in one piece, to fit anybody!
  ________________________________________

  ________________________________________
  Introduction
  The incredible, custom-fit raglan is a sweater knit from the neck down in a single piece on circular needles, and it can be made to fit any size from infant to adult. It can be easily adapted to become a cardigan, crew-neck or V-neck. It can be made in any weight of yarn, using any stitch or color pattern that you desire.
  This form of raglan sweater is not my original idea. I first learned of it by reading an article in Threads (“The Magic Raglan,” April, 1988, pp.28-29) written by Jean Dickinson. She, in turn, got the idea from Ida Riley Duncan’s The Complete Book of Progressive Knitting (Liveright: 1966, 1961, 1940). What I have done is express it in my own words and present it in the form of a fill-in-the-blanks worksheet. I have also added a table of estimated measurements and yarn quantities. This worksheet evolved from the several classes I taught on knitting this nifty sweater.
  This worksheet will take you through the steps required to design and knit the custom-fit raglan. All you need to design a sweater is this worksheet, a pencil, a calculator, and a measuring tape. Just fill in the blanks and use your calculator to make a few simple calculations. This is not your typical knitting pattern. It is more of an unpattern–instructions for the knitter who yearns to break free from the constraints imposed by the traditional knitting pattern.
  Materials
  The materials needed to design and knit this sweater are:
  • Desired yarn, in amount needed (this is discussed below)
  • Circular needles, 16″ and 29″ lengths, in size appropriate for the yarn (If desired, you can also get circular needles that are two sizes smaller for the ribbing)
  • 2 markers in one color (marker A), and 4 markers in another color (marker B)
  • 2 Stitch holders (optional–you could use a piece of yarn)
  • Measuring tape
  • Calculator
  • Pencil for filling in blanks in worksheet
  What kind of yarn?
  This is your sweater, so choose any yarn you darn well please! Any weight, color, or fiber may be used. Multiple colors may be used in any combination. Whatever you choose, it is recommended that you don’t be a cheapskate when it comes to yarn! You are investing lots of your valuable time in your sweater, and it doesn’t make sense to spent dozens of hours on a sweater that looks cheap or wears poorly.
  How much yarn?
  It is impossible to calculate in advance the exact amount of yarn needed. There are simply too many variables in your knitting and in the yarn itself to make an exact calculation. However, you can make a rough estimate that will help in deciding how much yarn to buy, either by using a chart that your yarnery salesperson should have, or by using the chart that follows. In any case, always buy one more skein than you think you need, and carefully save the receipt so you can return any extra full skeins.
  This chart also gives approximations of the raglan measurements for each standard size. This is provided in case it is impossible to actually measure the intended recipient of the sweater. Since people come in all different shapes, you can achieve a better custom fit by using actual measurements instead of this chart.
  Standard Raglan Measurements (inches) and Yarn (yards)
  Child’s
  size chest neck raglan sleeve wrist body
  length yards
  bulky yards
  worsted yards
  sport
  2 21 9 7 8 5 6 320 370 450
  4 23 9.5 8 9 5.5 7 420 500 600
  6 25.5 10 8.5 10 5.5 8 510 620 750
  8 27 11 9 11.5 6 9.5 620 750 900
  10 28 12 10 13 6 11 660 800 960
  12 30 13 10.5 14.5 7 13 790 950 1140
  32 13.5 11 16 7 13.5 830 1000 1200
  34 14 11.5 16.5 7 14 910 1100 1320
  36 14.5 12 17 7.5 14.5 1040 1250 1500
  38 15 13 17.5 7.5 15 1080 1300 1560
  40 15.5 14 18 8 15.5 1120 1350 1620
  42 16 15 18.5 8 16 1200 1450 1740
  44 16.5 16 19 8.5 16.5 1250 1500 1800
  46 17 17 19.5 8.5 17 1290 1550 1860
  48 17.5 18 20 8.5 17.5 1370 1650 1980
  50 18 19 20.5 9 18 1400 1700 2040
  52 18.5 20 21 9.5 18.5 1500 1800 2160
  Measurements
  The following measurements are needed:
  Neck-size:_______ (measure snugly around the neck, or use an appropriate man’s collar size)
  Raglan-length:_______ (measure raglan from collar to underarm, or measure a well-liked raglan sweater or sweatshirt)
  Body-length:_______ (measure from underarm to desired length of sweater)
  Sleeve-length:_______ (measure from underarm to desired length of sleeve)
  Wrist-size:_______ (measure snugly around the wrist)
  Determining gauge
  Cast on twenty stitches and work in your desired stitch for about 4 inches. Carefully measure the width of your swatch. Calculate the gauge as the number of stitches divided by the width of your swatch, rounding your answer to two decimal places:
  Gauge:_______ = 20 ÷ width-of-swatch:_______
  Calculating the stitches around the neck
  The next step is to calculate the number of stitches around neck and divide the total stitches into portions for the front and back, and for each sleeve. In these calculations, round any fractional number to the nearest number of whole stitches.
  The total number of stitches is the gauge times the neck size:
  Total-neck-stitches:_______ = gauge:_______ × neck-size:_______
  Now divide the total up into segments:
  Back-stitches:_______ = total-neck-stitches:_______ × 0.33
  Sleeve-stitches:_______ = back-stitches:_______ × 0.25
  Increase-stitches: 8 (this is a fixed number)
  The front then gets the remainder of the stitches, which is calculated as the total stitches minus the sum of the back, two sleeves, and the 8 increase stitches:
  Front-stitches:_______ = total-neck-stitches:_______ –
  (back-stitches:_______ + sleeve-stitches:_______ + sleeve-stitches:_______ +
  After making these calculations, go back and verify that the front has more stitches than the back. If this isn’t so, move some stitches from the back to the front so that this condition is met.
  The front of the neck is then divided into three parts. The right and left side of the front each get a quarter of the front stitches, and the center gets the remaining half:
  Right-front-stitches:_______ = front-stitches:_______ x 0.25
  Left-front-stitches:_______ = front-stitches:_______ x 0.25
  Center-front-stitches:_______ = front-stitches:_______ –
  (right-front-stitches:_______ + left-front-stitches:_______)
  Casting on
  The most complicated part of the raglan is the neck. Once you get past this part, the rest is a breeze!
  If you were to simply cast on the total neck stitches in a circle, you would not be able to get the completed sweater over your head! This problem is solved by having the front of the neck dropped. To achieve this, the neck is knit as an incomplete circle, increasing one stitch on each end every other row until half of the front stitches have been added. The remaining front stitches are then cast on to complete the circle.
  The four markers of the same color (called B) are used to separate the front, sleeves and back. The two markers of the other color (called A) are used to keep track of the increases of the front stitches.
  The following diagram illustrates how the neck is cast on and the positioning of the markers:
  back-stitches + 2

  B —————– B
  / \
  sleeve-stitches + 2 / \ sleeve-stitches + 2
  / \
  B B
  one increase-stitch | RAGLAN NECK | one increase-stitch
  A A
  — –
  right-front-stitches — — left-front-stitches
  — –
  ——————-
  center-front-stitches
  The neck is cast on in this order, using the larger needles:
  • 1 stitch (to build the right side of the neck front)
  • Marker A
  • 1 stitch (increase stitch)
  • Marker B
  • Sleeve-stitches:_______ + 2 increase stitches = _______
  • Marker B
  • Back-stitches:_______ + 2 increase stitches = _______
  • Marker B
  • Sleeve-stitches:_______ + 2 increase stitches = _______
  • Marker B
  • 1 stitch (increase stitch)
  • Marker A
  • 1 stitch (to build the left side of the neck front)
  Knitting
  Now the fun part at last!
  Working back and forth, increase before and after each B marker on every right side row. At the same time, increase at the beginning and end of every right side row until all the right-front and left-front neck stitches are added. The center-front stitches are then cast on all at once, completing the circle.
  At this point, you may remove the two A markers and continue knitting, always increasing before and after each marker B on every other row. When the raglan equals the raglan measurement, slip the sleeve stitches on to a holder (or a piece of yarn) and remove the B markers. Add one inch of stitches under the arm. Continue knitting a straight tube (or decrease two stitches under the arms every inch or so for a more tightly-fitted sweater) until the desired body length is reached. On the final row before the ribbing, K9,K2tog. Add ribbing of your choice on smaller needles.
  Slip the sleeve stitches on 16″ needles. Pick up the added stitches under the arm and knit the sleeve. Decrease one stitch at the beginning and end of the round every inch or so. Work sleeves until sleeve length (less ribbing width) is reached. On the last row, decrease to the number of stitches calculated as follows:
  cuff-stitches:_______ = gauge:_______ × wrist-size:_______
  Switch to smaller needles and work cuffs.
  Pick up every stitch along the neck edge using smaller needles and work neck ribbing.
  That’s all there is to it!
  Color Variations
  Let your imagination go wild! Horizontal stripes work particularly well on this type of raglan, because the stripes automatically line up across the raglan. This presents an ideal opportunity to use up yarn left over from other projects. Just make sure that all the yarn knits to about the same gauge.
  Making a V-neck
  To knit your raglan with a V-neck, cast on as for a crew neck, but work the neck front differently. Instead of increasing the front every other row, increase at the beginning and end of every 4 to 6 rows until all the front stitches have been added. Join and continue knitting as for a crew neck.
  Making a cardigan
  There are two methods for making a raglan into a cardigan:
  1. Add 6 extra stitches to the center-front of the neck when you complete the neck shaping and join. Work these 6 stitches in a seed stitch (row 1: K1P1, rep 2 times, row2: P1K1, rep 2 times, rep these two rows) to form a steek down the front of the sweater. Continue the steek all the way down through the ribbing. After the knitting is complete, sew on either side of the center of the steek with a sewing machine using a straight stitch. Then cut between the sewing lines. Fold the steek to the inside and sew it down with yarn. Add a button band, as desired.
  2. Do not join after neck is complete, but continue to work back and forth for the entire sweater, thus leaving the front open. Add button band as desired.
  3.
  4. Easy No Sew Sweater
  5.
  6.
  7.

  Sizes:

  Chest 34”/36” Finished measurement: 44”
  Chest 38”/40” Finished measurement: 48”

  Materials:

  Knitting worsted: 7- 3 & 1/2 oz balls (1400 yards) Model was made with Plymouth Encore Colorspun

  Needles:

  29” circular needle U.S. size 8 or size needed to knit to gauge
  29” circular needle U.S. size 6. Note: If you do not want your sweater to pull in at the bottom but hang straight instead, make the ribbing with the larger needle and eliminate this needle all together.
  16” circular needle U.S. size 8
  4 double pointed needles U.S. size 6

  Gauge:

  5 stitches = 1 inch on larger needle

  Abbreviations:
  K = knit
  Tog = together
  Sts = stitches
  P = purl
  8. Directions are for smaller size. Changes for larger size are in parentheses.
  9.
  With number 6 circular needle cast on 220 (240) stitches. (Tip: When casting on a large number of stitches put a marker on the needle after each predetermined number of stitches. Example: If 50 stitches are as many as you want to count, put a marker after every 50 stitches. This way instead of having to count individual stitches, you just count the number of markers.) Join, being careful not to twist stitches. Put marker on needle to mark beginning of rounds. Work in K 1, P 1 ribbing for 2 inches. Change to 29” circular needle number 8 and knit around until piece measures 18 inches from beginning.
  (Tip: To attach a new ball of yarn in the middle of work, knit with the old ball until about 8 inches remain. Drop that yarn and pick up new ball. Leaving about an 8 inch tail, start knitting. Do not tie a knot at this time.
  Knit 2 or 3 rows. Go back and gently pull yarn ends until stitches are even. Tie a square knot, right over left, left over right. Weave in ends by splitting the purl stitches and putting the yarn end through the center of each stitch. Weave in one end at a time. Go up about 2” from the knot, then go over 1 stitch and down about 1” making a “fish hook”.)
  Back: Knit across 110 (120) stitches. Put remaining stitches on holder. Commence knitting standard stockinette stitch, knit 1 row, purl 1 row, until armhole is 9 inches long.
  End with a wrong side row.
  Next row: Knit across 40 (45) stitches. Attach new ball of yarn. Bind of 30 stitches. Knit across remaining stitches
  Working both sides at the same time, at each neck edge bind off 3 stitches once then 2 stitches once. Knit even until armhole is 10” long. Put remaining 35 (40) stitches of each shoulder on stitch holder.
  Front: Put remaining 110 (120) stitches on needle. Knit as for back until armhole measures 7 inches long. End with a wrong side row.
  Next row: Knit across 47 (52 ) stitches. Attach new ball of yarn. Bind off 16 stitches. Knit across remaining stitches. Working both sides at the same time, bind off 5 stitches once, 3 stitches once and 1 stitch 4 times at each neck edge. Knit until same length as back. End on wrong side row. Leave stitches on needle. Turn sweater inside out.
  3 needle bind off: Put the stitches of the back on a needle. Note: The needles for a 3 needle bind off do not have to all be the same size, just as close as possible. Hold the 2 needles with the front and back stitches in your left hand. For identification purposes we will call the needle facing you needle 1 and the needle behind it needle 2. Take a third needle in your right hand. Put the point of that needle through the first stitch on needle 1 and the first stitch on needle 2. Bring your yarn around and knit these 2 stitches off together as 1 stitch. Put the right hand needle through the next stitch on needle 1 and the next stitch on needle 2. Knit these 2 stitches off as 1 stitch. You now have 2 stitches on the right hand needle. Pass the first stitch over the second as in a regular bind off. Continue until you have all the stitches of one shoulder bound off and joined. Fasten off. Repeat for other shoulder. Turn sweater right side out.
  Crew Neck: Hold sweater with right side facing you. Start at right shoulder and with 16” circular needle size 8, pick up and knit 7 stitches from shoulder seam to center bound off stitches. Pick up and knit the 30 bound off stitches and 7 stitches from there to left shoulder seam. Working down the front, pick up and knit 13 stitches down the side of neck, the 16 bound off stitches and 13 stitches to right shoulder seam. (86 sts) Put marker on needle to mark beginning of rounds. Knit in K 1, P 1 rib for 1 inch. Bind off. (Tip: To insure neck will have enough stretch, bind off with a needle 1 or 2 sizes larger.) Do not finish off. Cut yarn leaving an 8 inch tail.
  Finishing a bind off in the round: A bind off in the round leaves a gap between the first and last bound off stitches. To get away from this gently pull yarn end through last stitch. See Fig. 1. Thread tapestry needle with yarn end. Bring yarn around the first bound off stitch and down through the last bound off stitch. See fig. 2. Pull yarn gently until stitches are even. Finish off on wrong side.

  Fig 1 Fig 2

  Sleeve: With 16” circular needle and starting at bottom of armhole, pick up and knit 100 stitches around armhole.
  (Tip: So you will not have a hole under the arm, make the first stitch you pick up the one immediately to the right (as the work is facing you) of the division for front and back and the second stitch the stitch immediately to the left. This will pull the two edges together.) Put marker on needle to mark beginning of rounds. Knit even for 1”.
  Decrease row: K 2 tog, K to 3 sts from marker, K 2 tog, K 1
  Repeat decrease round every 5th round until you have 74 sts on needle, then every 4th round until you have 54 sts on needle.
  Knit even until sleeve is 16 & 1/2” long. Divide stitches evenly between 3 double pointed needles.
  Next row: Knit, decreasing 14 stitches evenly around. (40 sts) (Tip: If your stitch count is off, make any adjustment necessary on this row.) Work K 1, P 1, rib for 2”. Bind off as for crew neck. Repeat for second sleeve.

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• 6. cecilia  |  September 26th, 2009 at 2:31 am

  hi i wanted to know how long ago /old is this pattern

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