Don’t like the raglan line? Well, replace it 🤗

This week’s Esenote was inspired by a message I received on Etsy. A fellow knitter asked me: “Can I replace the raglan line in the Daydream Zephyr Sweater?”

I love this question, because while beginners often feel comfortable adjusting the body or sleeve length, the raglan line can seem like something you “shouldn’t touch.”

But it is actually easy! The raglan line is part of the shaping, means it always runs from the neckline down to the end of the yoke. That shaping doesn’t change, so you can safely replace the stitch pattern inside it with something you like better.

The Daydream Zephyr example.

In the Daydream Zephyr Sweater, the raglan line is made of 10 stitches in a cable pattern. You can replace those ten stitches with several alternatives:

• Stockinette: 10 knit stitches for a clean, minimal line.
• 1×1 rib: knit 1, purl 1 across 10 stitches. It will align beautifully if your neckline also has 1×1 ribbing. Just like in the Mellow Mood Sweater, which uses a 2×2 rib pattern.
• Any 2-stitch repeat pattern (or even a 10-stitch one): lace, textured stitches, or anything you find by searching “2-stitch knitting patterns.” There are plenty of creative options to explore!

The raglan shaping itself (the increases on each side) stays exactly the same, so your garment will still fit. Only now it carries your own style.

 

Try it in a swatch first.

Before starting the whole project, I always knit a small swatch just for the raglan line. This way you can “audition” the stitch pattern and see if you like how it looks.

Here’s how I do it:

• Count the stitches dedicated to the raglan line in your pattern. In Daydream Zephyr, that’s 10.
• Cast on the raglan stitches + 2 edge stitches = 12. (One edge stitch on each side.)
• Work 4 rows of 1×1 rib as a setup.
• Row 1 (RS): k1, M1R, place marker, work the 10 raglan stitches in your chosen pattern (for example, all knit stitches for stockinette), place marker, M1L, k1.
• Row 2 (WS): purl to the marker, slip marker, work the 10 stitches in pattern on the wrong side, slip marker, purl to the end.
• Repeat Rows 1–2. (After Row 1, “place marker” becomes “slip marker.”)
  
  💡 If your raglan line has 3 or 5 stitches, you can still keep it simple: work them all in stockinette, try *k1, p1, k1* rib, or use another small stitch pattern with the same number of stitches.

As you repeat the rows, a little triangle swatch will grow - like a tiny section of your future project. It’s a safe method to test a new raglan line before working it into the full garment. If you don’t love the look, unravel the swatch and try again.

This is also an excellent way to test how a new yarn behaves.

 

Why this matters.

Small experiments like this build confidence. They show you that even something that looks “complicated” in a pattern is actually very safe to adjust. Your raglan line will always do its shaping job. You just decide what it looks like.

❤️ I hope this Esenote was useful and inspiring.

Warm regards,

Julia Piro

Knitwear Designer & Esenotes Curator

 

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P.P.S. I’m looking for a fellow knitter who loves both knitting and writing. If you’d like to help me create future Esenotes for adventurous beginners, I’d love to hear from you. 💌