Free pattern · Knitting

SOFT DIVISION

An oversized top-down raglan sweater in reverse stockinette with a sculptural 12-stitch cable down the front. Knitted in the round in FACES on 15 mm needles, sizes XS–S to XL–XXL.

Advanced
12–16 hours
Top-down raglan
Cables
Short rows

Size: XS–S / M–L / XL–XXL · Oversize
Yarn: FACES · 4 / 5 / 6 skeins (XS–S / M–L / XL–XXL), 200 g / 100 m
Needles: Circular 10 mm / 60 cm (ribbing) and 15 mm / 80 cm (body)
Gauge: 6.5 × 10 = 10 cm

Get the yarn · $26.99 Start knitting

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Materials

FACES CARDINAL RED

FACES · 4 / 5 / 6 skeins (XS–S / M–L / XL–XXL), 200 g / 100 m

$26.99

Colour: CARDINAL RED

Tools

Needles: Circular 10 mm / 60 cm (ribbing) and 15 mm / 80 cm (body)
Tapestry needle: for weaving in ends
Stitch markers: 8 pcs, for the raglan lines
Cable needle: for the front cable
Waste yarn: for sleeve stitches and the underarm cast-on

Size

XS–S / M–L / XL–XXL · Oversize

SOFT DIVISION sweater schematic: width 48/54/60 cm, length 53–62 cm, raglan 28/30/32 cm

Measurement	XS–S	M–L	XL–XXL
Width	48 cm	54 cm	60 cm
Height	53–58 cm	55–60 cm	57–62 cm
Raglan length	28 cm	30 cm	32 cm
FACES skeins	4	5	6

Gauge

6.5

stitches in 10 cm

rows in 10 cm

mm needles

Reverse stockinette stitch.

Pattern

Tick steps as you go. Your progress is saved on this device.

Abbreviations

k: knit
p: purl
sts: stitches
RS: right side
WS: wrong side
3/3 LC: left cross: slip 3 sts to a cable needle held in front, knit 3, then knit 3 from the cable needle
3/3 RC: right cross: slip 3 sts to a cable needle held at the back, knit 3, then knit 3 from the cable needle

01Construction

The sweater is worked top-down, in the round, with a raglan yoke and short-row back shaping.
Main fabric — reverse stockinette.
Center front — a 12-stitch cable twisted every 7th row.

02Neckline

Cast on 44 sts using 10 mm circular needles. Join to work in the round.
Work 1×1 rib (k1, p1) for 10 rounds (including cast-on).
Switch to 15 mm needles, knit one setup round in pattern and place markers as follows.
Stitch placement (44 sts in total): 1 p (1st raglan line) · 7 p (sleeve 1) · 1 p (2nd raglan line) · 12 p (back) · 1 p (3rd raglan line) · 7 p (sleeve 2) · 1 p (4th raglan line) · 1 p, 12 k (cable), 1 p (front, 14 sts).

Tip · Each purl stitch on the edges marks a raglan line — later you'll increase on both sides of these lines to shape the shoulders and sleeves. The 7 purl stitches between two raglan lines form each sleeve, the 12 purl stitches belong to the back, and the front holds the cable: 12 knit stitches framed by 1 purl on each side.

03Short-row back

Row 2 (WS): 1st raglan line, 7 sleeve, 2nd raglan line, 12 back, 3rd raglan line, 7 sleeve, 4th raglan line. Wrap next stitch, turn work.
Row 3 (RS): 4th raglan line, 7 sleeve, 3rd raglan line, 12 back, 2nd raglan line, 7 sleeve, 1st raglan line. Wrap next stitch, turn.
Row 4 (WS): work back across: 1st raglan line, 7 sleeve, 2nd raglan line, 12 back, 3rd raglan line, 7 sleeve, 4th raglan line, pick up the wrap and purl together, 12 k (cable), pick up next wrap and purl together. Short-row shaping is complete.

04Raglan increases

Work increases in every odd (RS) round – 1 st on each side of every raglan line (8 increases per round). To increase, lift the strand from the row below and purl it — this creates a new stitch without leaving a hole.
Even rounds – work straight.
Twist the cable every 7th round.
XS–S: 9 increase rounds (18 rounds in total), raglan line ≈ 28 cm. Sleeve +18 sts → 25 sleeve sts, 62 body sts (front + back), 116 sts before split.
M–L: 11 increase rounds (22 rounds in total), raglan line ≈ 30 cm. Sleeve +22 sts → 29 sleeve sts, 70 body sts (front + back), 132 sts before split.
XL–XXL: 13 increase rounds (26 rounds in total), raglan line ≈ 32 cm. Sleeve +26 sts → 33 sleeve sts, 78 body sts (front + back), 148 sts before split.

Tip · Stitch counts are given after the short rows are completed. Don't worry about the math — keep increasing regularly and measure your raglan line as you go. When it reaches the target length for your size, you're ready to separate the body and sleeves.

05Separating body & sleeves

Once the raglan reaches the required length, work to the 1st raglan line.
Slip all sleeve sts to waste yarn.
Cast on 3 sts using waste yarn for the underarm bridge.
Work across those 3 sts with working yarn, then the 2nd raglan line, all back sts, and 3rd raglan line.
Slip the 2nd sleeve sts to waste yarn.
Cast on 3 sts using waste yarn again for the second underarm, work them, then 4th raglan line and the front.
Continue knitting the body in the round.

Tip · When working the sleeves later: undo the waste yarn — each set of 3 temporary sts unfolds into 4 underarm sts + 1 picked-up stitch on each side. Knit these side sts twisted to avoid holes.

06Body

Work reverse stockinette (purl rounds on RS) until the body measures ≈ 25–30 cm from underarm, depending on desired fit and length.
Switch to 10 mm needles.
Work 5 rounds of 1×1 rib.
Bind off loosely.

07Sleeves

Return sleeve sts to 15 mm needles. Pick up 4 underarm sts and 1 stitch on each side of the underarm join (knit these picked-up sts twisted to close any gaps).
Work in the round in reverse stockinette: 9 rounds straight (no decreases).
On Round 10, make 1 decrease at the beginning of the round.
Then continue with 1 decrease every 3rd round (i.e. every 2 rounds between decreases).
Work until sleeve reaches desired length.
Switch to 10 mm needles.
Work 5 rounds of 1×1 rib.
Bind off loosely.

08Cable pattern

The center cable consists of 12 knit stitches, twisted every 7th row.
First half (3/3 LC): slip 3 sts to a cable needle in front, knit 3 from the left needle, then 3 from the cable needle.
Second half (3/3 RC): slip 3 sts to a cable needle behind, knit 3 from the left needle, then 3 from the cable needle.

09Finishing

Weave in all ends neatly with a tapestry needle.
Lightly steam or block through a damp cloth to shape.

Tip · The Cable Stitch Chart is in the pattern file — download it with the “Download PDF” button at the top of this page and keep it next to you while you knit the front cable.

Done!

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