The School Teacher Cardigan

By Melanie Landsittel

I made this cardigan when I started my

first full time job as an elementary
school teacher. I thrifted a lot of cute,
long and modest dresses that
accentuated my waist and wanted
something neutral, and a bit slouchy,
that would match them and keep my
arms warm.

I have a YouTube video explaining

raglan shape and the construction of
this cardigan step-by-step at “raglan
sweater: knitting vlog ep 2”
URL: https://youtu.be/C6_6ROEXrpY

Shape Explanation: This cardigan is

worked top-down using raglan shaping
in seed stitch. The body is completed first, then arms, in one seamless piece. The
collar edging is then picked up and worked in 1x1 ribbing, then plackets are worked in
the same manner.

Gauge: 14 sts and 19 rows = 3 in

12 sts and 17 rows = 7 cm in
seed stitch

Materials: 400 grams of worsted

weight yarn for size small,
medium and larger sizes will use
500-600 or more grams
depending on desired
measurements. 5 buttons or
desired number of buttons.

Needles: I used US size 5 for the ribbing and US size 9 for the body, but use whatever
size needle you need to obtain the correct gauge.

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Measurements:

For this garment you will need to find the following measurements:

A. The Raglan: measure from the center of your armpit to your collar bone at the
angle of the raglan increases (diagonal). Take this measurement and add 9 cm /
3.5 in. This is measurement A. (My measurement A: ________).
a. Note: This cardigan is made for about 18 cm / 7 in (9cm / 3.5 in under
each arm) inches of positive ease at the bust. For more or less ease, add
or subtract the length your desired ease.
B. Body length: measure from the base of your armpit to your waist. This is
measurement B. (My measurement B: ________).
C. Sleeve length: once you have completed the raglan and body, put it on and
measure from the edge of the raglan sleeve to your wrist. This is measurement
C. (My measurement C: ________).

Steps:

Explanation the raglan shaping:

The cast-on edge is the neckline before

you’ve added the collar. There are four
parts: the right front, right shoulder,
back, left shoulder and left front.
Between each part is one stitch,
surrounded on either side by markers,
where before and after you will make an
increase. These increases will create the raglan shape.

The back and both shoulders begin with a number of stitches that will increase at each
raglan increase point, but the fronts begin with only one stitch, which increase at the
raglan point and the edge. At each edge, you will cast on another stitch to the front
collar, and as you work the rows down, it will slowly curve in to a nice collar shape.
Following cast on, work in seed stitch as following: knit stitches on all right side (RS)
rows, and k1 p1 (1x1) on all wrong side (WS) rows.

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 1. A step-by-step guide to the collar:
a. Cast on (CO)1, place marker (PM), CO1, PM, CO13, PM, CO1, PM, CO
31, PM, CO1, PM, CO 13, PM, CO 1, PM, CO1
b. Knit the first row slipping markers (SM). 1x1 rib on WS.
c. RS: CO1, K1, make one left (M1L), SM, K1, SM, make one right (M1R), *k
to one stitch before the marker K1 M1L, SM, K1, SM, M1R* (repeat until 1
stitch remains) K1, CO1.
d. Repeat these increase rounds for every RS row until your inner collar
shaping is complete.
i. You will know the collar shaping is complete when your fronts,
minus 6 stitches, and back are an equal number of stitches. RF +
LF – 6 = Back (these 6 stitches are to account for the button hole
ribbed edging that will be made later, 3 from each front).

2. Once your collar is complete, continue to knit down with your raglan increases
until measurement A is reached from the cast on to edge measured at a raglan
increase.
a. Example row after collar shaping
is complete: K to the first marker,
M1L, SM, K1, SM, M1R, *k to one
stitch before the marker K1 M1L,
SM, K1, SM, M1R* (repeat until 1
stitch remains) k to end of row.

3. Joints: Once measurement A is reached,

knit across on a RS row and place
shoulder (now sleeve) stitches on a
holder from the first marker. Leave one marker there and CO 11 sts* at this joint,
PM, then join with back stitches. Do the same across the next sleeve, then knit
to the end. (see video for a step-by-step visual guide of this)

The body shaping:

After the body is separated from the sleeves, it is knitted down to the length of
measurement B, while decreases are worked evenly down to suite the waist of the
wearer. Once measurement B is reached, work k1 p1 ribbing for 1.75in/4cm.

4. On the body continue working in seed stitch down. Work 4 rounds, then begin

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 making 4 decreases (2 on each side) every fourth row*.
a. These decreases can be knit with the method of your choice, or as
follows: (RS) *Knit to the next marker, SM, slip one stitch knitwise, K1,
pass slipped stitch over (PSSO), knit to two stitches before the marker,
knit two together (K2tog), SM*. Repeat. Knit to end of round.

*Possible-but-not-necessary size modifications: Medium and large sizes can cast on a

larger amount of stitches here, and/or stagger decreases less often depending on their
desired measurement B down the length of the body. Casting on more stitches will
allow for more ease under the armpit. The idea with these stitches is to use them for a
nice effect by lining up the body decreases evenly to create a V-shape kind of dart
under the armpit.

To do this strategically, once you have choses the stitches you would like to cast on for
your desired ease, you can calculate how many stitches you will want at your waist by
using your waist measurement in the proportion system (see below). Then, subtract the
desired waist stitches from the amount of stitches you currently have on the needles
(including those which have been cased on at the underarm), and divide by 4 to figure
out how many decrease rounds you need to do. Small sizes are designed for 5
decrease rounds, with a B measurement of roughly 6.5 in/16 cm. So, following the first
inch, decrease rounds are worked roughly every inch, or every 4 rows. You can use
this logic to figure out your desired number of decrease rounds and their frequency
(every five, six or seven rows and so on), and I’d say this really doesn’t have to be a
perfect science for a nice fit.

5. Work 5 decreases rows (or desired amount) over the length of the body evenly,
every four rows is recommended (you can try it on yourself here and see how it
fits, if you want it to come in more at the waist, you can do another decrease
round before beginning edging).

6. Once measurement B is reached, you will switch to smaller needles and work a
1x1 ribbing for 4 cm/ 1.75 in or to your desired length.

Sleeves:

Ok, so your body’s done, here’s when you should take measurement C (explanation in
Measurements section above).

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 7. Pick up one sleeve from the stitches you have on holders, PM, pick up stitches
that you’ve casted on (11, or more or less based on your previously made size
modification), PM for decreases and beginning of row (see advice on picking up
stitches below).

8. Knit down while working a few decreases*, then make a ribbed edging. Repeat
the same for the second sleeve. The sleeve is nice and roomy since we’ve made
the raglan with a good amount of ease, and it’s designed to fit a bit like a
balloon sleeve, coming in only at the wrist by the ribbed edging.

*The decreases are worked just like in the body on the previous page, from either side
of the casted on stitches, giving the same V-shaped dart effect on either side. They do
not created a fitted sleeve, but if you desire a more fitted sleeve, work more decreases
evenly as you knit down, but be sure to take note of them so you can do the same on
the other sleeve.

My sleeve modifications: __________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Finishing:

What’s left? Well, we have to pick back up the neckline stitches to make a collar first.
Then make the plackets, one with buttons and one with button holes.

9. Pick up stitches along the neckline to work the collar in a 1x1 ribbing to
1.75in/4cm. Bind off in preferred method, I suggest to use a ribbed bind off if
collar falls close to the neck, or any type of stretchy bind off.

Plackets explanation: on the left side should be where you work buttonholes are, and
on the right side where you’ll sew in the buttons. This pattern calls for 5 buttons evenly
spaced along the length of the garment. You may want to add buttons as you see fit,
just be sure to adjust your button hole measurements for that. You can also do
afterthought buttonholes in order to skip this sequencing all together! But in this
pattern I’ll describe one method of how to place your buttonholes.

Here’s what I recommend, and there’s certainly a lot of ways to do this but it’s what I
find easiest for myself:

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 10. Knit the right side of the plackets first. With smaller needles, pick up stitches
along the edge and knit a 1x1 rib that measures about .75in/2cm (I had 9 rows
here) (add length on the plackets if you’d tried on the cardigan and it’s too snug
around the bust). I did a simple regular knit bind off but using my larger needles
from the body. Depending on your tension, you may want to use a 1x1 rib bind
off, but the effect of the knit stitches along the placket edge I think is much
nicer.

11. Now we’ll sew in the buttons, you can either space them out on the placket just
by eyeballing it, or use the measurement of your placket to find even spacing.
One button should be on the bottom edge and one on the top, then the others
spread evenly between them. I advise to find where you want them to be, place
stitch markers or safety pins there, then sew them in one by one.

12. To find where to put your buttonholes on the second placket, I would suggest
first picking up stitches (the same amount as the first placket and with smaller
needles), and completing one 1x1 row. Then, on your button side, count your
rows up from the bottom where you have your buttons and place a stitch marker
on the corresponding number row on your buttonhole side. Then, you should
have 5 (or however many buttons you have) markers on the buttonhole side.

13. On the next RS row, work a YO where your stitch markers are, but don’t remove
them yet. On the WS row, work the 1x1 rib, and when you get to the YO work it
as a purl stitch. On the next RS row, work a K2tog where the extra stitch from
the YO is. You’ll see here now you have nice hole for your button.

14. Work in a 1x1 rib until you reach the same amount of rows as on the first
placket. Bind off in the same manner.

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Advice on picking up stitches:

At a slanted cast on edge: Go into the center of each stitch at the edge and pick up
one for one, when it is knit it looks as if the picked up stitch is a continuation of
the casted on stitch but at an angle. There will be some messy bits along the edges,
but be sure to go into what is visibly a nice clean stitch. EXCEPTION: for collars pick
up an additional stitch in between every other stitch.

At the edge of a straight column of rows: Pick up 3 stitches, then skip one. Repeat all
the way along. This gives a nice length that does not make your picked up edge look
any wider or tighter than the original rows.

at a flat casted on (or binded off) edge: pick up one stitch for one. Go into the hole in
the center of the knit stitch, not into the cast on or bind of edge. This gives
the appearance of a continuation rather than anything having been picked up. On the
inside it will look like one knit row going across (this is the cast on or bind off edge),
which is also a nice effect.

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Using proportions to find desired stitches:

To solve this type of proportion, you need to multiply across the known values, and the
divide by the other known value. So, here you would multiply your gage number of
stitches by the desired length in cm or in, then divide by your gauge number of
centimeters for X, being desired stitches.

For example: If my gauge is 4.5 stitches by 2.5 cm, and I want to find how many
stitches I will need to have 99 cm across, I will set up the following proportion:

4.5 sts. x sts.

2.5 cm = 99 cm

To solve, I would do, 4.5x99/2.5=178* (So, your desired number of stitches is 178)

Note: Always round up. To reach a desired multiple for color or lace work, consider
the amount of ease you would like, for more ease, round up, for a tighter knit, round
down. With this method, you can find your desired stitches for sleeves, bust, waist,
hips, wrist, even neckline. I suggest measuring neckline in two or four parts (shoulders,
front and back, or just front and back depending on the shape of your garment). You
can take these measurements from your favorite sweater, or directly from your body.

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 This pattern is for personal, non-commercial use only.
Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/people/mellandsittel
Website: melanielandsittel.weebly.com
Instagram: mellikescats